Progress 07/01/09 to 06/30/14
Outputs
Target Audience: This project benefited crop irrigators, water managers, crop consultants, water lawyers, and water conservationists in Colorado. Presentations and workshops that showed or used results from this project directly reached over 470 individuals. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? One Ph.D. student and two M.S. students in Soil and Crop Sciences, although receiving funding from other sources, were trained in field techniques in measuring profile soil water content, crop development, and crop ET through their collaboration in this project. They also learned how to calculate the daily soil water balance and estimate irrigation water requirements using the CIS spreadsheet tool. The data and tools from this project were also presented in five seminars/workshops that provided continuing education credits to Certified Crop Advisors. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of this project were disseminated through regional conferences (Central Plains Irrigation Association), presentations to water conservation agencies (Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, Arkansas Basin Round Table, Colorado NRCS), and specialty conferences (Colorado Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Evapotranspiration Workshop, Colorado Water Forum). Results from this project were used in three online Extension fact sheets published by Colorado State University Extension (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/pubs.html#water). The presentations directly reached over 470 individuals. The online fact sheets have been viewed more than 12,000 times by the time this project ended. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project showed that the ASCE Standardized evapotranspiration (ET) Equation can be used to calculate crop ET in major agricultural regions in Colorado for the purpose of irrigation management. Hourly weather data (solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed) from each CoAgMet weather station is now being used to calculate alfalfa reference crop ET (atmospheric demand for water) using the ASCE Standardized Equation at more than 65 locations around Colorado. Daily values of the ASCE Standardized alfalfa ET for each CoAgMet station are publicly available at www.coagmet.com. This project developed local seasonal crop coefficient (Kc) curves for the two most widely irrigated crops in Colorado: alfalfa hay and grain corn. Seasonal consumptive water use (total ET) for those two crops were measured during several growing seasons. A seasonal Kc curve for sugar beets was also developed. The Kc curves can be used to convert daily alfalfa reference crop ET into equivalent alfalfa hay, corn, or sugar beet crop ET. The Kc curves have been incorporated in an online irrigation scheduling tool that can be used by Colorado irrigators to determine the amount (inches of water) and timing (date) of irrigations required to avoid water stress or over-irrigation. A spreadsheet tool called the Colorado Irrigation Scheduler (CIS) was delivered to the Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for use by field technicians in irrigation scheduling. The CIS is the predecessor of a web-based irrigation scheduler that is currently being developed under a separate USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) project that builds on the accomplishments from this project.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Andales, A.A. 2014. Colorado Irrigation Scheduler. In: Proceedings of the 26th Annual Central Plains Irrigation Conference, Burlington, CO., February 25-26, 2014, pp 26-33. (http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/pr_irrigate/OOW/P14/Andales2014.pdf)
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Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? A second year of hourly and daily corn evapotranspiration data will be collected from the crop lysimeter in Rocky Ford, CO in 2014. This will be used to improve and validate the corn crop coefficient curve developed from 2013 data. The seasonal crop coefficient curve for corn will be incorporated in the irrigation scheduling tools being developed for Colorado.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Crop coefficient curves for 4 cutting cycles of alfalfa hay have been incorporated in a spreadsheet-based irrigation scheduling tool and a Web-based irrigation scheduler for Colorado. The 2013 growing season was also the first season of growing corn on the crop lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. This first year of lysimeter data for corn will enable the development of a seasonal crop coefficient curve appropriate for growing conditions in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Gleason, D.J., Andales, A.A., Bauder, T., Ch�vez, J.L. 2013. Performance of atmometers in estimating reference evapotranspiration in a semi-arid environment. Agricultural Water Management 130(2013):27-35.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2013
Citation:
