Abstract
ABSTRACT IN a lysimeter experiment, four constant water-table depths and three irrigation levels were evaluated for their effects on annual alfalfa yields and growing season evapotranspiration (ET) for 2 years. Alfalfa yields were depressed and ET was excessive for the shallow (46 cm) water-table depth. The 2 years of cropping data, after an alfalfa establishment year, and excluding data from the shallowest (46 cm) water-table depth, indicated that growing-season ET values were 55.3, 64.2, and 69.3 cm with average yields of 14.0, 14.9, and 14.4 t/ha and water use efficiency (WUE) values of 4.0, 4.1, and 4.9 cm/t/ha respectively for 0.3, 0.8 and 1.3 irrigation levels (combinations of surface-applied irrigation plus rainfall that were equivalent to 0.3, 0.8, and 1.3 times calculated ET). The water table, through subirrigation, provided a sizable contribution to actual ET, which increased as level of surface irrigation decreased. Subirrigation provided 38.4% of total ET for the low (0.3) irrigation level, compared to only 0.6% of total ET for the high (1.3) irrigation level.
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