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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323745
Title: Limited irrigation of corn-based no-till crop rotations in West Central Great Plains

Author
item SCHLEGEL, ALAN - Kansas State University
item ASSEFA, YARED - Kansas State University
item DUMLER, TROY - Kansas State University
item HAAG, LUCAS - Kansas State University
item STONE, LYOD - Kansas State University
item HALVORSON, ARDELL - Retired ARS Employee
item THOMPSON, CURTIS - Kansas State University

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2016
Publication Date: 4/22/2016
Citation: Schlegel, A.J., Assefa, Y., Dumler, T., Haag, L.A., Stone, L.R., Halvorson, A.D., Thompson, C. 2016. Limited irrigation of corn-based no-till crop rotations in West Central Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 108(3):1132–1141. doi: 10.2134/agronj2015.053.

Interpretive Summary: Finding the most profitable crop rotation under limited irrigation for the Central Great Plains due to numerous alternatives in cropping sequences and changes in crop yield and price presents a continuous research challenge. This study evaluated 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-yr limited irrigation corn-based crop rotations for grain yield, available soil water, crop water productivity (grain yield per unit of water use), and profitability from 2001 through 2010 on a deep silt loam soil near Tribune, KS. The field study consisted of four crop rotations [continuous corn (CC); corn-winter wheat (C-W); corn-winter wheat-grain sorghum (C-W-Gs); and corn-winter wheat-grain-sorghum-soybean (C-W-Gs-Sb)] with irrigation limited to 254 mm annually. Corn grain yields from the CC rotation were significantly lower, on average by 2.5 Mg ha-1, than corn yields from the other three rotations mainly due to difference in irrigation water levels. However, the mean yield of CC over one cycle of rotation [~ 10.2 Mg (ha rotation-cycle)-1] was significantly greater than the mean grain yield of the other three rotations over one cycle of each rotation. Seasonal soil water change from upper depths of the soil profile was significantly greater for CC than the other crop rotations. Water use and water productivity of corn was greatest of the four crops, followed by grain sorghum. The most profitable system was CC. Unlike rainfed systems, grain yield, water use, resource use efficiency, and profitability of a limited irrigation rotation was more dependent on yield potential and value of the crops involved than possible risk.

Technical Abstract: Due to numerous alternatives in crop sequence and changes in crop yield and price, finding the most profitable crop rotation for an area is a continuous research challenge. The objective of this study was to evaluate 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-yr limited irrigation corn (Zea mays L.)-based crop rotations for grain yield, available soil water, crop water productivity, and profitability. A field study was conducted from 2001 through 2010 on a deep silt loam soil near Tribune, KS. The study consisted of four crop rotations, i.e., continuous corn (CC), corn-winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (C-W), corn-winter wheat-grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) (C-W-Gs), and corn-winter wheat-grain-sorghum-soybean (Glycine max L.) (C-W-Gs-Sb) with irrigation limited to 254 mm annually. Grain yield of corn from the CC rotation was significantly lower, on average by 2.5 Mg ha-1, than corn yield from the other three rotations mainly due to difference in irrigation level. However, the mean yield of CC over one cycle of rotation (~ 10.2 Mg (ha rotation-cycle)-1) was significantly greater than mean grain yield of the other three rotations over one cycle of each rotation. Seasonal soil water change from upper depths of the soil profile was significantly greater for CC and it was the most profitable rotation. Unlike rainfed systems, grain yield, water use, resource use efficiency, and profitability of a limited irrigation rotation was more dependent on yield potential and value of the crops involved than possible risk.