Irrigated sugarbeet water use and water use efficiency responses to various tillage practices

Authors: Jabro, Jalal; Stevens, William; Iversen, William; Sainju, Upendra; Allen, Brett; Rana Dangi, Sadikshya; CHEN, C - Montana State University

Submitted to: Soil and Tillage Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/24/2025
Publication Date: 1/1/2026
Citation: Jabro, J.D., Stevens, W.B., Iversen, W.M., Sainju, U.M., Allen, B.L., Rana Dangi, S., Chen, C. 2026. Irrigated sugarbeet water use and water use efficiency responses to various tillage practices. Soil and Tillage Research. 255:106776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106776.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2025.106776

Interpretive Summary: Tillage has an impact on soil properties and crop production including crop water use (WU) and water use efficiency (WUE). Crop WU is the seasonal amount of water used by a plant or crop to grow under actual field conditions, which is equal to the amount of water needed by crop to meet the water losses by evaporation and transpiration processes (ET). It can be affected by climatic data, crop type, and soil characteristics. Today’s greatest challenge in both irrigated and rainfed agriculture is to produce more food, fiber, and fuel with less water, which can be accomplished by maximizing crop WUE. ARS scientists in Sidney, MT, evaluated the effect of conventional tillage (CT), no-till (NT) and strip tillage (ST) practices on WU and WUE of sugarbeet and sucrose yields in clay loam soil under over-head sprinkler irrigation system. Research findings provide critical information for sugarbeet producers regarding conservation tillage methods that help reduce wind erosion, improve soil quality, enhance water use, and maximize crop WUE while maintaining environmental quality. They concluded that conservation tillage practices result in yield, WU, WUE comparable to CT, in addition to their environmental and economic benefits over CT. Sugarbeet producers can reduce their inputs, use less irrigation water and increase their profitability by implementing conservation tillage farming. This work highlights that efficient irrigation with conservation tillage practices are effective tools for optimizing agricultural productivity, saving water and energy, reducing erosion, and achieving global food security and sustainable agriculture in the future under changing climate.

Technical Abstract: Better farming practices and smarter technologies have been used to increase soil water storage and reduce evaporation from the soil surface to optimize crop water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigated agriculture. A field study was conducted to assess the effect of conventional tillage (CT), no-till (NT) and strip tillage (ST) practices on water use (WU) and WUE of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) in clay loam soil under over-head sprinkler irrigation system in the northern Great Plains region (NGP) of the United States. Tillage treatments were replicated five times in a randomized block design. Seasonal WU and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose yields were calculated based on the water balance and WUE equations for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 growing seasons under three tillage practices. Results showed that no significant differences due to tillage treatment were found for WU and WUE of sugarbeet root and sucrose yields in 2018, 2019, and 2020 growing seasons. In 2019, the average WU across three tillage systems (616 mm) was significantly greater relative to 2018 (468 mm) and 2020 (494 mm) due to atypical large rainfall amount (218 mm) occurred in September of 2019. Consequently, WUE values for both root and sucrose yields in 2019 were significantly lower than those in 2018 under three tillage systems. Maximizing crop WUE is achievable with innovative, smart and appropriate land and irrigation management practices and technologies. While NT and ST are promising practices and offer economic and environmental advantages over CT for agricultural production, more studies are needed under various soils, environments, and farming practices prior to making any conclusion or recommendation.