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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #278365
Title: Erraticity of sprinkler irrigated corn in 2011

Author
item LAMM, FREDDIE - Kansas State University
item Howell, Terry
item BORDOVSKY, JAMES - Texas Agrilife Research

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Central Plains Irrigation Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2012
Publication Date: 2/21/2012
Citation: Lamm, F.R., Howell, T.A., Bordovsky, J.P. 2012. Erraticity of sprinkler irrigated corn in 2011. Proceedings of the Central Plains Irrigation Conference, February 21-22, 2012, Colby, Kansas. p. 88-101.

Interpretive Summary: In 2011, in northwest Kansas, the corn crop suffered from drought and non-uniform sprinkler irrigation. This paper examined some of the possible irrigation solutions to avoid these problems. Identified issues included: 1) selection of sprinkler packages that balance reducing evaporative losses without increasing irrigation runoff or in-field water redistribution; 2) sprinkler packages and their installation characteristics for equal opportunity to applied or infiltrated water; 3) sprinkler nozzle heights and spacing appropriate for the intended crop; 4) planting of taller row crops such as corn in circular patterns if in-canopy sprinklers are used; and 5) subtle irrigation system characteristics (design, installation, or maintenance) that might combine negatively to reduce crop yields. These design and management improvements should reduce effects of drought on corn production with pivot irrigation.

Technical Abstract: Sprinkler non-uniformity effects on corn are accentuated in a drought. The lack of rainfall during the 2011 corn growing season in Colby, Kansas illustrated many fields irrigated by center pivot sprinklers that had poor crops due to non-uniform irrigation. Many of these effects were due to use of in-canopy systems with nozzles spaced too widely, crop interferences from row orientations, as well as the timing of excessive soil water deficits. The drought that southwest Kansas experienced in 2011 was devastating to production on many sprinkler irrigated corn fields, but the non-uniform corn crop highlighted design and management issues that a producer might address before the next irrigation season, such as 1) selected sprinkler package strike the correct balance in reducing evaporative losses without increasing irrigation runoff or in-field water redistribution; 2) sprinkler packages and their installation characteristics for equal opportunity to applied or infiltrated water; 3) sprinkler nozzle heights and spacing appropriate for the intended crop; 4) planting of taller row crops such as corn in circular patterns if in-canopy sprinklers are used; and 5) subtle irrigation system characteristics (design, installation, or maintenance) that might combine negatively to reduce crop yields. These design and management improvements won't change the weather conditions, but they might change how the crop weathers future droughts.