Furrow-irrigated Fields Research Articles

Pesticide extraction from soil into runoff in North American and Australian croplands

Context Do some pesticides run off more than others? How does pesticide runoff vary with pesticide properties? Aims Improve understanding of pesticide runoff from croplands. Methods Concentrations in surface soil and in runoff from three Australian rainfall simulation studies and three rainfall simulation and five catchment studies in North American croplands were used. The ratio of event averaged runoff concentrations and the surface soil concentrations is the runoff extraction ratio. Key results Pesticide runoff concentrations were closely related to soil surface concentrations at the start of rainfall. Runoff extraction ratios were not significantly different for 13 pesticides with a wide range of properties, on gentle slopes (0–3%), but were significantly lower for three pesticides. On steeper slopes, runoff extraction was significantly greater for atrazine but lower for glyphosate and metolachlor. Low sloping, furrow irrigated fields had low sediment concentrations and low pesticide runoff concentrations for more tightly sorbed pesticides, but not for less sorbed pesticides. Runoff extraction was not significantly different for simulated and most catchment studies. Conclusions Similar runoff extraction ratios were due to similar hydrology and limited sediment concentrations. Different runoff extraction occurs on bare soil if (a) pesticides are leached from the runoff-mixing layer, requiring sorption coefficients less than two and significant infiltration, and no interflow, (b) sediment concentrations are either low (<2 g L−1) or high (>100 g L−1) and (c) pesticides have different concentration profiles in the runoff-mixing layer. Implications Conditions studied apply for croplands in the North American mid-west on silty soils and for Australian clay soils.

Influence of Soil Moisture Zones on Rice Water Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Populations in Furrow Irrigated Rice

Water conservation is an important factor for production of rice in the United States because of declining aquifer levels, but little research has been done to evaluate insect management in rice systems integrating water conservation practices. Rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, is an important insect pest of rice in the U.S. Rice water weevil is a semiaquatic species that relies on flooded conditions to complete larval development, so water conservation practices are likely to impact their pest status. The study was conducted across the Mississippi River alluvial floodplain to compare rice water weevil population densities in different zones of a furrow irrigated rice field to a conventionally flooded rice field. All locations were sampled at 3, 4, and 5 wk after the initial irrigation. Larval densities were greatest in the lower end of furrow irrigated fields and in the adjacent flooded rice field compared with the upper and middle sections that did not hold standing water when averaged across three sample dates. Also, rice water weevil densities were greater during week five than week three. In terms of rice yields, the top third of furrow irrigated rice fields, the section that remained mostly dry, produced lower rough rice yields than all other sections and the flooded field. These results suggest that rice water weevil populations can be lower in a furrow irrigated rice system. As a result, more research is needed to determine whether a spatial management plan can be developed based on soil moisture zones in furrow irrigated rice.

Verification and Demonstration of Low-cost Family Drip Irrigation System for Potato Production Under Smallholder Farmer’s Condition at Jimma Zone

s: Water scarcity is the major threats to global food production constraints as well as in Ethiopia. In addition river water is not accessible to all location due to topographic barriers. So, farmers far from river may accessible to hand dug wells, but its amount is low as compared to river water. Therefore, this low quantity of water requires effective utilization. Though, demonstration of low-cost and appropriate micro-irrigation system had been designed and carried out under agro-climatic condition of Jimma Zone, Dedo district, Waro-kolobo kebele at farmers field conditions for three consecutive years to evaluate the feasibility of drip irrigation system, efficiently utilize the scarce water resources and maximize potato yield. Drip irrigation and furrow irrigation methods were evaluated on 336 m², the area was divided equally into two parts, and each had an area of 168 m². The tuber yield data were collected and sorted into marketable and non-marketable yields. The maximum yield of potato was obtained from drip irrigation, while lowest from furrow irrigated fields. The drip irrigation had greater performance than furrow irrigations method in terms of yield. The higher water productivity was obtained from drip irrigation and lower from furrow. A total of 172 participants were attended training during three years, 132 male and 40 females. The maximum net benefit was recorded from drip irrigation. Therefore, drip irrigation method is better technology in study area where shortage of water exists or when source of water are limited as the case of shallow wells, and preferable in sloppy areas. So, for more accurate information and justifications it needs to be demonstrated and verified under varies climatic and soil condition of Jimma Zone.

