Furrow diking as a mid-southern USA irrigation strategy: soybean grain yield, irrigation water use efficiency, and net returns above Furrow diking costs.

Authors: BYRANT, C - Delta Research & Extension Center; Krutz, Larry; NUTI, R - Phytogen Seed Company; TRUMAN, C - Syngenta Crop Protection; Locke, Martin; FALCONER, L - Delta Research & Extension Center; ATWILL, R - Delta Research & Extension Center; WOOD, C - Delta Research & Extension Center; SPENCER, G - Delta Research & Extension Center

Submitted to: Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/13/2019
Publication Date: 4/11/2019
Citation: Byrant, C.J., Krutz, L.J., Nuti, R.C., Truman, C.C., Locke, M.A., Falconer, L., Atwill, R.L., Wood, C.W., Spencer, G.D. 2019. Furrow diking as a mid-southern USA irrigation strategy: soybean grain yield, irrigation water use efficiency, and net returns above Furrow diking costs.. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management. (5):1. https://doi.org/10.2134/cftm2018.09.0076.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/cftm2018.09.0076

Interpretive Summary: Best management practices (BMP) are needed to improve irrigation water use efficiency and retention of rainfall in the Mid-Southern USA. A potential BMP is furrow diking (FD), which involves minor tillage to create small basins within the furrow to capture water from rainfall and irrigation. Two studies were conducted to quantify effects of FD on soybean grain yield and irrigation efficiency under both irrigated and rainfed environments. Similar soybean grain yields were maintained in the FD system when 25% less water was applied, increasing the irrigation water use efficiency by 28%. Economic analyses determined that FD did not affect total revenue or net returns above FD costs. These studies indicate FD is a potential BMP for increasing irrigation efficiency and decreasing aquifer withdrawals in Mid-Southern USA soybean production.

Technical Abstract: Best management practices (BMP) to improve irrigation efficiency and rainfall capture are needed in the Mid-Southern USA to ease overdrafts from the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA). One potential BMP is furrow diking (FD), wherein tillage is used to create small basins within the furrow to capture water from rainfall and irrigation. The objective of this research was to quantify the effect of FD on soybean grain yield, (IWUE)Irrigation water use efficiency, and economic analysis under both irrigated and rainfed environments. Two studies were conducted to evaluate FD in irrigated and rainfed systems. Treatments included FD and non-diked (control) in a randomized complete block design with six replications. Furrow diking had no impact on soybean grain yield in either irrigated or rainfed environments (P > 0.05). Similar yields were maintained in the FD system when 25% less water was applied, increasing the irrigation water use efficiency by 28% (P < 0.0001). No effect of FD was observed on total revenue or net returns above FD costs (P > 0.05). These data indicate FD is a possible BMP for increasing irrigation efficiency and decreasing aquifer withdrawals in Mid-Southern USA soybean production.