Availability Of Irrigation Water Research Articles

On-Farm Supplemental Irrigation of ‘Roja Lisa’ Cactus Pear: Pre- and Postharvest Effects

Opuntia species grow in arid and semiarid lands, where water for irrigation is scarce. However, supplemental irrigation can be a feasible strategy for commercial cactus pear orchards. From 2018 to 2020, a commercial cactus pear orchard was managed to validate the effect of supplemental irrigation on fruit yield, crop water use efficiency, fruit quality, and storability of ‘Roja Lisa’ cactus pear grown in the semiarid region of Mexico. The irrigation treatments were no irrigation and supplemental irrigation, with four replications. Crop water use was less and, therefore, water productivity greater in non-irrigated plants than in plants with supplemental irrigation. Mean fruit yield, mean fruit mass, and proportion of commercial fruit increased with supplemental irrigation. These differences were more pronounced in growing seasons with less rainfall. Fruit quality at harvest or after room temperature or cold storage was examined. Fruit mass loss rate was reduced in fruit receiving supplemental irrigation in both storage conditions. In addition, supplemental irrigation was consistent with water savings and food security programs in marginal areas: this irrigation strategy improved both pre- and postharvest some quality components of cactus pear fruit. Therefore, this irrigation strategy is suggested for cactus pear growers, depending on the availability of water for irrigation.

Combining downscaled-GRACE data with SWAT to improve the estimation of groundwater storage and depletion variations in the Irrigated Indus Basin (IIB)

The growth of agricultural production systems is a major driver of groundwater depletion worldwide. Balancing groundwater supply and food production requires localized understanding of groundwater storage and depletion variations in response to diverse cropping systems and surface water availability for irrigation. While advances through Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have facilitated estimating the groundwater storage (GWS) changes in recent years, the coarse resolution of GRACE data hinders the characterization of GWS variation hotspots. Herein, we present a novel spatial water balance approach to improve the distributed estimation of groundwater storage and depletion changes at a spatial scale that can detect the hotspots of GWS variation. We used a mixed geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model to downscale GRACE Level-3 data from coarse resolution (1° × 1°) to fine scale (1 km × 1 km) based on high resolution environmental variables. We then combined the downscaled GRACE-based GWS variations with results from a calibrated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. We demonstrate an application of the approach in the Irrigated Indus Basin (IIB). Between 2002 and 2019, total loss of groundwater reserves varied in the IIB's 55 canal command areas with the highest loss observed in Dehli Doab by >50 km3 followed by 7.8–49 km3 in the upstream, and 0.77–7.77 km3 in the downstream canal command areas. GWS declined by −325.55 mm/year at Dehli Doab, followed by −186.86 mm/year at BIST Doab, −119.20 mm/year at BARI Doab, and −100.82 mm/year at JECH Doab. The rate of groundwater depletion is increasing in the canal command areas of Delhi Doab and BIST Doab by 0.21–0.35 m/year. Larger groundwater depletion in some canal command areas (e.g., RACHNA, BIST Doab, and Delhi Doab) is associated with the rice-wheat cropping system, low rainfall, and low flows from tributaries.

Agriculture Sustainability Achieved through Krishi Bhagya Scheme in North Eastern Karnataka Region

In the present study an attempt is made to measures the agricultural sustainability of two districts namely Kalaburagi and Ballari in North Eastern Karnataka achieved through Krishi Bhagya scheme.The major findings of the study indicated that,over one third (38.89 %) of the beneficiaries had achieved medium level of agriculture sustainability and 31.11 per cent achieved high level agriculture sustainability in the study area.While in measurement of agriculture sustainability achieved through Krishi Bhagya scheme under different dimensions, among the nine statements studied under technological dimension, the beneficiary farmers assigned highest score to the statement “Farm pond facilitated to increase the water availability for protective irrigation” and “Farm pond enables recharge of ground water table”, respectively. Whereas, among the five statements studied under economic dimension that the beneficiary farmers was assigned highest score to the statement “Farm pond minimize the dependence on bore well or other source of water for obtaining better crop yield” and ranked first. “Krishi Bhagya scheme improve overall income of the beneficiaries” was ranked second. Similarly among the four statements studied under social dimension, the beneficiary farmers were assigned highest score to the statement “Krishi Bhagya scheme beneficiaries gain opportunities for social empowerment” and “It has enabled for mobilization and facilitation of the farming community”. Among the six statements studied under ecological dimension, the beneficiary farmers assigned highest score to the statement “Farm pond increases crop productivity” and was ranked first. The study suggested for the adoption of efficient water saving techniques by the farmers such as drip and sprinkler irrigation methods to achieve the agriculture sustainability through Krishi Bhagya scheme.

