The Cross Section, Volume 26, Number 6, June 1980 Page: 3
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June, 1980 THE CROSS SECTION Page 3
Crop Water Use Researched
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rijoyrd the cordiar Fospiratiffy o? Di. 8. A. Sfewarr and ta.ft arnd ) derfailed
rnnL erf n1ri M P of rl' %viia'r reit4ger priurrff. .h spire he fre doin orrl pernm
a crompheL acrremt (f weik in p rec.. Jfr fn'trowrng ,;e rm)e Mgjg! -
ot rhe resr.arh on warEr rrtnagrriorf rind rktievery 5y- erri. For mr.
jnforintn rr f nrn i rhe l'SDA Snerhwesfern Crowr Pttrn- Re5-arrht 1:entr-Start by assuming that a farmer has
less water than land. He has two prac-
tical avenues for cashing in on his
limited water. One is to find the best
crop and cropping pattern for the
water he has, the other is to know
when and how to water or not water
the specific crop for optimum yield.
These thoughts were the makin's of'
a bunch of research into water man-
agement systems, water delivery sys-
tems, and plant-water-use at the Bush-
land USDA Research Lab. Scientists
are looking at soil water storage and
crop use, managing water application
and stressing effects on crop develop-
ment, water application methods,
planting sequences, and at delivery
system efficiencies. They are working
primarily in Pullman clays and clay
loam soils typical of 2-3 million irri-
gated acres on the High Plains, with
wheat, sorghum, corn, and a new crop
on the research row this year, the sun-
flower. Researchers are taking a new
look at irrigation delivery systems and
their losses and at fresh approaches to
plant-water management.
'-
Dr. B. A. Stewart, director of the
Center, is developing a novel system
at Bushland for efficient use of both
irrigation and rainfall for furrow irriga-
tion on grain sorghum. He suggests
this approach may also apply to otherR- "
71
--
-i r.: :. .
..
Another novel aspect of this study
was the varying of seeding rates which
was reduced down the field. Nitrogen
applications were also reduced on the
lower sections to correspond with
anticipated yields. The reduced seed-
ing rate and increased plant spacings
moderated the severity of plant water
stress on the drier, lower field seg-
ments.
Stewart saw the varied seeding rate
as a potential drawback to the system
but is testing for modifications here.
He recognized the disadvantage to
fertilizing this system, but considered
"fertigating" or distributing fertilizer
with the water at the same rates as a
potential solution.
The real advantages of this approach
relate to the water applications and
runoff prevention. Stewart watered
every other furrow and notched a
slight cup in the top of each dam in
these rows so the top of the dike was
a little lower than the top of the bed.
This approach integrates irrigation with
rainfall potential and puts on a fixed
amount of water based on irrigation
pumpage. The result is something that
comes close to an automated system
in which the farmer schedules his
irrigation and sets the water without
looking to see what's coming off the
field. The system "adjusts itself" ac-
cording to Stewart, and relys on
mother nature to provide her probable
above average rainfall half the timeOn another series of research rows,
Jack Musick is watching crop responses
to limited irrigation, plant water stress
and cropping sequences in wheat,
grain sorghum and sunflowers. The
best news for limited irrigation crop-
ping for maximum water use efficiency
is with sunflowers. Results of a one
year study suggest sunflowers have
strong potential as a third crop for
limited irrigation production in con-
junction with winter wheat and grain
sorghum, or as an additional crop for
cotton.
Sunflowers have a good water stress
tolerance, are more adaptable to cool
temperatures which allows for early
planting, have a relatively short grow-
ing season and are compatible with
wheat, sorghum or cotton in a crop-
ping sequence to permit separate irri-
gation seasons. They can also root to
the 6 to 8 foot zone for deep soil
water extraction. Sunflowers can be
planted as early as March to avoid
conflicts in seasonal water demands.
Musick reports that the yield from one
early-planting irrigation on sunflowers
was almost identical to one with three
late planting irrigations. "Insecticide
applications for control of headmoth,
however, are more important with
early planted sunflowers," says Musick.
He is also looking at all three crops
for critical stage plant water stress.
