Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #93018
Title: WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF CORN IN THE U.S. SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS

Author
item Howell, Terry
item Tolk, Judy

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Corn (Zea mays L.) production has expanded in the Texas High Plains, a region with a high evapotranspiration (ET) due to high winds and low humidities resulting in a high irrigation requirement since rainfall is low. This work summarizes previously published studies on irrigated corn yield response at Bushland, TX. The studies were conducted on Pullman clay yloam (Torrertic Paleustoll) under varied irrigation regimes and methods, tillage, fertility, cultivars, and seasons for 185 treatment-year combinations. The regression line -- GY = 0.021*(ET-252), where GY is grain yield in Mg/ha and ET is water use in mm, fit the experimental observations with an r**2 of 0.60. When only data from sprinkler studies were examined, the relationship, GY = 0.26*(ET-82) with an r**2 = 0.845 (N=77), resulted. Grain yield was a consistent proportion of dry matter (above ground) at GY = 0.59*(DM - 1.90) with r**2 - 0.95 where DM is dry matter in Mg/ha. Corn grain production is strongly correlated with both dry matter yield and ET through water use efficiency. Although irrigated corn can be highly productive in this region, it has a high irrigation requirement.