Balancing smart irrigation and hydropower investments for sustainable water conservation in the Indus basin

Indus River Basin (IRB) region of South Asia is severely water-stressed with irrigation receiving 90–95% of total surface water allocations and depletion of fossil groundwater reserves of more than 30 km3/year. Simultaneously, many supply-driven hydropower reservoirs, are planned in the basin. The reservoirs constructed upstream inflict severe environmental damages and reduce water availability for irrigation downstream. Policymakers promote smart technologies as a demand-based solution to reduce water consumption in irrigation. However, the effects of such technologies are not yet well understood, and unintended consequences (such as irrigation efficiency paradox and other nexus externalities) have recently begun to appear. Therefore, we use an integrated assessment model to analyze the proliferation of smart technologies in the IRB. The analysis suggests that if the Indus countries adopt a demand-based approach and irrigate their land completely using smart technologies, surface and groundwater withdrawals are indeed reduced. However, this reduction comes with a 33% increase in total expenditures, an increase in consumption across water and energy sectors, and higher withdrawals from fossil groundwater reserves. On the other hand, we find that if the countries were to balance their investments between smart and hydropower technologies it would not only reduce the increment in expenditure to 28%, but would also conserve irrigation water while avoiding the increased multi-sectoral consumption and environmental degradation. Thus, balancing investments between smart irrigation and hydropower projects can significantly reduce the economic and environmental (including conservation of water resources, meeting environmental flow targets, among others) costs of multi-sector water conservation in the IRB.

Drivers of irrigated olive grove expansion in Mediterranean landscapes and associated biodiversity impacts

Over the last 30 years, olive farming has experienced a fast and large-scale intensification process across its Mediterranean range, that is reshaping Mediterranean farmland landscapes with associated impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study aims to analyze irrigated olive grove spatial expansion patterns across a 27–year period in a region of Southern Portugal, by exploring its drivers, describing the involved land-use dynamics, and to evaluating its potential biodiversity impacts. Land cover spatio-temporal dynamics were characterized by comparing recent land cover maps 2017 with those before the intensification upsurge (1990), using a grid of sampling points across the area. To investigate the drivers of intensification, these points were characterized using 10 variables reflecting policy context, previous land use (in 1990), biophysical features, and farm structure, which were used to model land cover transitions resulting in intensive olive farming. Finally, we used a counterfactual approach to assess the impacts of the olive intensification process on biodiversity in relation to alternative land cover change pathways, using farmland birds as an indicator group. We confirmed a large-scale expansion of irrigated olive groves in the region between 1990 and 2017, from being practically absent to covering ca. 6% of the study area. This expansion was made mostly at the expenses of open rainfed annual crops (63%) and, to a lesser degree, traditional rainfed olive groves (21%). Change was driven mainly by the combined effect of the availability of public irrigation water and large farms, although other factors related to legal constraints to land-use change, biophysical context and previous land management were also involved. During the study period, land cover transitions conducting to intensive olive farming were the most harmful for biodiversity, when compared to alternative land cover change pathways. By providing a quantitative insight into the underlying mechanisms and environmental consequences of the olive farming intensification process currently affecting biodiversity-rich Mediterranean farmland landscapes, our study contributes with valuable information that can be used by policy makers to better plan and manage the on-going expansion of intensive olive farming.

Economic feasibility of subsurface drainage (SSD) to control waterlogging and soil salinity under different scenarios in the Tungabhadra project command, Karnataka, India

AbstractThe Tungabhadra irrigation command area (TBP) in Karnataka, India, has three scenarios: the head, mid and tail reach command areas. The head reach has ample good quality canal water availability, and the mid reach area has limited canal water availability. In recent decades, rice–rice monocropping in vertisols, especially by these head and mid reach farmers, has led to not only water shortages but also the development of waterlogging and secondary soil salinization in the tail (lower) reach of the command due to seepage. As the soil salinity in the head reach was less severe, a slightly wider drain spacing of 60 m was adopted over 15 ha. In the case of the mid reach, salinity was slightly higher than the head reach but slightly less than the tail reach, hence 50 m drain spacing was laid out over 24 ha. Due to the slightly higher soil salinity at the tail end of the command, a closer drain spacing of 40 m was adopted over 11 ha. In all these scenarios, the drain depth was 1.0 m. Despite differences in irrigation water availability and different soil salinity conditions, the study clearly indicated over six seasons that the SSD system is a viable solution for the reclamation of waterlogged saline soils and enhancing rice productivity in all three scenarios of the TBP command.