Watershed water balance changes as furrow irrigation is converted to sprinkler irrigation in an arid region

Irrigation is the largest water use in the western United States. The Upper Snake Rock Conservation Effects Assessment Project in southern Idaho began in 2005 to quantify the impacts of conservation practices in this irrigated watershed. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in the watershed water balances as farmers converted furrow irrigated fields to sprinkler irrigation from 2006 to 2016. More than 75% of annual watershed inflow was irrigation water diverted into the watershed from the Snake River and distributed through canals to 82,000 ha of cropland, while annual precipitation was only 10% to 23% of the annual inflow. Approximately 30% of the annual watershed inflow flowed back to the Snake River as irrigation return flow. Water balances showed that irrigation exceeded evapotranspiration (ET) in the spring and fall, indicating that irrigation diversions could be reduced early and late in the irrigation season. Annual irrigation project efficiency, defined as ET divided by the amount of diverted irrigation water, varied from 61% to 73%, but project efficiency did not increase as the amount of cropland that was sprinkler irrigated increased from 46% in 2006 to 59% in 2016. The only significant trends indicating that increasing sprinkler irrigation impacted the water balances were increasing irrigation project efficiency in July and increasing irrigation return flow during the irrigation season. Farmers may be applying less irrigation water with sprinkler irrigation compared to furrow irrigation, which could have caused return flow to increase since irrigation diversions did not change with the supply-based water allocation. Irrigation scheduling based on soil moisture measurement or daily ET would help irrigation application match crop water needs on individual fields. For the entire irrigation project, irrigation efficiency could improve if irrigation diversions into the watershed could be adjusted to more closely match ET in the spring and fall, which may require structural changes to the canal system and policy changes for the Snake River reservoir system.

Temporal and spatial variations of irrigation water use for commercial corn fields in Central Nebraska

The increasing pressure on water resources in Nebraska-US and other agricultural areas requires the implementation of innovative tools and solutions for the governance of water resources and the analysis of water use efficiency. In this vein, this paper presents the application of a remote sensing based soil water balance for the study of water use in agricultural areas. The specific objectives were the identification of the temporal and spatial behavior of the irrigation water use based on the quantification of the water use deviation (irrigation water applied minus irrigation water requirements), as the main indicator and the comparative analysis of the irrigation productivity (crop yield under irrigated field minus crop yield under rainfed condition per volume of water applied by irrigation), WPi, water productivity (harvestable grain per total volume of water applied considering precipitation plus irrigation), WP, and finally water productivity based on evapotranspiration (harvested grain per total volume of water evapotranspired), WPET, in the various management zones analyzed. Additionally, we examined the impact of soil types, local weather and irrigation system (center pivot and furrow irrigation) on these indicators. The study was carried out in three Natural Resources District (Tri-Basin, Central Platte and Lower Niobrara) across Central Nebraska for the period 2004–2012 and comprised over 2000 irrigated corn fields per year. Crop water requirements were estimated using the reflectance-based crop coefficient approach developed in previous research (see Campos et al., 2017) and the field data were reported for each field monitored through cropland data layer by National Agricultural Statistics Service of USDA. The difference between modeled irrigation water requirements and field level irrigation application was significant (p < 0.001) being the water use deviation in generally positive (over irrigation). These results were consistently higher for furrow irrigated fields during the whole analyzed period, reaching up to three times more water applied compared to the required amount. This was expected as surface irrigation systems typically require a higher application depth. This trend changed for the central pivot irrigated fields depending on the climatic conditions, especially in dry years. The analysis of the water use deviation with respect to soil types and weather conditions revealed that the water use deviation is not justified by the biophysical conditions alone. The estimated values of WP and WPi for furrow system was lower compared to center pivot in both NRD’s reaching the maximum value of 1.37 kg m-3 and 3.06 kg m-3 for WP and WPi in Tri-basin respectively for center pivot. In general, the results suggested potential to improve water management in these NRDs in Central Nebraska and reduce pumping potentially saving groundwater resources for drought years and other uses monitoring soil type, weather data and switching to sprinklers system.

