Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Water Management and Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #327267
Title: The Northern Colorado limited irrigation research farm: past and future experiments

Author
item DeJonge, Kendall
item TROUT, THOMAS - Retired ARS Employee
item Comas, Louise
item Gleason, Sean
item Zhang, Huihui

Submitted to: Irrigation Association Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2016
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agricultural water research has been conducted for over 100 years at the USDA-ARS Limited Irrigation Research Farm (LIRF) near Greeley, Colorado. Recent experiments since 2008 have focused on deficit irrigation of commodity crops, primarily corn. Experimental design and facilities are described, as well as water production function (yield vs. evapotranspiration) data obtained from 2009-2016. Water balance is determined using several inputs including on-site reference evapotranspiration, canopy cover, and feedback from soil water content using neutron probe measurements. Physiological measurements, from root length density to plant transpiration via sap-flow, have been taken and their results are also discussed. Ground-based remote sensing is an important component of the program, from continuous infrared canopy temperature readings in focused plots to less frequent ground-based multispectral and thermal imaging taken from a highboy tractor with a customized boom. Results and publications from previous projects are briefly highlighted, and a change in focus for the next project phase (2016-2020) is outlined.