Role of energy storage in energy and water security in Central Asia

Central Asia has faced major energy and water security challenges. Technically, water from the Pamir and Tian Shan Mountain ranges could be sufficient to meet the needs of the countries in the region, if there was no temporal mismatch between the availability of water for irrigation and electricity generation. While water is required for agriculture in downstream countries during the summer, demand for hydro electricity generation is mainly in the wintertime in upstream countries. With the aid of the open-source MESSAGEix energy systems optimization modelling framework, we study a renewable energy transition in the region through to 2050, considering innovative long duration water and energy storage solutions for optimal management of water and energy resources in different seasons. The modelling approach demonstrates that the proposed "dual water and energy storage scheme", with two different hydrological cycles for up- and down-stream regions, can guarantee enough water for energy generation in upstream countries in winter while ensuring water availability for irrigation downstream in summer. This scheme is economically feasible and, with further detailed analyses and geo-political considerations, it can serve to improve energy security and water resource management, towards achieving sustainable development goals in Central Asia.

Resource Use Efficiency and Gross Returns from Food Grain Crops in the Low Hill Zone Economy of Himachal Pradesh

Resource use efficiency in agriculture is defined to include the concepts of technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and environmental efficiency. Public investment, subsidies and credit for agriculture are used in an efficient manner. There are large scale inter regional as well as inter farm variations in factor productivity due to varying influence of different factors in different regions. A number of management factors such as timeliness and method of sowing, transplanting, irrigation and application of right doses of inputs and input mix play an important role in influencing inter-farm variation in crop productivity. Growing marginalization and fragmentation of land holdings coupled with rising incidence of informal tenancies and poor rural infrastructure such as road, electricity, markets and education affect factor productivity. The availability of good quality irrigation water coupled with flexibility of irrigation and drainage system and appropriate methods of application as well as pricing of irrigation water is crucial for sustainable use of land and water resources.

Strengthening the Capacity of Water-Using Farmers Associations in Desa Kota Datar

Water as a natural resource that is vital for human life, is increasingly scarce and its availability for agriculture is increasingly limited. For businesses in the agricultural sector, the availability of irrigation water and dams is one of the factors that determine the level of rice field productivity, but the use of water in Kota Datar Village is uneven and inefficient, reflected in the low intensity of food crops (rice and secondary crops). The regulation of irrigation water for lowland rice plants tends to be conventional, wasteful and does not consider cropping patterns in a year. As a result, when there is a long dry season, the stock of water in reservoirs or dams is not sufficient to irrigate rice crops. When the rainy season arrives the water is very abundant, even causing floods, the water is not evenly distributed throughout the irrigation network, so the next planting season will be delayed. Research on strengthening the capacity of the Water User Farmers Association (P3A) is able to answer questions related to reality, especially in Kota Datar Village, which shows that water sources and irrigation networks and dams are not properly maintained and managed. The research objectives are (1) to analyze the characteristics of Gapoktan members/communities, institutional support, and capacity building of WUA members; (2) to analyze capacity strengthening in water management for paddy fields, and its relation to the characteristics of Gapoktan factors, institutional support and capacity building of WUA members; (3) to analyze the level of empowerment in irrigation water management and its correlation with capacity building and institutional strengthening of the P3A Gapoktan; and (4) to formulate a strategy for strengthening capacity in water use towards WUA empowerment in water management for rice fields.

Groundwater Quality Characterization for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Sheikhpura District of Bihar, India: A Geospatial Approach