Mechanisms Responsible for Soil Phosphorus Availability Differences between Sprinkler and Furrow Irrigation.

From a historical perspective, human-induced soil erosion and resulting soil phosphorus (P) losses have likely occurred for thousands of years. In modern times, erosion risk and off-site P transport can be decreased if producers convert from furrow to sprinkler irrigation, but conversion may alter nutrient dynamics. Our study goal was to determine soil P dynamics in furrow- (in place since the early 1900s) versus sprinkler-irrigated (installed within the last decade) soils from four paired producer fields in Idaho. Furrow- and sprinkler-irrigated soils (0-5 cm; Aridisols) contained on average 38 and 20 mg kg of Olsen-extractable P (i.e., plant-available P), respectively; extractable P values over 40 mg kg limit Idaho producers to P application based on crop uptake only. Soil samples were also analyzed using a modified Hedley extraction. Furrow-irrigated soils contained greater inorganic P concentrations in the soluble+aluminum (Al)-bound+iron (Fe)-bound, occluded, and amorphous Fe-bound pools. Phosphorus -edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was unable to detect Fe-associated P but indicated greater amounts of apatite-like or octacalcium phosphate-like P in furrow-irrigated producer soils, while sprinkler-irrigated fields had lower amounts of apatite-like P and greater proportions of P bound to calcite. Findings from a controlled USDA-ARS sprinkler- versus furrow-irrigation study suggested that changes in P dynamics occur slowly over time, as few differences were observed. Overall findings suggest that Fe redox chemistry or changes in calcium (Ca)-associated P in flooded conditions altered P availability under furrow irrigation, even in aridic, calcareous soils, contributing to greater Olsen-extractable P concentrations in long-term furrow-irrigated fields.

Stereovision-Based Guidance Line Detection Method for Auto-guidance system on Furrow Irrigated Fields

Furrow irrigation, which is conducted by creating parallel channels along the field length, is a cultivation method widely used for growing row crops such as hot pepper, garlic, soybean and tree crops. These artificially structured parallel channels, commonly referred to as ridge-furrow, can provide guidance to autonomous tractors with its characteristic of undulating surface. This study reports the development of a stereovision-based guidance line detection system applicable to ridge-furrow cropping fields. The algorithm implemented in the detection system consisted of two different phases, i.e., splitting depth images into two parts (ridge and furrow) and extracting a guidance line from the split images. Through the image binarization method based on a distance transform and image segmentation method, the depth image was divided into two regions of ridge and furrow and the boundary points of each region were then detected. The second phase extracted a guidance line from the detected boundary points based on linear regression. The guidance lines detected by the developed algorithm were compared with those manually labelled, and the results were RMSEs of 0.02 m and 0.63 degree in lateral deviation and heading angle, respectively. Further, the stereo camera was installed on a tractor and field tests were proceeded on a straight and regularly spaced ridge and furrow field. As a result, the RMSE of lateral deviation measured by a RTK-GPS was 1.37 cm at 3 km/s.

Soil Quality Improvement through Conversion to Sprinkler Irrigation

Core Ideas Long‐term furrow irrigation has caused soil erosional losses. Sprinkler irrigation is considered a water conservation practice. Conversion from furrow to sprinkler irrigation improves soil quality in degraded field areas. Conversion from furrow to sprinkler irrigation is a recommended conservation practice for improved water‐use efficiency (and erosion control), but effects on soil quality indicators are unknown. Several soil quality indicators were therefore quantified within a northwestern United States Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) watershed after changing from long‐term furrow to sprinkler irrigation. Four on‐farm sites were identified where producers were growing irrigated barley (Hordecum vulgare L.) using both irrigation practices. Climate, soil type, and management were similar between sites. Soil samples were collected from the upper and lower ends of furrow irrigated fields at three in‐field positions (bed, shoulder, and furrow); fields converted to sprinkler irrigation were sampled where the upper and lower ends were when the field was furrow irrigated. Soil quality indices (physical, chemical, biological, nutrient, and overall) were computed using the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). Regardless of in‐field position, furrow irrigated field bottoms had higher soil quality index scores than field tops because of long‐term erosional deposition. Within sprinkler irrigated fields, soil quality indices for field tops and bottoms showed minimal differences. Overall, when all sampling locations and in‐field positions were combined, soil quality was similar for both irrigation methods. However, as compared with furrow irrigation, sprinkler irrigation had greater soil quality indices in the field tops, suggesting that sprinkler irrigation improved soil quality of historically eroded furrow irrigated fields.

