Comparison of precision and conventional irrigation management of cotton

Authors: Vories, Earl; O`Shaughnessy, Susan; ANDRADE, ALEJANDRO - Orise Fellow

Submitted to: European Conference on Precision Agriculture Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2019
Publication Date: 7/8/2019
Citation: Vories, E.D., Oshaughnessy, S.A., Andrade, A. 2019. Comparison of precision and conventional irrigation management of cotton. In: Stafford, John V. editor. Precision Agriculture '19. European Conference on Precision Agriculture Proceedings, July 8-11, 2019, Montpellier, France. p. 695-702. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-888-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-888-9

Interpretive Summary: Soil variability diminishes the effectiveness of conventional irrigation management. Benefits of variable-rate application of agrochemicals, seeds, and nutrients, one way to address variability, can be partially masked by applying inappropriate amounts of water. Center pivot irrigation systems can be equipped with variable rate irrigation capability and the systems have been shown to perform dependably, but work is needed on preparing the water application prescriptions. A field study was conducted by ARS scientists from Portageville and Columbia, Missouri, and Bushland, Texas, at the University of Missouri Fisher Delta Research Center at Portageville with the objective to compare rainfed cotton and cotton irrigated based on the USDA-ARS Irrigation Scheduling Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (ISSCADA) system and a water balance method. Although the trend was for the rainfed treatment to have the lowest yield in both years, the yield differences among all treatments in 2017 were not significant. The study is continuing at Portageville and other locations and the ISSCADA system is constantly being improved to better meet the needs of agricultural producers. These findings will be used to improve irrigation efficiency in the US and worldwide.

Technical Abstract: Soil textural variability diminishes the effectiveness of conventional irrigation management. Variable rate irrigation (VRI) can address soil variability; however, users need guidance to prepare prescriptions for optimal water application. A study was conducted at Portageville, MO, USA, in 2016 and 2017 with the objective to compare rainfed cotton and cotton irrigated based on the USDA-ARS Irrigation Scheduling Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (ISSCADA) system and a water balance method. Although the trend was for the rainfed treatment to have the lowest yield in both years, the yield differences among all treatments in 2017 were not significant. The study is continuing at Portageville and other locations and the ISSCADA system is constantly being improved to better meet the needs of agricultural producers.