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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #175760
Title: USING PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE IRRIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS

Author
item Vories, Earl
item BAJWA, SREEKALA - U OF AR

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2005
Publication Date: 7/1/2005
Citation: Vories, E.D., Bajwa, S. 2005. Using precision agriculture techniques to improve irrigation recommendations [abstract] [CD-ROM]. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. Paper No. 630

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Irrigation of cotton has been increasing throughout the mid-South; but many unanswered questions persist concerning the optimal irrigation strategy with climate that varies throughout the season and from year to year, soils that vary through the field, and pests that vary both spatially and temporally. Plant-response-based site-specific irrigation management has the potential to maximize water use efficiency by accounting for variability in crop development. Although site-specific irrigation management is not yet commercially viable, advances in precision agriculture may serve to complement the information provided by conventional methods. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential for supplementing the Arkansas Irrigation Scheduler recommendations with additional data to indicate the presence or absence of water stress. A study was conducted at the University of Arkansas Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser with three irrigation treatments and two cultivars. Data collection included COTMAN data, soil moisture, canopy temperature, canopy reflectance, crop maturity, yield, and fiber quality. In addition, two images from the commercial service InTime were collected. Ample rainfall throughout the growing season prevented the occurrence of severe water deficit stress. Differences in NDVI in mid-August indicated more biomass in the well watered treatment; however, yields for the nonirrigated treatment exceeded those for the two irrigated treatments, probably due to rainfall occurring immediately following furrow irrigation. These findings underscore the difficulty in cotton irrigation in the mid-South. Fiber analysis and funding for the study were provided by Cotton Incorporated.