Irrigation response, water use, and lint yield of upland cotton cultivars

Authors: Schwartz, Robert; Witt, Travis; Ulloa, Mauricio; Colaizzi, Paul; Baumhardt, Roland - Louis

Submitted to: Journal of the ASABE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2024
Publication Date: 4/11/2024
Citation: Schwartz, R.C., Witt, T.W., Ulloa, M., Colaizzi, P.D., Baumhardt, R.L. 2024. Irrigation response, water use, and lint yield of upland cotton cultivars. Journal of the ASABE. 67(2):421-437. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15868.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15868

Interpretive Summary: Reduced well yields associated with groundwater depletion of the High Plains Aquifer has increased production risks for growers. Cotton requires less irrigation compared with other crops and thus provides an opportunity to maintain profitability in areas where water is limiting. Scientists from USDA ARS Bushland, Lubbock and El Reno compared water use and lint yield of six early to medium maturity upland cotton cultivars under subsurface drip irrigation in the Texas High Plains. Average growing season water use for the three study years ranged from 18.4 to 24.7 inches at the low and high irrigation rates, respectively. Water use during the growing season was similar among all cultivars. Mean lint yield increased with increasing irrigation and ranged from 647 to 1774 lbs/acre. Cultivar selection was important at the medium and high irrigation rates, with one cultivar exceeding average yields of all cultivars by 13%. Crop selection and late season irrigation water management were both key to improving cotton water productivity in the Texas High Plains.

Technical Abstract: Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production requires less irrigation compared with other crops and thus provides an opportunity to reduce risk and maintain profitability in areas where water is limiting. We evaluated water use, canopy temperature, lint yield, and crop water productivity for four early to medium maturity upland cotton cultivars under three levels (100, 66, and 33%) of alternate furrow subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in a thermally limited environment. Crop evapotranspiration (ET) across cultivars and years averaged 627, 547, and 467 mm for the 100%, 66%, and 33% irrigation levels, respectively, and did not differ among cultivars (P>0.05). Changes in stored soil water within each irrigation level were similar among cultivars, with significant differences occurring infrequently. Measured canopy temperatures from first white flower to two weeks after cutout did not significantly differ among hybrids (P>0.10) within each irrigation level. Crop water use during boll maturation as inferred from the developed crop coefficient curve was considerably less than reported by other studies signifying that irrigation could be terminated earlier without reducing lint yield. Cultivar effect on lint yield was significant in all study years (P<0.001) but only at the 66 and 100% irrigation levels and with one cultivar exceeding average yields of all evaluated cultivars by 13% across the three study years. Medium maturity cultivars usually yielded less than the early maturity cultivars, especially for a year with less accumulation of thermal energy. Crop selection and late season irrigation water management were both key to improving cotton water productivity.