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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 #355342
Research Project: Precipitation and Irrigation Management to Optimize Profits from Crop Production

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

Title: Irrigation timing and rate affect cotton boll distribution and fiber quality

Author
item SCHAEFER, CURTIS - Texas Tech University
item RITCHIE, GLEN - Texas Tech University
item BORDOVSKY, JAMES - Texas A&M Agrilife
item LEWIS, KATIE - Texas Tech University
item KELLY, BRENDAN - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/19/2018
Publication Date: 3/22/2018
Citation: Schaefer, C.R., Ritchie, G.L., Bordovsky, J.P., Lewis, K., Kelly, B. 2018. Irrigation timing and rate affect cotton boll distribution and fiber quality. Agronomy Journal. 110(3):922-931. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.06.0360.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.06.0360

Interpretive Summary: Decreased groundwater under the Texas High Plains has increased the risks associated with irrigation. However, timing application of irrigation boost crop yields significantly in most years. Therefore, scientists from Texas Tech University, and Texas A&M University in the ARS led Ogallala Aquifer Program investigated 27 irrigation treatments combining time of application and amount of applied water using cotton as the crop. Heavy irrigation early in the growing season used more water, did not increase boll number, and was often detrimental to yield. Mid- and late-season irrigation improved yield and fiber quality. These results provide insight into optimizing cotton water use in a region with declining crop water availability, increased pumping restrictions, and a challenging climate.

Technical Abstract: Decreased aquifer water in the Texas High Plains has increased the risks associated with irrigation, including lower irrigation volume and the need to balance seasonal water demands among crops, requiring management of both irrigation rate and timing. Boll distribution measurements in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) can be used to quantify the effects of irrigation on productivity and were used in a study of irrigation rate × timing from 2011 to 2013 in Halfway, TX. Field experiments quantified cotton boll distribution using three in-season irrigation levels (maximums of 0, 3.2, and 6.4 mm per d) during three different irrigation periods determined by accumulated growing degreedays (GDD) based on the threshold of 15.6°C: period 1 (P1, less than 525 GDD), period 2 (P2, 525–750 GDD), and period 3 (P3, greater than 750 GDD). Combinations of these factors resulted in 27 irrigation treatments, applied with a low energy precision application (LEPA) pivot. Heavy irrigation early in the growing season used more water, did not increase boll number, and was often detrimental to yield. Mid- and late-season irrigation improved yield and fiber quality, with P2 irrigation influencing yield in the middle of the plant and P3 irrigation controlling yield at the top of the plant. Moderate irrigation later in the season minimized effects of short-term water deficit observed in other similar studies. These results provide insight into optimizing cotton water use in a region with declining crop water availability, increased pumping restrictions, and a challenging climate.