Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Morris, Minnesota » Soil Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #59057
Title: IMPACT OF CROPWATER USE ON GROUND WATER QUALITY

Author
item Reicosky, Donald
item LAMB, JOHN - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Dowdy, Robert

Submitted to: Clean Water Clean Environment 21st Century Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Crop growth models are useful as decision aids and in evaluating numerous management scenarios before implementation. As part of the Management Systems Evaluation Area (MSEA) water quality research at Princeton, Minnesota, crop growth models CERES-Maize (v2.1) and SOYGRO (v5.41) were used to calculate crop water use and grain yield on a Zimmerman loamy fine sand (sandy siliceous non-acid frigid alfic Udipsamments). Corn (Zea Mays (L.)cv. Pioneer 3790) and Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr cv. Hodgson 78) were planted using ridge till methods. Crop, soil, irrigation and daily weather data were collected and used as input for 1991-1994 growing seasons. Irrigation was not available in 1991 but was available in the remaining years and was added based on the checkbook method. Plant genetic parameters for both crops were estimated based on values in the literature. Both CERES Maize and SOYGRO showed reasonable agreement in predicting grain yield and leaf area index and less satisfactory results for biomass. Calculated cropwater use showed corn used more water than soybean in all years related to the duration of the green canopy cover. Differences in full season cropwater use were related to climatic differences and potential evaporative demand within each of the growing seasons. Differences in the potential evaporation and the timing of the rainfall resulted in several essential leaching events that may be related to nutrient and chemical movement. By knowing the relationship between cropwater use and rainfall and irrigation events, it is possible to schedule irrigations to minimize the potential for leaching herbicides and plant nutrients to ground water under agricultural cropping systems.