Water management impacts rice methylmercury and the soil microbiome

Rice farmers are pressured to grow rice using less water. The impacts of water-saving rice cultivation methods on rice methylmercury concentrations are uncertain. Rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) was cultivated in fields using four water management treatments, including flooded (no dry-downs), alternating wetting and drying (AWD) (with one or three dry-downs), and furrow-irrigated fields (nine dry-downs) (n=16 fields). Anoxic bulk soil was collected from rice roots during the rice maturation phase, and rice grain was harvested after fields were dried. Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations were determined in soil and polished rice samples, and the soil microbiome was analyzed using 16S (v4) rRNA gene profiling. Soil total mercury did not differ between fields. However, compared to continuously flooded fields, soil and rice methylmercury concentrations averaged 51% and 38% lower in the AWD fields, respectively, and 95% and 96% lower in the furrow-irrigated fields, respectively. Compared to flooded fields, grain yield was reduced on average by <1% in the AWD fields and 34% in the furrow-irrigated fields. Additionally, using 16S (v4) rRNA gene profiling, the relative abundance of genera (i.e., highest resolution via this method) known to contain mercury methylators averaged 2.9-fold higher in flooded and AWD fields compared to furrow-irrigated fields. These results reinforce the benefits of AWD in reducing rice methylmercury concentrations with minimal changes in rice production yields. In the furrow-irrigated fields, a lower relative abundance of genera known to contain mercury methylators suggests an association between lower concentrations of soil and rice methylmercury and specific soil microbiomes.

Water temperature in irrigation return flow from the Upper Snake Rock watershed

The temperature of water can increase as it flows in irrigation canals, ditches and furrow irrigated fields, potentially increasing the temperature of irrigation return flow water. The objective of this study was to compare water temperature of irrigation return flow with the irrigation water diverted from the Snake River. Water temperature was measured weekly in the main irrigation canal and 23 return flow streams from 2005 to 2008 in the Upper Snake Rock (USR) watershed in Southern Idaho, USA. The USR is an 82,000ha watershed with about 60% of the crop land surface irrigated and the remaining area sprinkler irrigated. Median annual water temperatures in irrigation return flow streams were not greater than the water diverted from the river, suggesting that water temperature does not increase as water flowed through the canal system and furrow irrigated fields. Water in 7 of the 13 return flow streams that received flow from subsurface drains had significantly lower temperatures than the main canal in at least two years of the four years. Median water temperature in July in seven return flow streams was also lower than the main canal. Results of this study indicate that water can be diverted from a river for irrigation without increasing the temperature of the irrigation return flow.

Watering or buffering? Runoff and sediment pollution control from furrow irrigated fields in arid environments

Surface irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions contributes to downstream environmental degradation. Changes in irrigation system operational scenarios (ISOS) can represent an economic alternative to reduce surface runoff impacts. At the same time the use of vegetative filter strips (VFS) can have a positive impact on the ecological health of rural landscapes by reducing erosion, improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, and expanding wildlife habitat. The goal of this paper is, using a combination of field data and mechanistic modeling results, to evaluate and compare the spatial effectiveness of improvements in ISOS and introduction of VFS to reduce surface runoff pollution in the semi-arid/arid furrow irrigation agroecosystem that exceeds current regulatory turbidity limits (25 NTU). Five main factor interactions were studied: four soil textures, two field slopes, three ISOS, six filter vegetation types, and ten filter lengths. Slope and runoff volume were identified as the two main drivers of sediment export from furrows. Shifting from current ISOS to less water consumptive irrigation practices reduce runoff in addition to sediment delivery to comply with environmental regulations. The implementation of 3–9m vegetative buffers on experimental parcels were found to mitigate sediment delivery (greater than 90% sediment reduction) on tail drainage ditches but had limited effect in the reduction of runoff flow that can transport other dissolved pollutants. These findings were insensitive to filter vegetation type. Thus, introduction of improved ISOS is desirable while VFS may be targeted to specific hot spots within the irrigation district. This study shows that the adoption of dense vegetation buffers in vulnerable semi-arid irrigated regions can be effective to mitigate agricultural impacts and provide environmental protection. However, it should not be adopted as an alternative to proper on-site irrigation practices, rather as a complementary off-site pollution control practice.

