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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Soil and Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #332070
Title: Simulating evapotranspiration (ET) and corn yield response to irrigation management in the Texas High Plains using DSSAT

Author
item Marek, Gary
item Gowda, Prasanna
item MAREK, THOMAS - Agrilife Research
item XUE, QINGWU - Agrilife Research
item Evett, Steven - Steve
item Brauer, David

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/24/2016
Publication Date: 7/19/2016
Citation: Marek, G.W., Gowda, P., Marek, T.H., Xue, Q., Evett, S.R., Brauer, D.K. 2016. Simulating evapotranspiration (ET) and corn yield response to irrigation management in the Texas High Plains using DSSAT. ASABE 2016 international meeting, July 17-20, 2016.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Grain corn (Zea mays L) continues to be a major irrigated crop in the northern Texas High Plains. Improvements in irrigation system efficiency, irrigation management, and plant genetics have increased average yields while decreasing seasonal water use in the last 40 years. However, declining water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer is a major concern for producers and policy makers. Limited water resources and increased energy costs have forced many producers to employ deficit irrigation strategies requiring prudent timing and magnitude of irrigation to maximize yields and avoid crop failure. The DSSAT (Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer) can be a useful modeling tool for simulating corn yield and seasonal water use in response to irrigation management strategies. Adequate model parametrization and calibration are required for meaningful simulation of evapotranspiration and plant growth. A DSSAT model was calibrated for water balance and crop growth using data for grain corn grown on large weighing lysimeters located at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory in Bushland, TX. The model was evaluated using irrigation treatment field plot data from Texas AgriLife Research at Amarillo. Results summarize the ability of a calibrated DSSAT to simulated accurate water use and crop in response to irrigation levels.