Grain Sorghum Yield Response to Water Availability—Kansas River Valley Experiment Field

J P Broeckelman,G J Kluitenberg,E A Adee,I A Ciampitti

doi:10.4148/2378-5977.1017

Abstract

Yield effects of irrigation on sorghum and corn were compared, but this report is merely focused on the sorghum phase of the crop rotation. Mean yield for irrigated sorghum was 168 bu/a, whereas dryland yield was 145 bu/a. The latter represents a yield improvement of 24 bu/a, an increase of approximately 2 bu/a per unit (in.) of water applied (considering a total of 11 in. of water applied in the irrigation block). The irrigated sorghum used a mean of 7.8 in. more water than the dryland, which suggests that the dryland sorghum consumed 3.4 in. more water from the soil profile than the irrigated sorghum (this value assumes no water losses due to runoff or deep percolation and is calculated from total precipitation and irrigation as well as changes in profile water status). Water use efficiency, or WUE, was calculated as the ratio of yield to water use. A trend for superior WUE of 6.5 bu/in. was documented under dryland conditions, compared with 5.6 bu/in. for irrigated sorghum.

Highlights

Decreases in available irrigation water and increased water restrictions necessitate exploration of more economical ways to use available irrigation water
Yield effects of irrigation on sorghum and corn were compared, but this report is merely focused on the sorghum phase of the crop rotation
Mean yield for irrigated sorghum was 168 bu/a, whereas dryland yield was 145 bu/a. The latter represents a yield improvement of 24 bu/a, an increase of approximately 2 bu/a per unit of water applied

Summary

Introduction

Decreases in available irrigation water and increased water restrictions necessitate exploration of more economical ways to use available irrigation water. Sorghum’s yield potential is not as high as corn’s, so the goal of this study is to determine at what point in available water, both under dryland and irrigation management scenarios, it is better to plant sorghum rather than corn

Objectives

Results

Conclusion