Performance Evaluation of Gated Pipes Technique for Improving Surface Irrigation Efficiency in Maize Hybrids

Waterlogging and low application efficiency are the main problems inherent with surface irrigation in the Nile Delta. Develop surface irrigation using gated pipes (GP) is a new method to be used to distribute water into furrow irrigated fields as strategy based on water saving. Laboratory calibration was conducted out to evaluate the hydraulic characteristics of pipe gates. Field experiments were conducted at the Experimental Farm of the Agriculture Faculty, Minufiya University during 2013 and 2014 seasons to evaluate the performance of utilize gated pipes technique for irrigating five maize varieties (S.C 10, S.C 130, S.C 131, S.C 2031 and T.W.C 321). The results revealed that the highest amount of water applied was with traditional surface irrigation (6423.81 m3·ha-1. Use of gated pipes system GP1 as compared to traditional irrigation reduced water application by 923.81 m3·ha-1 with grain and stover yields increases of 5.7% and 3.4%, respectively. Traditional irrigation system achieved lowest irrigation performance parameters compared to gated pipes systems. Maize physiological attributes, yield, water use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen accumulation were significantly decreased by either deficit or surplus irrigation than of GP1 rate. S.C 2031 variety significantly surpassed other varieties in abovementioned traits. Significant interaction effects were detected in both seasons. Maize varieties respond differently to irrigation systems. The highest values of grain yield (11062.6 and 10911.8 kg·ha-1 and stover yield (13639.0 and 13902.2 kg·ha-1) were obtained by S.C 2031 irrigated with GP1 system in both seasons. From the above mentioned results, it is concluded that the gated pipes technique is better than traditional irrigation for improving WUE and maize productivity under Nile Delta conditions.

Precision Manure Management on Site-Specific Management Zones: Topsoil Quality and Environmental Impact

Maintenance and improvement of soil quality across spatially variable soils in continuous cropping systems are critical to sustaining agricultural productivity and environmental quality. The objectives of this project were (i) to study the effects of variable-rate application of animal manure on selected topsoil quality parameters across site-specific management zones (MZs) and (ii) to evaluate the variable-rate applications of manure using risk-assessment tools of nitrogen (N) leaching and phosphorus (P) runoff indices to understand its impact on environmental quality. This study was conducted in northeastern Colorado on continuous and furrow-irrigated maize fields. Experimental strips, 4.5 m wide and 540 m long, spanned across all MZs with treatments nested within MZs in the field. Variable rates of dairy and beef feedlot manure applied on irrigated and dryland fields respectively ranged from 0 to 67 Mg ha−1. Surface soil quality parameters evaluated before and after this study included bulk density, organic matter, water-holding capacity, electrical conductivity, and particle-size analysis. Results indicate that animal manure applications of 44 and 67 Mg ha−1 significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased soil organic matter and decreased bulk density of low- and medium-productivity-level MZs and had no significant impact on surface soil organic matter and bulk density of the high-productivity-level MZs. Animal manure significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased surface soil water-holding capacity and soil electrical conductivity across zones; however, the maximum manure-induced soil EC was 1.0 dS m−1, which was below levels regarded as potentially harmful for maize production. Soil texture was not affected by animal manure applications. Colorado N leaching and P index indicated no environmental hazard associated with variable rate application of animal manure across MZs. This study indicates that variable-rate application of animal manure across MZs has potential to improve or maintain soil quality parameters over time without impairing the environment.

