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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #146478
Title: SPATIAL VARIATION IN CROP RESPONSE: AN OVERVIEW FOR VARIABLE IRRIGATION OF CORN, AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR WATER AND NITROGEN MANAGEMENT

Author
item CAMP, CARL - ARS (RETIRED)
item Sadler, Edward
item Lu, Yao

Submitted to: International Water and Irrigation Review
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/20/2003
Publication Date: 8/27/2003
Citation: CAMP, C.R., SADLER, E.J., LU, Y.C. SPATIAL VARIATION IN CROP RESPONSE: AN OVERVIEW FOR VARIABLE IRRIGATION OF CORN, AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR WATER AND NITROGEN MANAGEMENT. INTERNATIONAL WATER AND IRRIGATION REVIEW. 2003. v. 23.p. 26-30.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: During the 1990's, research at ARS - Florence, SC, developed a site-specific center pivot irrigation facility for representative soils of the southeast US Coastal Plain. This paper provides an overview of the project in the context of the antecedent Florence research and examines site-specific irrigation and nitrogen production functions. Data are discussed from two experiments conducted during 1999-2001 using the two site-specific center pivots in the irrigation facility. Both used corn as the first test crop, with variable water and N-fertilizer amounts applied. One was a 144-plot irrigation x nitrogen experiment on the predominant soil map unit for the area, and the other was a 396-plot irrigation x nitrogen x soil experiment on a field with 12 soil map units. Site-specific applications were made to zones as small as 900 ft**2 (30 ft. by 30 ft.) or 83 m**2 (9.1 by 9.1 m) using these modified center pivot systems. Corn grain yields varied for a range of water and N fertilizer inputs during the period, but yield responses were not equal for all years. Yield response to these inputs also varied with soil map unit, demonstrating that yields increased more with increased input for some soils than for others. The differential response to variable input was analyzed to determine economic response. With these data, it should be possible to ultimately develop a management tool to maximum profit and/or optimize resource allocation or utilization.