Musick is measuring the crop yield
return to water for management effi-
ciency and for the effects of plant
water stress at different development
stages. He found that watering during
early vegetative stages are less critical
to yield than irrigating prior to and
through pollination when a wheat
irrigation at this tirrie can double the
yield from that irrigation. In corn an
irrigation applied prior to tasseling and
silking will prevent stress at that time
which could reduce yield by as muchas 40 to 50 percent.
uses both a vertical axis wind turbine
and an electric motor to run a conven-
tional vertical turbine pump. It is
presently the only system of its kind
in the world to marry wind and electric
power. The wind machine puts power
into the pump whenever wind speeds
exceed a minimum cut in level of
about 12 miles per hour at the turbine
height. The constant power supply is
electric. But since electricity supplies
yo
ANOTHER
only part of the power it is also saved
by reducing the load rather than totally
replacing it.
This system's advantages over relying
on wind power alone are first, a con-
stant pumping rate for water regardless
of the wind power level, and secondly,
the use of a conventional irrigation
well and vertical turbine pump without
need for modification.
Researchers are expecting to pro-
duce some wind power for irrigation
at Bushland at least 70 percent of the
time, and up to half the needed power
for irrigation during about 18 percentdrought tolerant crops. Stewart has
labeled this study conjunctive use of
irrigation and rainfall. Don Dusek and
Jack Musick are working with Stewart
on the project which began in 1979.
The design used a limited water supply
to irrigate a larger area than could be
fully irrigated. It thus reduces the area
in dryland sorghum where a farmer is
producing both.
In the new system, a normal length
field was divided into three water man-
agement sections. The upper half of
the field was managed as fully irri-
gated. The next one-fourth was man-
aged as a "tailwater runoff" section
using furrow runoff from the fully
irrigated section. The lower quarter
was managed as a dryland section to
retain and use any runoff from either
irrigation or rainfall from the rest of
the field.
Furrow dams were placed about
every ten feet throughout the length
of the furrow after planting. These
washed out under irrigation partially
down the furrows.and in those usually heavier amounts
measured in June through September.
--V
JACK MLSN.
The system is designed around a 75%
probability of getting more than five
and less than eleven inches of rainfall
during most years.
"The system can't work every year
in every location because you can't
fool mother nature," says Stewart. "A
gullywasher could override it, but
otherwise it has a good strong poten-
tial to help you hedge your bets."NOLAN CL;Hk : . ..
001 1nm w"nd turbine to pump ?'erhei
While Bushland scientists are watch-
ing irrigations and stressing effects in
their fields, so is the National Aeronau-
tics and Space Administration. Another
study soon to fly at Bushland is an
aerospace remote sensing project for
assessing ground crop conditions as
affected by water deficiency. NASA is
developing satellite technology for
monitoring crop growth, development
and yield in different crops over the
world. Bushland is one of many sites
cooperating in this program by taking
ground data with hand-held sensing
technology to confirm and verify simi-
lar satellite instrument readings. If the
space technology can be adapted, it
offers potential for developing models
to predict world cropping conditions
and yields.
One thing the High Plains has plenty
of is wind. Engineers at Bushland have
been testing wind turbines for pump-
ing irrigation water. The project, under
the direction of Dr. Nolan Clark, is
actually a wind assisted system whichof the year.
Clark says the machine is now saving
thirty to forty percent in electric
energy, or about $3,000 in fuel a year.
So that if a system could be bought
reasonably an irrigator could write off
the investment in three to five years.
But developmental work for an off-line
commercial unit is still three to five
years away according to Clark, and for
that the research needs to be done
now.
Clark is also working on design
modifications to match machine size
and load. He has plans to redesign the
pump to match the power output
characteristics of the wind turbine
rather than of the electric or gas
engine.
Dan Undersander, a Texas Agricul-
tural Experiment Station agronomist, is
working with Noland Clark, USDA
Agricultural Engineer, and Tom Marek,
TAES agricultural engineer, on a joint
state/federal project on pivot sprinklers
- - - =fl
UN OilRSANDER pmd .. EARCH
conlinul&d On apag 4 .. RESEARCHJune, 1980
Page 3
T HE CR O SS S EC T IO N
;e f I .h r To~n 5 i
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High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 (Tex.). The Cross Section, Volume 26, Number 6, June 1980, periodical, June 1980; Lubbock, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1533063/m1/3/?q=%22~1~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.