Groundwater quality due to geogenic factors, aggravated by anthropogenic activities, is a significant threat to human wellbeing and agricultural practices. This study aimed at mapping the spatial distribution of low and high groundwater-contaminated regions in the Sheikhpura district of Bihar for safe drinking and irrigation water availability. To account for spatial distribution, groundwater quality parameters, such as fluoride, iron, total dissolved solids, turbidity, and pH, were analyzed using integrated interpolation, geographical information systems, and regression analysis. A total of 206 dug wells and bore wells were analyzed for in-situ observations in the Sheikhpura district of Bihar, India. The analysis indicated that the periphery south of Chewara and Ariari blocks, i.e., about 9.16% of district area, is affected by fluoride content (1.55–2.32 mg/l) which is highly unsuitable for consumption, as recommended by the WHO and BIS standards. However, the remaining area (90.84%) is within the permissible limit of fluoride content (0.37–1.54 mg/l). In most areas, iron content is beyond WHO permissible limits (>0.1 mg/l), except 3.1% area in the eastern region with 0.06–0.12 mg/l iron, although iron concentrations in groundwater are under the acceptable limit (<0.3 mg/l) as per BIS standard across the district. However, pH and total dissolved solids were within permissible limits. Each of the modeled geospatial maps was validated using a set of 17 in-situ observations. The best-fit model between observed and predicted variables such as fluoride, iron, total dissolved solids, and pH produced a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.96, 0.905, 0.91, and 0.906, respectively. The findings of this study provide insights and understanding on groundwater pollution regimes and minimize uncertain causes because of the high spatial distribution of geogenic fluoride and iron occurrence, and will also be helpful to policymakers for better planning, investments, and management to supply potable water in the area.

The Essentials of Deficit Irrigation for Crop and Water Productivity in Ethiopia: A Review

Improving irrigation water management and enhancing crop and water productivity (WP) are required to address future water scarcity in Ethiopia. Increasing WP through exposing the crop to a positive level of water stress the use of deficit irrigation (DI) is taken into consideration a promising strategy. To espouse deficit irrigation strategies, a shred of complete proof regarding DI for distinctive crops is required. The objective of this critical review is to collect adequate information about the indicators on the essential of DI to crop and water productivity. Just a study on the role of deficit irrigation indicates improve crop yield and water productivity. The end result confirmed that DI appreciably improved WP in comparison to complete irrigation. Despite better WP, the decreased yield became acquired in a number of the studied DI practices in comparison to complete irrigation. It was additionally observed that yield reduction can be low in comparison to the advantages won through diverting the saved water to irrigate extra arable land. The advantages of water-saving techniques which include alternate furrow and deficit irrigation want to be explored to make sure meals safety for the ever-growing populace in the context of declining availability of irrigation water. Consequently, reviewer concluded that deficit irrigation is doubtlessly important to enhance sustainable crop and water productiveness in Ethiopian agriculture.

The Essentials of Deficit Irrigation for Crop and Water Productivity in Ethiopia: A Review

Improving irrigation water management and enhancing crop and water productivity (WP) are required to address future water scarcity in Ethiopia. Increasing WP through exposing the crop to a positive level of water stress the use of deficit irrigation (DI) is taken into consideration a promising strategy. To espouse deficit irrigation strategies, a shred of complete proof regarding DI for distinctive crops is required. The objective of this critical review is to collect adequate information about the indicators on the essential of DI to crop and water productivity. Just a study on the role of deficit irrigation indicates improve crop yield and water productivity. The end result confirmed that DI appreciably improved WP in comparison to complete irrigation. Despite better WP, the decreased yield became acquired in a number of the studied DI practices in comparison to complete irrigation. It was additionally observed that yield reduction can be low in comparison to the advantages won through diverting the saved water to irrigate extra arable land. The advantages of water-saving techniques which include alternate furrow and deficit irrigation want to be explored to make sure meals safety for the ever-growing populace in the context of declining availability of irrigation water. Consequently, reviewer concluded that deficit irrigation is doubtlessly important to enhance sustainable crop and water productiveness in Ethiopian agriculture.

Uncertainty in climate change impact studies for irrigated maize cropping systems in southern Spain

This study investigates the main drivers of uncertainties in simulated irrigated maize yield under historical conditions as well as scenarios of increased temperatures and altered irrigation water availability. Using APSIM, MONICA, and SIMPLACE crop models, we quantified the relative contributions of three irrigation water allocation strategies, three sowing dates, and three maize cultivars to the uncertainty in simulated yields. The water allocation strategies were derived from historical records of farmer’s allocation patterns in drip-irrigation scheme of the Genil-Cabra region, Spain (2014–2017). By considering combinations of allocation strategies, the adjusted R2 values (showing the degree of agreement between simulated and observed yields) increased by 29% compared to unrealistic assumptions of considering only near optimal or deficit irrigation scheduling. The factor decomposition analysis based on historic climate showed that irrigation strategies was the main driver of uncertainty in simulated yields (66%). However, under temperature increase scenarios, the contribution of crop model and cultivar choice to uncertainty in simulated yields were as important as irrigation strategy. This was partially due to different model structure in processes related to the temperature responses. Our study calls for including information on irrigation strategies conducted by farmers to reduce the uncertainty in simulated yields at field scale.

