Long-Term Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seasonal Irrigation Amount, Evapotranspiration, Yield, and Water Productivity under Semiarid Climate

Koffi Djaman,Komlan Koudahe,Curtis Owen,Samuel Allen,Margaret West,Michael O’Neill,Dallen Begay,Suat Irmak,Kevin Lombard,Daniel Smeal

doi:10.3390/agronomy8060096

Abstract

A long-term field experiment was conducted from 2002 to 2014 for the evaluation of yield and water productivity of three winter wheat varieties—Kharkof, Scout 66, and TAM107—under sprinkler irrigation at New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Farmington, NM. Winter wheat daily evapotranspiration was estimated following the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO crop coefficient approach (ETc = Kc ETo), and crop water use efficiency (CWUE), evapotranspiration water use efficiency (ETWUE), and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) were estimated for each growing season. There was inter-annual variation in seasonal precipitation and irrigation amounts. Seasonal irrigation amounts varied from 511 to 787 mm and the total water supply varied from 590 to 894 mm with precipitation representing a range of 7.7–24.2%. Winter wheat daily actual evapotranspiration (ETc) varied from 0.1 to 14.5 mm/day, averaging 2.7 mm/day during the winter wheat growing seasons, and the seasonal evapotranspiration varied from 625 to 890 mm. Grain yield was dependent on winter wheat variety, decreased with years, and varied from 1843.1 to 7085.7 kg/ha. TAM107 obtained the highest grain yield. Winter wheat CWUE, IWUE, and ETWUE were also varietal dependent and varied from 0.22 to 1.01 kg/m3, from 0.26 to 1.17 kg/m3, and from 0.29 to 0.92 kg/m3, respectively. CWUE linearly decreased with seasonal water, and IWUE linearly decreased with seasonal irrigation amount, while CWUE, IWUE, and ETWUE were positively correlated with the grain yield for the three winter wheat varieties, with R2 ≥ 0.85 for CWUE, R2 ≥ 0.69 for IWUE, and R2 ≥ 0.89 for ETWUE. The results of this study can serve as guidelines for winter wheat production in the semiarid Four Corners regions. Additional research need to be conducted for optimizing winter wheat irrigation management relative to planting date and fertilization management to reduce the yield gap between winter wheat actual yield and the national average yield.

Highlights

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the third most common field crop grown in the United States in terms of planted acreage and total production, behind maize and soybean
Average daily air temperature was below winter wheat base temperature (0 ◦ C) from November 24 to February 21st that correspond to the winter wheat dormancy period with no growth occurring during that period
The least solar radiation was received during the 2002–2003 season while the greatest was received during the 2007–2008 growing season

Summary

Introduction

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the third most common field crop grown in the United States in terms of planted acreage and total production, behind maize and soybean. 20.23 million hectares of cropland [1], and the projected US wheat planted area for 2017/18 is projected slightly lower at 18.62 million hectares. While wheat is generally grown in the Great Plains region, wheat is produced in other regions, including the southwestern United States. The USDA [3] indicated that wheat yield is lower in the Plains than in the eastern half of the United. States due to the lower yielding spring wheat cultivated in the Plains, non-optimal soil moisture, higher air temperature during the growing season, and the extreme heat during the crop maturity period. New Mexico was ranked 33rd in the US in wheat production, with a harvested area of 54,632 ha

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