Subedi, A., Ch�vez, J.L., Andales, A.A. 2013. Preliminary Performance Evaluation of the Penman-Monteith Evapotranspiration Equation in Southeastern Colorado. 33rd American Geophysical Union Hydrology Days. 25-27 March 2013, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: An irrigation-scheduling spreadsheet (Excel) tool has been developed. It estimates the daily soil water balance of an irrigated field using inputs of field-specific soil properties, crop information (type, emergence date, crop coefficient curve, rooting depth), actual irrigation amounts, and daily weather data from the nearest Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) weather station. Field-specific soil properties can be copied from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey or manually inputted by the user. The tool can communicate with CoAgMet to automatically download the latest weather data from the selected weather station. Locally-available weather data (not from CoAgMet) can also be used. Two versions of the tool are available: one for annual crops and another for hay crops (e.g., alfalfa hay). Daily crop consumptive water use is estimated from reference crop evapotranspiration (ET) calculated by CoAgMet and adjusted with a daily crop coefficient for the specific crop. The annual crop version incorporates a corn crop coefficient curve that was developed from 3 years of data at Greeley, CO as well as crop coefficient curves from scientific literature for other crops. The hay crop version incorporates alfalfa hay crop coefficients developed from the lysimeter studies at Rocky Ford, CO. Hourly and daily consumptive water use of alfalfa hay was collected using two weighing lysimeters at Rocky Ford, CO during the 2012 growing season. Weekly soil water balance of two corn fields were also monitored near Greeley, CO. PARTICIPANTS: Allan Andales (CSU), Jose Chavez (CSU), Lane Simmons (CSU), David Gleason (CSU MS student), and Mike Bartolo (CSU) were involved in the alfalfa ET data collection from the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. Lee Sommers, Frank Johnson, and Reagan Waskom of CSU provided lysimeter project administration support. Two corn producers collaborated and gave access to their center pivot-irrigated corn fields for data collection in 2012. David Gleason (CSU MS student) and Abdulkariem Aljrbi (CSU PhD student) assisted in collecting irrigation, soil water balance, and crop growth data from sprinkler and furrow-irrigated fields. Caleb Erkman (CSU BS student) assisted Andales in improving the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet and in developing a user's manual. The Colorado Water Conservation Board and Colorado Division of Water Resources provided funding for the operation of the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. The USDA-NRCS in Colorado provided financial support through a Conservation Innovation Grant for field testing the ASCE standardized reference ET equation, crop coefficients, and the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet. Collaborators on the weighing lysimeter project included Thomas Ley and Dale Straw (Colorado Division of Water Resources). Thomas Trout of the USDA-ARS-Water Management Research Unit is sharing data on water production functions and crop coefficient curves of various crops and providing access to one of their experimental fields in Greeley, CO. A presentation on the lysimeter studies in the Arkansas River Valley was made to the Arkansas Basin Roundtable on 11 January 2012 at Pueblo, CO. A class on crop evapotranspiration measurement using weighing lysimeters was conducted for the Colorado Bar Association - Continuing Legal Education, Inc. on 12 October 2012 in Denver, CO. A presentation on the lysimeter studies in the Arkansas River Valley was also given at the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District Board Meeting on 21 November 2012 at Rocky Ford, CO. TARGET AUDIENCES: Approximately 120 water professionals (water managers, irrigators, water lawyers) directly learned how crop ET is estimated using crop coefficients and weather data. Two corn producers collaborated in continuing to test the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet. An irrigation scheduling spreadsheet tool was delivered to the Colorado office of USDA-NRCS for use by their field offices in Colorado. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Information on the consumptive water use of alfalfa hay in the Arkansas River Valley of southeast Colorado was presented to approximately 120 water professionals (water managers, irrigators, water lawyers) in Colorado. Also, a newly-developed irrigation scheduling spreadsheet tool gives users that have Internet access the capability of tracking the daily soil water balance of individual irrigated fields calculated from evapotranspiration and rainfall data from the Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) and field-specific soils information from USDA-NRCS Web Soil Survey. The irrigation scheduling tool was delivered to Colorado NRCS for use at their field offices in Colorado. Adoption of the tool by irrigators and water managers is anticipated to improve irrigation efficiency in Colorado. Field researchers at Colorado State University have also expressed interest in using the tool to schedule irrigations for their field experiments.
Publications
- Andales, A.A. 2012. Measurement of Crop Evapotranspiration Using Precision Weighing Lysimeters. In: Evapotranspiration Determination of Consumptive Use in Water Rights Proceedings. Continuing Legal Education in Colorado (CLE), Inc., Denver, Colorado. 10 p.
