scholarly journals Peak grain forecasts for the US High Plains amid withering waters

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (42) ◽  
pp. 26145-26150
Author(s):  
Assaad Mrad ◽  
Gabriel G. Katul ◽  
Delphis F. Levia ◽  
Andrew J. Guswa ◽  
Elizabeth W. Boyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
State Level ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Grain Production ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
The Us ◽  
Recharge Rates

Irrigated agriculture contributes 40% of total global food production. In the US High Plains, which produces more than 50 million tons per year of grain, as much as 90% of irrigation originates from groundwater resources, including the Ogallala aquifer. In parts of the High Plains, groundwater resources are being depleted so rapidly that they are considered nonrenewable, compromising food security. When groundwater becomes scarce, groundwater withdrawals peak, causing a subsequent peak in crop production. Previous descriptions of finite natural resource depletion have utilized the Hubbert curve. By coupling the dynamics of groundwater pumping, recharge, and crop production, Hubbert-like curves emerge, responding to the linked variations in groundwater pumping and grain production. On a state level, this approach predicted when groundwater withdrawal and grain production peaked and the lag between them. The lags increased with the adoption of efficient irrigation practices and higher recharge rates. Results indicate that, in Texas, withdrawals peaked in 1966, followed by a peak in grain production 9 y later. After better irrigation technologies were adopted, the lag increased to 15 y from 1997 to 2012. In Kansas, where these technologies were employed concurrently with the rise of irrigated grain production, this lag was predicted to be 24 y starting in 1994. In Nebraska, grain production is projected to continue rising through 2050 because of high recharge rates. While Texas and Nebraska had equal irrigated output in 1975, by 2050, it is projected that Nebraska will have almost 10 times the groundwater-based production of Texas.

Distribution of herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) in row crop production systems in Texas

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russ Garetson ◽  
Vijay Singh ◽  
Shilpa Singh ◽  
Peter Dotray ◽  
Muthukumar Bagavathiannan
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
State Level ◽  
Acetolactate Synthase ◽  
Palmer Amaranth ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Row Crop ◽  
Central Texas ◽  
Sites Of Action

AbstractA state-level survey was conducted across major row-crop production regions of Texas to document the level of sensitivity of Palmer amaranth to glyphosate, atrazine, pyrithiobac, tembotrione, fomesafen, and dicamba. Between 137 and 161 Palmer amaranth populations were evaluated for sensitivity to the labelled field rate (1X), and rated as resistant (≤49% injury), less sensitive (50% to 89% injury), or susceptible (90% to 100% injury). For glyphosate, 62%, 19%, 13%, and 13% of the populations from the High Plains, Central Texas, Rio Grande Valley, and Lower Gulf Coast, respectively, were resistant. Resistance to atrazine was more common in Palmer amaranth populations from the High Plains than in other regions, with 16% of the populations resistant and 22% less sensitive. Approximately 90% of the populations from the High Plains that exhibited resistance to atrazine POST also were resistant to atrazine PRE. Of the 160 populations tested for pyrithiobac, approximately 99% were resistant or less sensitive, regardless of the region. No resistance was found to fomesafen, tembotrione, or dicamba. However, 22% of the populations from the High Plains were less sensitive to 1X (93 g ai ha−1) tembotrione, but were killed at 2X, illustrating the background variability in sensitivity to this herbicide. For dicamba, three populations, all from the High Plains, exhibited less sensitivity at the 1X rate (controlled at the 2X rate; 1X = 560 g ae ha−1). One population exhibited multiple resistance to three herbicides with distinct sites of action (SOAs) involving acetolactate synthase, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase, and photosystem II inhibitors. Palmer amaranth populations exhibited less sensitivity to approximately 15 combinations of herbicides involving up to five SOAs. Dose-response assays conducted on the populations most resistant to glyphosate, pyrithiobac, or atrazine indicated they were 30-, 32-, or 49-fold or more resistant to these herbicides, respectively, compared with a susceptible standard.

scholarly journals Groundwater-Based Irrigation in the US – Challenges and Progress