Impact of residue management and subsurface drainage on non-point source pollution in the Arroyo Colorado

Abstract This study focused on evaluating the impact of residue management (RM) and subsurface tile drainage (SD) on non-point source pollution (NPS) from surface irrigated farms in the Arroyo Colorado (AC) watershed. The objective was to compare the impact of RM and SD on water quality information [Total suspended solids (TSS), nitrates and nitrites (NO3 + NO2), orthophosphates (ortho-PO4) , total phosphorus (P), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN)] of irrigation runoff in six agricultural fields for two irrigation events each year during the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons. The sites that were selected for this study used best management practices (BMPs) such as conservation crop rotation, irrigation land leveling, poly-pipe use, irrigation water management, pest and nutrient management. Results illustrate that furrow irrigated fields using poly-pipe and employing RM as a BMP can lead to decreased TSS and ortho-PO4 constituents in surface water runoff, thus, lowering the potential for contamination in the AC watershed. There is still more opportunity to conserve water and reduce nutrient loadings considering that approximately 30% of the applied water was lost to runoff in some farms. Finally, results demonstrate that irrigators can play a significant role in the prevention of soluble N compounds from running off-site and into the AC watershed by monitoring irrigation application, as total runoff amounts from fields decreased in 2010 after the field managers were educated about the amount of water applied and running off the field during 2009.

A Retrospective Review of Cotton Irrigation on a Production Farm in the Mid-South

The water table of the primary irrigation source for agriculture in the Lower Mississippi River Basin is declining at an alarming rate. Irrigation practices that sustain cotton lint yields and reduce irrigation water use include adoption of termination guidelines based on plant growth stage and weather conditions. Production records from a large northeastern Arkansas cotton farm were examined to gauge how well a plant maturity-based irrigation termination guideline (final irrigation at 350 Growing Degree Days (60°F base) following crop cutout) was followed. Irrigation logs and yield records from the producer plus plant monitoring data from the farm’s crop advisor were used to evaluate irrigation practices in 70 field entities over eight production seasons. Results indicate that irrigation termination timing for furrow-irrigated fields generally occurred prior to the termination guideline. Adherence to the termination guideline allowed the producer to reduce late season pumping. These results are encouraging given that yields from the studied fields were above county averages for all years studied, which spanned wet to dry conditions. Nearly twice the amount of water was applied in furrow-irrigated compared to pivot-irrigated fields, yet lower average yields were produced in furrow-irrigated fields in six of the eight years. Furrow-irrigated fields had higher yield variability compared to fields with pivot irrigation. These results suggest that conversion of furrow irrigation to pivot irrigation likely would result in increased productivity and reduced water use, and that use of plant-based irrigation termination guideline could reduce the need for costly, late season pumping without a yield penalty.

Distribution of Lettuce Big-Vein Incidence Under Three Irrigation Systems.

Spatial patterns of lettuce big-vein (LBV) incidence under furrow, sprinkler, and subsurface drip irrigation systems were determined. Because LBV pathogen is a virus and is vectored by the soilborne chytrid Olpidium brassicae, different irrigation systems likely affect the movement of the vector and were hypothesized to result in different distribution patterns and levels of the disease. Lettuce plants were mapped by recording the location of each LBV-infected or healthy plant in arbitrarily selected plots of sizes 16 by 30, 20 by 30, and 18 by 50 m in Salinas, Gonzales, and Santa Maria in California. Data were arrayed into different quadrat sizes by rearrangement, and disease incidence was calculated for each quadrat. Frequency distribution analysis and spatial autocorrelation analyses were performed on this data. LBV incidence was aggregated in all furrow-irrigated fields, four of five subsurface drip-irrigated fields, and two of three sprinkler-irrigated fields. The remaining fields had a random distribution. As the quadrat size increased, index of aggregation decreased, and vice versa. In fields under sprinkler irrigation, regardless of whether the spatial pattern of LBV was random or aggregated, no directional orientation occurred. However, under furrow or subsurface drip irrigation, the aggregation mostly occurred across the rows. Although irrigation type influenced LBV distribution pattern and incidence in lettuce fields, the differential effects of irrigation type on vector O. brassicae could not be discerned in this study. The sprinkler irrigation practiced in lettuce production until thinning may influence the vector distribution and the subsequent irrigation methods adapted for the remainder of the season in individual fields may play a significant role in disease incidence.