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Accurate determination of crop evapotranspiration (ET) is essential in farm irrigation management and administration of water rights in entire river basins. Measurements of alfalfa ET were obtained during 4 harvest cycles in 2011 from a precision weighing lysimeter in the Arkansas River Valley of Colorado. In addition, data from the 2010 alfalfa growing season were analyzed. Irrigation, crop growth, and soil water balance data from 3 corn fields and 1 alfalfa field in Eastern Colorado were collected. The data from these fields were used in improving a spreadsheet-based irrigation scheduling tool that uses daily estimates of crop ET and soil water content to determine the timing and amount of irrigation. One fact sheet describing ET-based irrigation scheduling was published online. PARTICIPANTS: Allan Andales (CSU), Jose Chavez (CSU), Lane Simmons (CSU), Hamdan AlWahaibi (CSU PhD student), and Mike Bartolo (CSU) were involved in the alfalfa ET data collection from the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. Lee Sommers, Frank Johnson, and Reagan Waskom of CSU provided lysimeter project administration support. Two corn producers collaborated and gave access to their center pivot-irrigated corn fields for data collection in 2011. David Gleason (CSU MS student) and Abdulkariem Aljrbi (CSU PhD student) assisted in collecting irrigation, soil water balance, and crop growth data from sprinkler and furrow-irrigated fields. Gleason assisted Andales in improving the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet and in developing electronic outreach materials that were uploaded to a project website. The Colorado Water Conservation Board and Colorado Division of Water Resources provided funding for the operation of the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. The USDA-NRCS in Colorado provided financial support through a Conservation Innovation Grant for field testing the ASCE standardized reference ET equation, crop coefficients, and the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet. Collaborators on the weighing lysimeter project included Thomas Ley and Dale Straw (Colorado Division of Water Resources). Thomas Trout of the USDA-ARS-Water Management Research Unit is sharing data on water production functions and crop coefficient curves of various crops and providing access to one of their experimental fields in Greeley, CO. Two presentations on the development of crop coefficients using weighing lysimeters and irrigation scheduling were given on 22-23 February 2011 at the Central Plains Irrigation Conference, Burlington, CO. Thirty three water professionals learned how precision weighing lysimeters at Rocky Ford, CO are being used to develop local crop coefficients for use in estimating crop evapotranspiration (ET) from reference crop ET. Alfalfa ET amounts from the lysimeter were presented to 34 water users/managers who attended the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District meeting on 20 April 2011. TARGET AUDIENCES: Approximately 67 water professionals (water managers, irrigators, conservationists) directly learned how crop ET is estimated using crop coefficients and weather data. Two corn producers collaborated in continuing to test the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet. The general public was reached through an online fact sheet on ET-based irrigation scheduling. The fact sheet was viewed 11,323 times (July - Dec., 2011). PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Average alfalfa crop coefficient curves for 4 cutting cycles were developed from 3 years of data (2008 to 2010). These locally developed curves can be used with reference ET calculated from the ASCE standardized equation that is being widely adopted in Colorado. Measurements from a precision weighing lysimeter in the Arkansas River Valley showed that alfalfa, which is a dominant irrigated crop, consumed 1333 mm of water in 2008, 1179 mm of water in 2009, and 1455 mm of water in 2010 through ET. Results from 2008 to 2010 were presented to 34 water users/managers in the Lower Arkansas River Basin. A presentation on ET-based irrigation scheduling resulted in 33 individuals learning about how crop coefficients are developed and how they can be used with ASCE standardized reference ET to estimate the ET of different crops. Based on CSU Extension web page statistics, the ET-based irrigation scheduling fact sheet was viewed 11,323 times (July - Dec., 2011).
Publications
- Andales,A.A. and Chavez,J.L. 2011. ET-based irrigation scheduling. In: Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Central Plains Irrigation Conference, Burlington, CO., February 22-23, 2011. Central Plains Irrigation Association. pp.39-46.
- Andales, A.A., Chavez, J.L., and Bauder, T.A. 2011. Irrigation Scheduling: The Water Balance Approach. Fact Sheet no. 4.707, Colorado State University Extension, Fort Collins, CO, 6 p. (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/04707.html).
