Water Distribution from a Subsurface Drip Irrigation System and Dripline Spacing Effect on Cotton Yield and Water Use Efficiency in a Coastal Plain Soil

Abstract

A subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system was installed in 2001 in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Initially, four zones were installed, each with 0.91 m dripline spacing. In 2002, a fifth zone with 1.82 m dripline spacing was added. This system irrigated a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) rotation on a Norfolk sandy loam soil. Seed cotton yield data was collected from 2001 to 2004. In addition to SDI, overhead sprinkler irrigation was applied to cotton plots from 2001 to 2003. This study was concurrent with another study that evaluated the effect of irrigation system type, cotton growth regulator (mepiquat chloride), herbicide (glyphosate) treatment, and planting date on lint yield and quality. Although the soil is classified as a sandy loam, water moved laterally to the midpoint of the 1.82 m spaced dripline; this was likely due to the pan layer found at about 0.3 m just below the dripline depth of 0.23 m. There was no difference in lateral water movement between the two dripline spacings. Seed cotton yield and irrigation water use efficiency was not statistically different between irrigation system type or dripline spacing over all years in the study. Seed cotton yield averaged 3.44 Mg ha-1 for the 0.91 m dripline spacing and 3.22 Mg ha-1 for the 1.82 m spacing for the three-year period 2002-2004 compared to an unirrigated average of 2.58 Mg ha-1 for the same period. Average irrigation water use efficiency was greater for the 0.91 m dripline spacing but not statistically different from the 1.82 m spacing. For 2001-2003, when sprinkler-irrigated plots existed, seed cotton yield averaged 3.55 Mg ha-1 for the 0.91 m dripline spacing, 3.35 Mg ha-1 for the sprinkler-irrigated plots, and 2.56 Mg ha-1 for the unirrigated plots. Drought conditions existed in 2002, when 258 mm of rain occurred between planting and final irrigation. The other growing seasons received relatively high amounts of rainfall: 524, 555, and 643 mm in 2001, 2003, and 2004, respectively.