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Masasi
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
The Us ◽  
Agricultural Regions

Even though groundwater-based irrigation has increased agricultural productivity and economic activity in the United States (US), the current rate of groundwater withdrawals from major aquifers could significantly affect the sustainability of agricultural production systems in the near future. In the major agricultural regions, producers are now facing challenges to irrigate to meet full crop water needs. There is an increasing need to strategize irrigation management under various climatic and environmental conditions to optimize water use in agriculture while optimizing crop yields. This study reviews some of the major challenges facing irrigated agriculture in the US and the potential measures to ensure the sustainability of groundwater-based irrigation. Identified challenges included diminishing quantity and quality of groundwater resources, frequent droughts, low adoption rates of precision irrigation technologies, and rising energy requirements for irrigation abstractions. Irrigation efficiency improvements, shifting to high water use efficiency crops, wastewater reuse, groundwater monitoring, availing incentives, and policy changes, were identified as promising water management strategies to ensure irrigation sustainability. The success of these strategies will depend on the uptake and adoption by the producers in the affected agricultural regions.

Modeling Evapotranspiration and Crop Growth of Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Corn in the Texas High Plains Using RZWQM

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1653-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huihui Zhang ◽  
Robert Wayne Malone ◽  
Liwang Ma ◽  
Lajpat R. Ahuja ◽  
Saseendran S. Anapalli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Area Index

Abstract. Accurate quantification and management of crop evapotranspiration (ET) are critical to optimizing crop water productivity for both dryland and irrigated agriculture, especially in the semiarid regions of the world. In this study, four weighing lysimeters in Bushland, Texas, were planted to maize in 1994 with two fully irrigated and two non-irrigated for measuring crop ET. The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM2) was used to evaluate soil water balance and crop production with potential evapotranspiration (PET) estimated from either the Shuttleworth-Wallace method (PTSW) or the ASCE standardized alfalfa reference ET multiplied by crop coefficients (PTASCE). As a result, two water stress factors were defined from actual transpiration (AT) and were tested in the model against the lysimeter data, i.e., AT/PTSW and AT/PTASCE. For both water stress factors, the simulated daily ET values were reasonably close to the measured values, with underestimated ET during mid-growing stage in both non-irrigated lysimeters. Root mean squared deviations (RMSDs) and relative RMSDs (RMSD/observed mean) values for leaf area index, biomass, soil water content, and daily ET were within simulation errors reported earlier in the literature. For example, the RMSDs of simulated daily ET were less than 1.52 mm for all irrigated and non-irrigated lysimeters. Overall, ET was simulated within 3% of the measured data for both fully irrigated lysimeters and undersimulated by less than 11% using both stress factors for the non-irrigated lysimeters. Our results suggest that both methods are promising for simulating crop production and ET under irrigated conditions, but the methods need to be improved for dryland and non-irrigated conditions. Keywords: ET, RZWQM modeling, Stress factor, Weighing lysimeter.

Irrigated agriculture and groundwater resources – towards an integrated vision and sustainable relationship

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1165-1172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Foster ◽  
Héctor Garduño
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Local Implementation ◽  
Groundwater Irrigation ◽  
Land And Water Management ◽  
Integrated Policy ◽  
Management Policies

Globally, irrigated agriculture is the largest abstractor, and predominant consumer, of groundwater resources, with large groundwater-dependent agro-economies now having widely evolved especially in Asia. Such use is also causing resource depletion and degradation in more arid and drought-prone regions. In addition crop cultivation practices on irrigated land exert a major influence on groundwater recharge. The interrelationship is such that cross-sector action is required to agree more sustainable land and water management policies, and this paper presents an integrated vision of the challenges in this regard. It is recognised that ‘institutional arrangements’ are critical to the local implementation of management policies, although the focus here is limited to the conceptual understanding needed for formulation of an integrated policy and some practical interventions required to promote more sustainable groundwater irrigation.

scholarly journals Point- and reach-scale measurements are important for determining accurate seepage rates in controlled flow channels

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-82
Author(s):  
Mark E. Grismer
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Environmental Water ