MICROIRRIGATION FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER USE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0224320
• Multistate No.: W-2128
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2009
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2014
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
1000 E UNIVERSITY AVE DEPARTMENT 3434
LARAMIE,WY 82071-2000

Performing Department
Plant Sciences

Non Technical Summary
The Challenge of the 21st century will be coping with water scarcity. Much effort will be required to meet food and freshwater demands for an anticipated 2030 global population of 8.1 billion. On a worldwide basis there was a five-fold increase in irrigation during the 20th century which probably cannot be repeated in the 21st century. The agricultural industry diverts the largest amount of water on a worldwide basis, so it must take a leading role in achieving sustainable water use that will provide for both the growing need for food and the need for clean and safe water supplies. Most water planners and resource managers recognize that there will be no magic bullet that will remove all of the worlds or nations water problems. Instead there is a growing realization that it will take many tools working together to help avoid the significant disruption in the economies and societies grown accustomed to widespread irrigation use. Microirrigation is just one of the many irrigation and water management technology tools, but it is a tool that has several advantages. Microirrigation can reduce the waste of water to a negligible amount and the transport of contaminants to surface water and groundwater. Irrigation events can be fine-tuned to spoon feed water and nutrients just in time to avoid plant stress. It can optimize crop production and in many cases increase the quality of agricultural products. Some outcomes and impacts of the project are: growers will be able to use the crop coefficient values along with regional ETo estimates to approximate ETc in their fields and then schedule irrigations; improved design and management procedures for SDI will allow broader penetration of the system into non-traditional microirrigation regions of the country; crop losses due to underirrigation resulting from microirrigation system clogging will be reduced; economic losses associated with microirrigation system failures due to maintenance issues will be reduced; comparisons of alternative irrigation systems will allow growers to make the best system choice for their operations and will allow them to optimize performance of existing systems; benefits of microirrigation will be more fully realized through application of improved fertigation practices that will better match fertilizer applications to crop requirements; end-users will better understand technical issues related to agro-chemical use with microirrigation; risks of negative impacts to environment and water quality will be reduced through reduced losses through leaching or other off-site/non-target chemical movement; pest management options and efficacy will be improved and expanded for production systems using microirrigation; concentrated animal agriculture facility operators who use their effluent for irrigation will be able to determine whether microirrigation is a viable option; growers, scientists, and regulators will have increased knowledge about the safe reuse of reclaimed water; the use and disposal of waters from human sources through SDI will reduce health hazards; effluent from septic systems can be applied with SDI in some cases where conventional systems fail.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
111	0210	2070	40%
132	0430	2070	30%
203	1410	1020	10%
203	1480	1020	10%
203	1510	1020	10%

Knowledge Area
111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water; 203 - Plant Biological Efficiency and Abiotic Stresses Affecting Plants; 132 - Weather and Climate;

Subject Of Investigation
1480 - Sweetcorn; 1510 - Corn; 1410 - Beans (dry); 0430 - Climate; 0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
2070 - Meteorology and climatology; 1020 - Physiology;

Keywords

water conservation

efficient irrigation

irrigation scheduling

water use efficiency

Goals / Objectives
Compare irrigation scheduling technologies and develop grower-appropriate scheduling products Develop design, management and maintenance recommendations Develop best management practices for application of agrochemicals Evaluate use of non-potable water through microirrigation

Project Methods
1a Correlation of applied water, reference ET and yield - Current and historical data on applied water, reference ET and yield for a range of crops and environments will be pooled into a common data base in order to compare results between states, particularly with respect to comparisons of alternative microirrigation scheduling approaches (ET-based, soil-based and plant-based).1b Development of irrigation scheduling technologies and grower-appropriate scheduling products - A technical session at an irrigation-related conference devoted to comparing and contrasting alternative microirrigation scheduling approaches will be proposed as a service to both academics and irrigation consultants and will aid the members of W-2128 to focus their efforts on filling the information gaps. 2a Improved SDI management for row crop production - Because crop rotation is a common practice in many agricultural regions for a variety of reasons, several participants will conduct research on examining and optimizing crop production when using SDI systems. 2b Improved emitter maintenance, selection, and design - A website-based tool for maintenance of microirrigation systems will be developed. The tool will use a decision tree approach centering around four issues (prediction of potential problems, determination of an existing problems, solutions to existing problems, and maintenance to prevent clogging problems). 2c Irrigation system comparisons - Several participants will compare microirrigation system performance to more traditional means of irrigation. Research to compare different types of irrigation systems and to optimize their performance on different lower value commodity crops will be conducted. 3a Development of fertigation recommendations - Fertigation recommendations will be developed based upon placement, formulations and interactions of applied nutrients in the root zone and with irrigation applications. 3b Agrochemical efficacy and water quality protection - Appropriate BMPs for agrochemicals applied with microirrigation as well as potentially reduce risk of negative environmental and off-site water quality effects will be investigated. 4a Testing and selection of equipment for livestock effluents - The use of dairy and livestock effluents as microirrigation water sources will be investigated. Recommendations for equipment selection will be provided. 4b Use and disposal of waters from human sources - The use of municipally-reclaimed water for irrigation of vegetable crops and minimally treated waste waters for crop and landscape use will be investigated. 4c System maintenance for low-quality waters - Recommendations for microirrigation maintenance when irrigating with low quality waters will be developed jointly by several of the project participants. Efforts will be made to extend this subobjective to a more national scale because microirrigation maintenance questions arise as soon as the microirrigation method penetrates a new area of the country.

