Perceptions of irrigation water management practices in the Mississippi Delta

Authors: ROBERTS, CARSON - Mississippi State University; GHOLSON, DREW - Mississippi State University; QUINTANA-ASHWELL, NICOLAS - Mississippi State University; KAUR, GURPREET - Mississippi State University; SINGH, GURBIR - Mississippi State University; KRUTZ, LARRY - Mississippi State University; COOKE, TREY - The Nature Conservancy

Submitted to: Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/4/2022
Publication Date: 1/13/2022
Citation: Roberts, C., Gholson, D., Quintana-Ashwell, N., Kaur, G., Singh, G., Krutz, L.J., Cooke, T. 2022. Perceptions of irrigation water management practices in the Mississippi Delta. Agronomy. 12(1):186. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010186.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010186

Interpretive Summary: The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) is being depleted, and practices that improve water stewardship have been developed to reduce drawdown. This study assesses how Mississippi Delta producers changed their perceptions of these practices over time. The analysis employs data from two surveys carried-out in 2012 and 2014 of all Mississippi permittees who held an agricultural well permit drawing from the MRVAA. Focusing on water-saving practices, this study found that producer perception of the usability of flowmeters improved over time. About 80% and 90% more producers growing corn and soybeans, respectively, felt that computerized hole selection was highly efficient. In 2014, 38% of corn and 35% of soybean producers believed that shortened furrow length was a highly efficient practice—up from 21% in corn and 24% in soybean producers in 2012. Approval of irrigation automation, moisture probes, and other irrigation technology rose from 75% of producers in 2012 to 88% by 2014. Favorability toward water-saving practices increased overall between the survey years.

Technical Abstract: The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) is being depleted, and practices that improve water stewardship have been developed to reduce drawdown. This study assesses how Mississippi Delta producers changed their perceptions of these practices over time. The analysis employs data from two surveys carried-out in 2012 and 2014 of all Mississippi permittees who held an agricultural well permit drawing from the MRVAA. Focusing on water-saving practices, this study found that producer perception of the usability of flowmeters improved over time. About 80% and 90% more producers growing corn and soybeans, respectively, felt that computerized hole selection was highly efficient. In 2014, 38% of corn and 35% of soybean producers believed that shortened furrow length was a highly efficient practice—up from 21% in corn and 24% in soybean producers in 2012. Approval of irrigation automation, moisture probes, and other irrigation technology rose from 75% of producers in 2012 to 88% by 2014. Favorability toward water-saving practices increased overall between the survey years.