Quantifying potential yield and lodging-related yield gaps for irrigated spring wheat in sub-tropical Australia

Approximately 15% of global wheat production (40% of the wheat produced by developing countries) occurs in irrigated, low-rainfall regions of the subtropics. Irrigated wheat is uncommon in sub-tropical Australia because cotton is more profitable, but high grain prices in 2008 triggered a record area of irrigated wheat production. Unfortunately, widespread lodging occurred and yields were lower than expected, although the losses directly attributable to lodging were unknown.Crop models have not been previously validated for calculating potential yield and yield gaps of mechanised, lodging-susceptible production systems. This study aimed to determine potential yield, farmer-realised yield, and water use requirements of lodging-prone irrigated wheat in sub-tropical Australia, using field monitoring and the APSIM simulation model. Yield data were obtained in 2008 and 2009 from 16 commercial irrigated wheat fields and multiple treatments from four irrigated experiments, and used to assess APSIM's ability to predict grain yield of irrigated wheat.APSIM predicted biomass production satisfactorily in 2008 but substantially over-predicted grain yield of lodged fields. The mean difference (yield gap) between APSIM-estimated potential yield and farmer-realised yield was 1.0tha−1 in non-lodged fields, and 2.7tha−1 in lodged fields. The average effect of lodging was therefore a decrease of 1.7tha−1; the difference between the yield gap calculated for lodged and non-lodged fields. Yield gaps in lodged fields were highly correlated with soil N content at sowing, with most of the lodged fields having more than 300kgha−1 of soil N at sowing to a depth of 90cm.In 2009, management of commercial fields aimed to avoid lodging by using the canopy management technique of in-season N application. APSIM generally under-predicted biomass production and yield in these fields, suggesting that the N uptake parameters in APSIM may require adjustment. Observed yields from fields of a quick-maturing cultivar that experienced little lodging were simulated accurately when N was assumed to be non-limiting.The simulation study found that the potential yield of irrigated spring wheat in sub-tropical Australia is currently between 8 and 9tha−1, and average growing season evapotranspiration of such crops was approximately 500–550mm. Potential yield of furrow-irrigated fields with one or two-metre wide beds were 16% and 8% lower, due to the area occupied by the 60cm wide unsown furrows between irrigation beds.This study demonstrated the value of using validated simulation models for estimating potential yield and yield gap analysis. Yield gap analysis also enabled the identification of agronomic characteristics (high levels of soil residual N) which probably contributed to lodging. Further investigation is required to determine whether alternative varieties or the canopy management technique of in-season N application can increase the potential yield of irrigated spring wheat above the levels reported here.

Bean common bacterial blight: pathogen epiphytic life and effect of irrigation practices

In recent years, bean common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Xap) has caused serious yield losses in several countries. CBB is considered mainly a foliar disease in which symptoms initially appear as small water-soaked spots that then enlarge and become necrotic and usually bordered by a chlorotic zone. Xap epiphytic population community has a critical role in the development of the disease and subsequent epidemics. The epiphytic population of Xap in the field has two major parts; solitary cells (potentially planktonic) and biofilms which are sources for providing and refreshing the solitary cell components. Irrigation type has a significant effect on epiphytic population of Xap. The mean epiphytic population size in the field with an overhead sprinkler irrigation system is significantly higher than populations under furrow irrigation. A significant positive correlation between the epiphytic population size of Xap and disease severity has been reported in both the overhead irrigated (r=0.64) and the furrow irrigated (r= 0.44) fields.