Progress 10/01/09 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Local and regional producers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Three graduate students were trained: one MS with the alfalfa study, one PhD with the corn study on water and heat stress and ground-based remote sensing irrigation scheduling study, and one PhD with the corn for silage study. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results were presented at scientific and extension meetings. One peer review article, field day bulletins, and one extension publication were published. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Field studies were conducted at the University of Wyoming Research and Extension Center in Powell, WY located in 44°46'33 lat. N, 108°45'34 lon. W and an average elevation above sea level of 1335 m. The area is characterized by an arid climate with average temperature of 6.54°C and average annual precipitation of 283 mm (www.wawn.net). Study 1 - The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effects of limited irrigation on dry-matter yield, water-use efficiency, and forage quality of alfalfa grown on a sub-surface drip irrigation system. Three alfalfa cultivars for hay were grown from 2010 to 2012 on a sub-surface drip irrigated field using four irrigation strategies: 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent of ET. Watermarks were installed at depths of 12, 18, 24, and 36 inches. The Watermarks at the depth of 18 inches were a good indicator of irrigation water needs. Yield was not significantly different between varieties. Irrigation amount had no significant effect on WUE or forage quality. Even in times of water stress, good quality alfalfa can be produced when irrigation scheduling practices that match water needs of the crop are followed. Study 2 - The objectives of this study were to determine the onset of water and heat stress and to develop a ground-based remote sensing irrigation scheduling tool. A corn experiment was planted on a sub-surface drip irrigated field during the 2011, 2012, and 2013 growing seasons. The crop was submitted to three irrigation regimes, including full irrigated and 70 and 50 percent of full irrigated. Canopy temperature using infrared thermometers (IRT) was monitored at each irrigation treatment. Our results show that IRTs were adequate tools to determine water stress. A dynamic crop simulation model was used to mimic the experimental results. The crop model was not as effective as the IRTs to determine the onset of water stress. Study 3 - The objectives of the study were to determine the response of growth and physiological components of maize to water stress. Two studies, one utilizing a commercial maize genotype (CMG) and the other utilizing a mutant maize genotype (MMG) were conducted during the 2014 growing season using a completely randomized design and four replications. For the CMG experiment, the hybrid Pioneer 'P8107HR' was planted on an on-surface drip irrigated field. For the MMG experiment, maize of mutant genotype that expresses a defect in bulliform cell structure was planted on an on-surface drip irrigated field. The irrigation regimes consisted of 100% ETc (Crop Evapotranspiration), 75% and 50 % of 100ETc. Data on photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, water productivity, yield and yield components between the stressed and the fully irrigated treatments maize were obtained at each study. The CMG study showed that reducing water supply in maize resulted in around 50 percent reduction in yield. Physiological measurements showed that maize plants were affected by stress condition. However, reductions in LAI due to water stress did not decrease the ability of the leaf plant to intercept a sufficient amount of light for photosynthesis. This was probably due to wetter than expected conditions during August, the period of measurements. Similar results were obtained with the cell-membrane stability determinations. The MMG study showed that, within normal and within mutant plants, leaf area index and canopy height were significantly affected by water stress; however, no differences were observed between normal and mutant plants. Study 4 - The objectives of the study were to compare the effect of different irrigation levels and nitrogen rates on yield of corn for silage and to determine the effect of the interaction irrigation x N on yield of corn for silage. The study was conducted in 2014 on an on-surface drip-irrigated field with three nitrogen rates including 75, 130 and 200 kg of N ha-1. The soil of the location was characterized as clay-loam. Phenology was monitored during the growing season. Aboveground plant biomass was harvested at physiological maturity for growth analysis. Results indicate that full irrigation and 80ET produce higher yields. Significant yield differences (P=0.0006) amongst irrigation treatments but no interactions between irrigation and N rates, were observed. The best combinations of irrigation x N were 100ETc water x 200 kg ha-1 N and 80ET water x 130 kg ha-1 N. This resulted in 19,377 kg ha-1 and 19,335 kg ha-1 of biomass as dry matter, respectively. Further studies include field experiments under on-surface and sub-surface drip irrigation systems to determine water use, water productivity, N uptake, and the use of aerial imagery for early detection of N content in corn for silage. Study 5 - The use of microirrigation for vegetable production at small scale is increasing in the state. The use of drip irrigation in protected crop production (high tunnels) is on the rise in the region. Little is known about the relationship between nitrogen (N) fertilization and irrigation in green leaf lettuce and spinach produced in protected growing conditions such as high tunnels. The main objective of the study was to determine the effects of N fertilization and irrigation strategies in reference to high tunnel produced vegetables. Specific objectives were to determine the best combination of fertilization and irrigation under a drip irrigation for optimum quality and yield. The study was initiated during the 2014 season and is expected to continue in 2015.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2011 Citation: Garcia y Garcia, A. and A. Islam. Toward the Recommendation of Scientifically-Based Irrigation Scheduling Strategies in Wyoming: A Case Study for Forage Alfalfa Crop Production. In: 2011 Field Days Bulletin, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Carter, C., and A. Garcia y Garcia. Effect of Water Stress on Alfalfa Establishment. Powell Research & Extension Center Field Day. In: 2012 Field Day Bulletins, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Abritta, M., and A. Garcia y Garcia. Effect of Limited Irrigation on Yield of Sunflower Grown in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. Powell Research & Extension Center Field Day. In: 2012 Field Day Bulletins, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2012 Citation: Abritta, M., and A. Garcia y Garcia. Subsurface- and Sprinkler-Irrigated Corn. Powell Research & Extension Center Field Day. In: 2012 Field Day Bulletins, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2013 Citation: Garcia y Garcia, A. and Mesbah, A. Irrigation Water Management. In: High Tunnel Manual (Panter et al., eds.). College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming Extension.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Nilahyane, A. and A. Garcia y Garcia. Effect of irrigation and nitrogen application on yield of corn for silage. Agricultural Experiment Station, Field Days Bulletin, pp. 39-40, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Samet, A. and A. Garcia y Garcia. 2014. Best management practices for spinach production in high tunnel. In: 2014 Field Days Bulletin, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, pp.36, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Samet, A. and A. Garcia y Garcia. 2014. Vining tomato production in high tunnel. In: 2014 Field Days Bulletin, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, pp.36, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Samet, A. and A. Garcia y Garcia. Production of green leaf lettuce in high tunnels. 2014. In: 2014 Field Days Bulletin, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, pp.35, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Garcia y Garcia, C.M.T. Soler, M. Abritta and A. Green. Water and heat stress: effect on growth and yield of maize and impacts on irrigation water. WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, 185:77-87. Special Issue: Sustainable Irrigation and Drainage V. http://dx.doi.org/10.2495/SI140081

Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Local and regional producers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two graduate students were trained, one MS (the alfalfa study) and one PhD (the corn study). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Preliminary results from both studies were presented at scientific and extension meetings. Also, two field day bulletins and one extension publication were published. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? A combination of infrared thermometry (IRT) and soil water content monitored with neutron probes will be used to determine the timing of the onset of water and heat stress. Will develop on-surfacedrip irrrigation (ODI) and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and fertigation management practices for corn for both grain and forage production. Initiate the development of a tool for smart phone applications for irrigation scheduling. Reach a greater diversity of stakeholders by emphasizing audience appropriate presentation.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Three alfalfa cultivars for hay production were grown on a sub-surface drip irrigated field using four irrigation strategies: 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent of ET with four replicates. The experiment was conducted at the University of Wyoming Research & Extension Center in Powell, WY. Watermarks were installed at depths of 12, 18, 24, and 36 inches. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effects of limited irrigation on dry-matter yield, water-use efficiency, and forage quality of alfalfa grown on a sub-surface drip irrigation system. The Watermarks at the depth of 18 were a good indicator of irrigation water needs. No differences on yield between varieties were found. Irrigation amount had no significant effect on WUE and forage quality, which showed very small decreases across irrigation treatments. This may evidence that even in times of water stress, good quality alfalfa can be produced when proper irrigation scheduling practices are followed that match water needs of the crop. A corn experiment was planted on a sub-surface drip irrigated field. The crop was submitted to three irrigation regimes, including full irrigated and 70 and 50 percent of full irrigated. Canopy temperature using infra-red thermometers (IRT) was monitored at each irrigation treatment. Our results show that IRTs were adequate tools for determination of water stress. A dynamic crop simulation model was used to mimic the experimental results. The crop model was not as effective as the IRTs to determine the onset of water stress.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Abritta, M.A., Soler, C.T.M., Green, A., and Garcia y Garcia, A. 2013. Relationship between measured canopy temperature and simulated drought stress. 42nd Biological Systems Simulation Conference. April 23-25, 2013. State College, PA.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Carter, C., A. Garcia y Garcia, A. Islam, and K. Hansen. 2013. Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Water Use and Water Use Efficiency of Alfalfa. ASABE paper # 131603513. Kansas City, MO
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Carter, C., A. Islam, K. Hansen, and A. Garcia y Garcia. 2013. Effects of Limiting Water on the Yield, Water Productivity, and Forage Quality of Alfalfa. In: 2013 Field Days Bulletin, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming. Available online at: www.uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/_files/docs/2013-field-days-bulletin.pdf [Last access: 2/25/2014]
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Garcia y Garcia, A.C. Carter, and A. Islam. 2013. Automated Monitoring of Soil Moisture on Irrigated Alfalfa. In: 2013 Field Days Bulletin, UW Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming. Available online at: www.uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/_files/docs/2013-field-days-bulletin.pdf [Last access: 2/25/2014]
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Garcia y Garcia, A. and Mesbah, A. 2013. Irrigation Water Management. In: High Tunnel Manual (Panter et al., eds.). College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming Extension.

Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Three alfalfa cultivars for hay production are being grown on a sub-surface drip irrigated field using four irrigation strategies: 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent of ET with four replicates. The experiment is conducted at the University of Wyoming Research & Extension Center in Powell, WY, which is located at an elevation of 4,370 ft. Irrigation amounts are estimated using the ETo x Kc approach. Soil water depletion is monitored with a neutron probe every 8 inches to a depth of 40 inches. Watermarks for irrigation scheduling were installed at depths of 12, 18, 24, and 36 inches. A corn experiment is being conducted on sub-surface and on-surface drip irrigated fields. Canopy temperature using infrared thermometers is monitored at different irrigation strategies. Soil moisture depletion is monitored with a neutron probe to a depth of 50 inches. PARTICIPANTS: Axel Garcia y Garcia (PI), Marcelo Aguiar Abritta (PhD), Caleb Carter (MS), Joan Trumble (Summer help), Andrea Pierson (Summer help) TARGET AUDIENCES: Producers of the region through field days. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Preliminary results from the alfalfa study show that Watermarks at the depth of 18 inches provide good indication as potential tools for irrigation scheduling on sub-surface drip irrigation for conditions of limiting and non-limiting water supply. Our results from the corn study show that canopy temperature is a promising tool for irrigation scheduling. Preliminary results were presented at the 2012 ASABE meeting and a technical paper was published.

Publications

• Abritta, M., and A. Garcia y Garcia. 2012. Crop water stress index and non-stressed baseline of corn grown in the state of Wyoming, US. ASABE paper # 12-1337804.

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: An approach for the integration of biophysical factors, including stomatal conductance, soil moisture, and canopy temperature, is being studied for irrigation scheduling purposes. Preliminary results from a corn experiment conducted in a SDI field showed a functional relationship between the crop water stress index (CWSI), soil moisture, and stomatal conductance. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Irrigation scheduling is perhaps the most important procedure regarding the efficiency of irrigation water use as well as the sustainability of irrigation practices. In Wyoming, farmers use the visual and "feel" methods to trigger irrigation. In past few years producers have been requesting information on irrigation scheduling and on-farm irrigation management of crops. Proper irrigation scheduling procedures are expected to have a major impact on irrigated agricultural production in Wyoming. Our research in this field includes corn, sunflower, and alfalfa. Related results from this research, including crop responses to water stress, will also represent a major contribution to the scientific community.

Publications

• No publications reported this period