ARS | Publication request: Variable-rate irrigation management for peanut in the eastern Coastal Plains

Submitted to: International Irrigation Show
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: September 30, 2009
Publication Date: December 1, 2009
Citation: Stone, K.C., Bauer, P., Busscher, W., Millen, J., Evans, D., Strickland Jr, E. 2009. Variable-rate irrigation management for peanut in the eastern Coastal Plains. In: Proceedings of the 30th Annual International Irrigation Show, December 2-4, 2009, San Antonio, Texas. 2009. CDROM.

Technical Abstract: Variable rate irrigation systems provide farmers with a tool to spatially allocate limited water resources while potentially increasing profits. To optimally management these variable rate irrigation systems, we conducted irrigation experiments on peanuts to compare spatial irrigation management using traditional soil water measurement with an expert system for spatial crop management. We conducted experiments in 2007 and 2008 to evaluate Irrigator-Pro as a tool for variable rate irrigation of peanut using a site-specific center pivot irrigation system developed by the USDA-ARS at Florence, SC. Treatments were irrigation of whole plots based on the expert system, irrigation of individual soils within plots based on the expert system, irrigation of individual soils within plots based on tensiometers, and rainfed. The Expert system managed treatments initiated irrigation earlier in the season than for treatments managed with tensiometers. Total seasonal water applied was generally higher for Irrigator-Pro treatments than for the tensiometer treatments.