The Australian Cotton Industry and four decades of deep drainage research: a review

The Australian cotton industry and governments have funded research into the deep-drainage component of the soil–water balance for several decades. Cotton is dominantly grown in the northern Murray–Darling and Fitzroy Basins, using furrow irrigation on cracking clays. Previously, it was held that furrow irrigation on cracking clays was inherently efficient and there was little deep drainage. This has been shown to be simplistic and generally incorrect. This paper reviews global and northern Australian deep-drainage studies in irrigation, generally at point- or paddock-scale, and the consequences of deep drainage. For furrow-irrigated fields in Australia, key findings are as follows. (i) Deep drainage varies considerably depending on soil properties and irrigation management, and is not necessarily ‘very small’. Historically, values of 100–250 mm year–1 were typical, with 3–900 mm year–1 observed, until water shortage in the 2000s and continued research and extension focussed attention on water-use efficiency (WUE). (ii) More recently, values of 50–100 mm year–1 have been observed, with no deep drainage in drier years; these levels are lower than global values. (iii) Optimisation (flow rate, field length, cut-off time) of furrow irrigation can at least halve deep drainage. (iv) Cotton is grown on soils with a wide range in texture, sodicity and structure. (v) Deep drainage is moderately to strongly related to total rainfall plus irrigation, as it is globally. (vi) A leaching fraction, to avoid salt build-up in the soil profile, is only needed for irrigation where more saline water is used. Drainage from rainfall often provides an adequate leaching fraction. (vii) Near-saturated conditions occur for at least 2–6 m under irrigated fields, whereas profiles are dry under native vegetation in the same landscapes. (viii) Deep drainage leachate is typically saline and not a source of good quality groundwater recharge. Large losses of nitrate also occur in deep drainage. The consequences of deep drainage for groundwater and salinity are different where underlying groundwater can be used for pumping (fresh water, high yield; e.g. Condamine alluvia) and where it cannot (saline water or low yield; e.g. Border Rivers alluvia). Continuing improvements in WUE are needed to ensure long-term sustainability of irrigated cropping industries. Globally there is great potential for increased production using existing water supplies, given deep drainage of 10–25% of water delivered to fields and WUE of &lt;50%. Future research priorities are to further characterise water movement through the unsaturated zone and the consequences of deep drainage.

Yellow Nutsedge Control and Reduced Tuber Production withS-metolachlor, Halosulfuron plus Dicamba, and Glyphosate in Furrow-Irrigated Corn

Yellow nutsedge is an important weed problem in furrow-irrigated fields in the Treasure Valley of eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho. Field studies were conducted in 2008 and 2009 to evaluate the effect of PPIS-metolachlor or EPTC followed by POST halosulfuron and dicamba plus glyphosate or glyphosate alone on foliar yellow nutsedge control and tuber production in corn. Corn plant height at 8 and 24 d after treatment (DAT) was reduced 20 and 17%, respectively, in POST herbicides alone compared with PPI plus POST herbicide treatments. Yellow nutsedge control at 8 DAT averaged 78% for treatments that included PPI application of EPTC orS-metolachlor 1,600 g ai ha−1followed by halosulfuron plus dicamba (35 plus 155 g ha−1or 70 plus 310 g ha−1) plus glyphosate 785 g ha−1compared with POST treatments alone (49%). The control at 24 DAT was 84% for treatments that contained halosulfuron plus dicamba compared with 73% for POST glyphosate alone. Yellow nutsedge tubers were reduced 56 to 68% among treatments at the end of 2008. Tuber reduction in 2009 was greater with treatments that included PPI herbicides followed by sequential halosulfuron plus dicamba (35 plus 155 g ha−1) plus glyphosate compared with glyphosate alone. Corn yield reflected the level of yellow nutsedge control and early-season weed interference. Treatments that included PPI herbicides had an average yield of 8.2 T ha−1compared with 6.6 T ha−1with sequential glyphosate alone. There was a correlation between percent foliar control and the number of yellow nutsedge tubers produced at the end of each year. Application of PPI herbicides followed by POST halosulfuron plus dicamba (35 plus 155 g ha−1or 70 plus 155 g ha−1) plus glyphosate improved yellow nutsedge control, reduced early corn–weed competition, and produced the highest corn yield under furrow-irrigated conditions.