Location: Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research
Project Number: 2054-13000-010-012-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2024
End Date: Jun 30, 2026
Objective:
Develop economically optimal irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen strategies for barley and sugar beet for semi-arid production regions.
Approach:
ARS scientists have developed large field-trial datasets on both irrigation and nitrogen response in both barley and sugar beet. These include crop yield, quality, nutrient uptake, climatic conditions, crop/soil water balances, soil testing values, and other measures. These will be compiled into comprehensive datasets that will be used to develop agronomic recommendations. These recommendations will be based on both agronomic performance as well as economic optimization. Irrigation and fertilizer cost estimates will be used alongside these agronomic and environmental measurements to develop fertilizer and irrigation management tools to optimize agronomic and economic performance while minimizing environmental impacts. Specifically, irrigation data from sugar beet and barley research will be used to evaluate water usage in relation to available sources in the region and determine costs for common situations in semi-arid regions. ARS scientists will advise on these scenarios (ground water v. surface water, varying irrigation system, deficit irrigation, etc.) and cooperator will develop cost estimates for a range of conditions. The work will improve our understanding of water usage and will develop cost estimates for a range of scenarios to allow better decision making by agricultural producers and better understanding of water usage under these conditions. Fertilization in irrigated croplands varies due to high yields and reduced stress. These fertilization strategies also directly influence irrigation demands in the region. Extensive barley and sugar beet nitrogen fertilizer data will be used and assessed based on economic costs to allow economic optimum fertilizer estimation. ARS researchers will provide data and guidance on the agronomic response in terms of both yield and quality. Cooperator will develop tools that allow improved management through an understanding of both agronomic and economic response. It is expected that this work will lead to multiple peer-reviewed publications as well as extension and other appropriate outputs through coordination with the cooperator.