Performance Evaluation and Water Availability of Canal Irrigation Scheme in Punjab Pakistan

The supply of surface water by century-old infrastructure causes substantial water loss and triggers huge abstractions of groundwater, resulting in low irrigation efficiency. We evaluated the irrigation performance (application and conveyance efficiencies) and water availability (supply-demand) from the field to the Mungi Distributary canal level in Punjab, Pakistan. Between April–September 2019 and 2020, we monitored water delivery in the canal network, soil moisture content in cotton fields, and the canal and groundwater quality. The crops’ actual evapotranspiration was estimated using the AquaCrop model. We found conveyance efficiencies >90% for minor distributaries, 70–89% for watercourses, and ~75% for field ditches per kilometer. Field application efficiency was >90% for drip and ~35% for flood basin, whereas for raised-bed furrow, conventional furrow, and ridge-furrow irrigation methods, it varied between 44% and 83%. The deficits of canal water supply versus demand for cotton fields ranged from 45% to 73%, whereas the Mungi Distributary canal water showed a 68.6% and 19.8% shortfall in the April–September and October–March seasons of 2018/2019, respectively. The study suggests prioritizing improvements to field water application rather than canals with better water quality; additionally, surplus water from the Mungi canal in November and December could be stored for later use.

Irrigation in India: Status and challenges

The quality and quantity of irrigation water is most important issue for agriculture dominated country like India. Agriculture is the largest consumer sector of water and India is second highest irrigated country of the world, but over exploitation of groundwater and intensive irrigation in canal commands areas has created many serious problems like salinization, depletion of water tables, groundwater contamination, drying of aquifers, water logging and etc. It has been observed that in many parts of the country the water table is reducing with the rate of 1-2 m/year. The fresh water availability for domestic purpose, irrigation and industrial uses are decreasing with an alarming rate and if this problem not taken seriously, India mayface major water crisis in the near future. This paper highlights present scenario of irrigation in India with its major challenges.

Study of Factors That Influence the Sustainability of Agricultural Development in the Bobonaro Municipality, Timor-Leste

The aim of the study is to assess the factors that influence the sustainability of agricultural development. The study was carried out in the municipality of Bobonaro for about four months, from July to October 2021. Slovin’s method was used to determine the sample size, with a desired percentage of 10% of the total population. Thus, 154 producers were interviewed as respondents and key persons in the area of agriculture. The variables interviewed are the main factors of agricultural productivity and the factors that affect sustainable agricultural development. The results of the descriptive statistical analysis of the data showed that about 94.87% of the respondents’ productive area is in operation, with an average of 1.84 ha per respondent and the abandoned area around 0.11 ha per respondent. The average value of rice production is 2.38 ton per ha and corn 1.07 ton per ha. About 87% of producers raised the main types of animals such as cattle, pigs, goats with an average density of 2 to 5 animals per establishment. About 61% of producers have access to the market at a normal price for agricultural products. The factors that hinder less successful agricultural development, such as: those of nature with the greatest impact are climate changes, which influence changes in cultivation sessions and in the characteristics of productive soils, availability of water for irrigation and animal feed. On the socioeconomic side, it includes the willingness or interest of young people who want to work as farmers, less investment and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is concluded that natural and socioeconomic impacts can reduce agricultural productivity, so that this will be a major challenge for the development of the agricultural sector in the future.

Modeling Surface Water Availability for Irrigation Development in Mbarali River Sub-Catchment Mbeya, Tanzania

Although Tanzania has a large land suitable for irrigation development, only 4.2% of the arable land which is potential for irrigation has been developed. Mbarali District is characterized by commercial and small-scale irrigation activities for paddy production. Currently, surface water availability for irrigation in Mbarali District is dwindling due to high water demands. Inadequate studies that estimate water availability for irrigation is one of the underlying factors to the lack of irrigation development in many parts of Tanzania including in Mbarali District. This study, therefore, aimed to model surface water availability for irrigation development in Mbarali River sub-catchment Mbeya, Tanzania. The Soil and Water Analysis Tool (SWAT) model and field observations were used to accomplish the study. The model estimates that Mbarali River sub-catchment receives about 631 mm of total mean precipitation annually. About 53% of received precipitation is lost through evapotranspiration, 12% recharged to deep aquifer and the remaining 35% discharged to the stream flow through surface runoff, lateral flow and return flow from unconfined aquifer. Discharge to the steam flow contributes to the total annual means of river discharge ranging from 0 - 10 cubic meters per second at upper catchment to 120 - 140 cubic meters per second at lower catchment. The study recommends that the lower reach of the Mbarali River sub-catchment is potential for irrigation than the upper reach as it has potential river flow that can support irrigation activities. The study also notes the urgent need for water reallocation plan to meet competing water needs in the lower reach of Mbarali River sub-catchment. Moreover, the study addresses the potentiality of irrigation in upper catchment under sustainable water management practices including excavation of small ponds to capture and store surface runoff for dry season use or to supplement irrigation as the rainfall declines.

