Deficit Irrigation of Dry Edible Beans during Early, Mid and Late Season

Abstract

Ground water decline occurs in many areas of the high plains due to irrigation water use. State and local agencies are imposing restrictions to limit the amount of water pumped for irrigation. In other cases, drought periodically limits the amount of surface water available in reservoirs for irrigation which requires irrigation districts to in turn limit the amount of water delivered for irrigation. Regardless of the water source or the production area, limited water resources mean that producers need to know how to manage their water for optimum crop production. Three separate but related field experiments were conducted between 1997 and 2008. The objective of each of the experiments was to evaluate the impact of imposed water stress on dry edible bean production. The three experiments were designed to observe water stress during three general growth periods: Early season (planting-vegetative development), Mid season (flowering – pod elongation), and Late season (seed fill - maturation). Different water stress levels were imposed within each time period being tested. Within each experiment both sprinkler and furrow irrigation systems were used to separately evaluate project objectives. Results indicate that water stress any time during the growing season reduces the potential yield of dry beans. Mid season water stress seemed to reduce dry bean yield greater than water stress during early and late season growth. A difference in yield among the water stress treatments were greatest during mid season growth and more pronounced for sprinkler compared to furrow irrigation. Late season stress had the least impact on crop yield.