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Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Accurate determination of crop evapotranspiration (ET) is essential in farm irrigation management and administration of water rights in entire river basins of Colorado. Direct measurements of alfalfa ET were obtained during 4 harvest cycles in 2010 from a precision weighing lysimeter in the Arkansas River Valley of Colorado. In addition, data from the 2008 and 2009 alfalfa growing seasons were analyzed and results were presented to approximately 215 water professionals in Colorado. Irrigation, crop growth, and soil water balance data from 3 corn fields and 1 alfalfa field in Eastern Colorado were collected. The data from these fields were used in preliminary testing of a spreadsheet-based irrigation scheduling tool that uses daily estimates of crop ET and soil water content to determine the timing and amount of irrigation. One fact sheet describing the water balance approach of irrigation scheduling was also written. PARTICIPANTS: Allan Andales (CSU), Jose Chavez (CSU), Lane Simmons (CSU), Hamdan AlWahaibi (CSU PhD student), and Mike Bartolo (CSU) were involved in the alfalfa ET data collection from the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. Lee Sommers, Frank Johnson, and Reagan Waskom of CSU provided lysimeter project administration support. Two corn producers collaborated and gave access to their center pivot-irrigated corn fields for data collection in 2010. Troy Bauder (CSU), Erik Wardle (CSU), Abdulkariem Aljrbi (CSU PhD student), and one undergraduate student assisted in collecting irrigation, soil water balance, and crop growth data from sprinkler and furrow-irrigated fields. Aljrbi and AlWahaibi assisted Andales in testing the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet and in developing electronic outreach materials that will soon be uploaded to a project website. The Colorado Water Conservation Board provided funding for the construction and operation of the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. The USDA-NRCS in Colorado provided financial support through a Conservation Innovation Grant for field testing the ASCE standardized reference ET equation, crop coefficients, and the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet. Collaborators on the weighing lysimeter project included Thomas Ley and Dale Straw (Colorado Division of Water Resources). Thomas Trout of the USDA-ARS-Water Management Research Unit is sharing data on water production functions and crop coefficient curves of various crops and providing access to one of their experimental fields in Greeley, CO. A presentation on the development of crop coefficients using weighing lysimeters was given on 29 January 2010 at the 52nd Annual Convention of the Colorado Water Congress, Denver, CO. Thirty water professionals learned how precision weighing lysimeters at Rocky Ford, CO are being used to develop local crop coefficients for use in estimating crop evapotranspiration (ET) from reference crop ET. A similar presentation was given to 185 water professionals at an ET workshop held in Fort Collins, CO on 12 March 2010. TARGET AUDIENCES: Approximately 215 water professionals (consultants, water lawyers, water managers, irrigators, conservationists) gained knowledge in how weather data can be used in the ASCE standardized reference ET equation along with crop coefficients to estimate daily crop ET. Two corn producers collaborated in testing the irrigation scheduling spreadsheet and will be trained in using it for irrigation management. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Alfalfa crop coefficient curves for 4 cutting cycles were developed. These locally developed curves can be used with reference ET calculated from the ASCE standardized equation that is being widely adopted in Colorado. Measurements from a precision weighing lysimeter in the Arkansas River Valley showed that alfalfa, which is a dominant irrigated crop, consumed 1333 mm of water in 2008 and 1179 mm of water in 2009 through ET. Presentations to various water professionals in Colorado resulted in 215 individuals learning about how crop coefficients are developed and how they can be used with ASCE standardized reference ET to estimate the ET of different crops.
Publications
- AlWahaibi, H., Andales, A., Straw, D., Simmons, L., Bartolo, M., Ley, T., Trout, T., Chavez, J., and Hansen, N. 2010. Alfalfa crop coefficients developed using a weighing lysimeter in Southeast Colorado. Proceedings of the 2010 US Committee on Irrigation and Drainage Conference. Fort Collins, CO. 28-30 September 2010. USCID, Denver, CO.
- Andales, A.A., Simmons, L.H., Bartolo, M.E., Straw, D., Chavez, J.L., Ley, T.W., AlWahaibi, H.S. 2010. Alfalfa ET from a weighing lysimeter in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado. Proceedings of the 5th National Decennial Irrigation Conference. Phoenix, AZ. 5-8 December 2010. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, MI.
- Chavez,J.L., Straw, D., Garcia,L.A., Ley, T.W., Andales, A.A., Simmons, L.H., Bartolo,M.E., Neale, C.M.U. 2010. Remote Sensing ET of Alfalfa using a Surface Aerodynamic Temperature Model. Proceedings of the 5th National Decennial Irrigation Conference. Phoenix, AZ. 5-8 December 2010. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, MI.