Performance of summer groundnut under different types of plastic mulch

Groundnut is the main kharif crop of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat state. It is also cultivated in summer season in this region. The productivity of summer groundnut is limited by low temperature at initial growth stage, limited availability of irrigation water and higher temperature during reproductive growth period. A field experiment was conducted for two years to evaluate the performance of summer groundnut under six mulch treatments i.e. silver black plastic, transparent LDPE, PP nonwoven, biodegradable, no mulch (raised bed) and flatbed (control). Experiment was laid out with Randomized Block Design (RBD) with four replications. Crop water requirement was calculated by FAO Penman-Monteith method. Irrigation water was applied through drip irrigation in all treatments except flatbed. Silver black plastic mulch resulted in highest plant height, number of pods/plant, weight of pods/plant, pod and haulm yield and minimum weed intensity. Maximum water saving (41.2%), water use efficiency (6.77 kg/ha-mm) and benefit cost ratio (2.85) were obtained from use of silver black plastic mulch.

Climate change and its impact on vegetables

World population is increasing at an alarming rate and is expected to reach about 9.1 billion by the end of year 2050. Vegetables are protective foods embedded with vitamins, micronutrients, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds which are necessary for correction of diseases and disorders. Moreover, cultivation of vegetables provides livelihood security through employment. Usually extreme temperatures, limited soil moisture, reduced availability of irrigation water, repeated flooding, increased acidity or salinity, soil erosion, high wind speed, increase in occurrence of hails and thunderstorms, frost damage and tsunamis etc are the major limiting factors for optimum productivity besides the quality and consumer acceptance. Sudden change in climate also influences the status of soil fertility, occurrence of pests and diseases, host-pathogen interactions, soil microbial population and behaviour of the pollinators. Reduced production and productivity due to the development of genetically weakened seeds are the ultimate outcome of climate change which may invite a crisis in food reserve in the future. Hence, there is a need to develop an understanding of the impacts and implications of climate change on vegetable cultivation for timely intervention to ameliorate its harmful effects.

Simulating the climate change impacts and evaluating potential adaptation strategies for irrigated corn production in Northern High Plains of Texas

Sustaining irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) production under changing climate and reduced irrigation water availability presents a key challenge for producers in the Northern High Plains (NHP) of Texas. We assessed climate change impacts on corn production at Bushland in the NHP region using the CERES-Maize model under 36 future climate scenarios. These scenarios included nine global climate models (GCMs), two representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, and two future time periods 2050s (2036–2065) and 2080s (2066–2095). Simulated grain corn yield decreased, under all scenarios in the future, by approximately 31 % on average in the 2050s and by approximately 55 % in the 2080s, under RCP 8.5, mainly due to reduced unit grain weight and biomass, and shorter crop cycle. Seasonal irrigation water use was simulated to either increase or decrease in the future depending on the rainfall projection of a GCM. Adaptation strategies considered in this study included using ideotypes with a longer maturity, higher yield potential, and greater heat tolerance than the reference cultivar, and shifting of planting dates. The ideotypes were created by modifying thermal times from emergence to end-of-juvenile phase, thermal time from silking to maturity, maximum kernel number per plant, radiation use efficiency (RUE), and optimum and failure temperature thresholds during relative grain filling. The planting dates considered were 16 April, 1 May, 16 May (reference), 1 June, and 16 June. By increasing the reproductive period by 13 days, grain yield could increase by 40 %, but that could increase seasonal irrigation water requirement by 10 %. Grain corn yield increased by 13 % on average when the maximum number of kernels per plant or RUE were increased by 15 %, with minor changes in seasonal irrigation water requirement. Heat tolerant ideotypes showed yield advantage over the reference cultivar without much change in irrigation. Delayed planting increased grain yield in the future. Overall, grain yield could decline under climate change without adaptation. Ideotypes with greater silking to maturity period, potential number of kernels per plant, RUE, and heat tolerance during grain filling, showed yield benefits in the future.