Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #381414
Research Project: Towards Resilient Agricultural Systems to Enhance Water Availability, Quality, and Other Ecosystem Services under Changing Climate and Land Use

Location: Location not imported yet.

Title: Evaluating irrigation interventions for agricultural resiliency under future water scarcity in a desert river basin

Author
item SAMIMI, MARYAM - Oklahoma State University
item MIRCHI, ALI - Oklahoma State University
item TAGHVAEIAN, SALEH - Oklahoma State University
item Moriasi, Daniel
item SHENG, ZHUPING - Texas A&M Agrilife
item GUTZLER, DAVID - University Of New Mexico
item ALIAN, SARA - Oklahoma State University
item HARGROVE, WILLIAM - University Of Texas - El Paso

Submitted to: Proceedings of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International (ASABE)
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/19/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Abstract only.

Technical Abstract: Climate-informed adaptive water management plans based on future projections of water scarcity and severe droughts are critical for irrigated agriculture and food production in arid/semi-arid regions. A good example is the Middle Rio Grande region of the US, where the risk of fresh groundwater depletion increases significantly toward the second half of the 21st century under warm-dry future scenarios. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to evaluate possible agricultural water management interventions to inform adaptation planning to cope with warm-dry future. Seventeen different agricultural interventions were selected based on previous experiences of growers in the region, alternative drought-tolerant crops, and SWAT model limitations to perform the simulations. The simulated interventions fall under three thematic categories: (1) implementation of deficit irrigation, (2) changing current cropping patterns, and (3) growing new alternative crops. Results show that agricultural water availability under current irrigation management would be increasingly vulnerable to severe droughts and fresh groundwater depletion in the future. Applying whole-season deficit irrigation and modifying crop patterns by replacing alfalfa and cotton with drip-irrigated pomegranate and pistachio could increase available water to sustain high-value pecan crops. Due to potential depletion of fresh groundwater, development of desalination for brackish groundwater, and water markets to increase flexibility in water use are compelling needs in order to maintain production of high-value perennial crops like pecan.