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Progress 01/01/09 to 12/31/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Alfalfa is the leading irrigated crop in Colorado and is also used as the reference crop for estimating evapotranspiration (ET) of other crops. Direct measurements of hourly, daily, and seasonal ET of alfalfa have been obtained from a precision weighing lysimeter in the Arkansas River Valley of Colorado. Alfalfa ET values from the 2008 growing season were presented to local producers and water managers in the Arkansas River Valley of Colorado in one field day that included a tour of the lysimeter facilities. Irrigators and water managers in Colorado need access to weather and ET data to make better decisions regarding the timing and amount of irrigation. The online website of the CoAgMet weather station network provides access to crop ET reports at over 60 locations across the state. One fact sheet that explains how to access the CoAgMet crop ET reports and another fact sheet explaining the effects of annual weather variability on ET and irrigation requirements were published at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/pubs.html#water to educate irrigators and water managers. Presentations on ET were also made at two dry bean field days held in Eastern Colorado. An ET-based irrigation scheduling exercise was developed and used in one training workshop for USDA-NRCS personnel on the Western Slope of Colorado. PARTICIPANTS: Allan Andales (CSU), Jose Chavez (CSU), and Lane Simmons (CSU) were involved in the alfalfa ET data collection from the lysimeter at Rocky Ford, CO. Troy Bauder (CSU) and Nolan Doesken (CSU) assisted Andales in writing fact sheets. An irrigation scheduling exercise and evaluation questions were prepared by Andales and Chavez for use in a CoAgMet/Irrigation Scheduling workshop for West Slope NRCS technicians, 1-2 September 2009, Delta, CO. Twelve (12) NRCS personnel participated in the training workshop. All participants indicated that knowledge of irrigation scheduling is needed in their jobs at least once a month. Overall, the participants reported an increase in knowledge of CoAgMet, water balance method of irrigation scheduling, soil moisture concepts, and soil moisture measurement techniques after completing the workshop. Collaborators on the weighing lysimeter project included Thomas Ley and Dale Straw (Colorado Division of Water Resources) and Mike Bartolo (CSU). The USDA-ARS-Soil and Water Management Research Unit, Bushland, TX gave a tour of their lysimeter facilities and provided advice on data collection protocols. The USDA-ARS-Water Management Research Unit is sharing data on water production functions and crop coefficient curves of various crops from their experiment in Greeley, CO. TARGET AUDIENCES: A presentation on the lysimeter project was given at the Otero County Extension Office, Rocky Ford, CO on 3 April 2009. Seventeen (17) producers/water managers attended the presentation. Attendees learned about how the lysimeters are being used to measure crop consumptive water use (ET) and to develop crop coefficient curves. They were presented alfalfa ET and crop coefficient data collected in 2008. All the attendees gained a better understanding of lysimeter operations through a tour of the lysimeter facilities at the Arkansas Valley Research Center. Two presentations on the "Effects of Weather on Dry Bean Irrigation Requirements" were given at the Bean Field Days held at Yuma and Holyoke, CO on 25 August 2009. A total of sixteen (16) attendees representing industry and producers at the two sites learned about probabilities (chances) of dry bean irrigation requirements that are based on historical precipitation and ET data. Exceedance probability charts of dry bean irrigation requirements at Yuma and Holyoke were distributed to the attendees. In 2009, online versions of two fact sheets (Effects of Weather on Irrigation Requirements; The Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) and Crop ET Reports) were viewed a total of 657 times. This number is an estimate of the number of individuals who received indirect education on the determination of crop consumptive use and how it is affected by weather. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Comparisons made between hourly alfalfa reference ET calculated by the ASCE standardized ET equation and observed alfalfa ET from the lysimeter revealed strong agreement (97%) between the two for 2008 and 2009 at Rocky Ford in the Arkansas River Valley, CO. This outcome provided some evidence that the ASCE standardized ET equation is applicable for estimating alfalfa reference crop ET in the Arkansas River Basin of Colorado. However, the equation did not agree well with some lysimeter ET measurements under certain weather conditions, such as when dry, warm winds occurred. These findings point to possible adjustments that may be needed to the weather data inputs of the equation to improve its performance in representing local conditions.
Publications
- Andales, A.A. 2009. Effects of Weather on Dry Bean Irrigation Requirements. p. 14-19. In TR09-06: Making Better Decisions 2009 Dry Bean Variety Performance Trials, Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, Fort Collins, Colorado.
- Andales, A.A. 2009. Progress on the Lysimeter Project at Rocky Ford. In Colorado Water, vol. 26(3) (May/June 2009):10-13, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
- Andales, A.A., Bauder, T.A. and Doesken, N.J. 2009. The Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) and Crop ET Reports. Colorado State University Extension Fact Sheet no. 4.723, Fort Collins, Colorado.
- Andales, A.A., Straw, D., Ley, T., Berrada, A. 2009. Alfalfa reference ET from a weighing lysimeter and estimates from the ASCE Standardized Reference ET Equation in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado. p. 4093-4101. In S. Starrett (ed.) Proceedings of the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers. Kansas City, Missouri. May 17-21, 2009. American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA.
- Andales, A.A. 2009. Effects of Weather on Irrigation Requirements. Colorado State University Extension Fact Sheet no. 4.721, Fort Collins, Colorado.
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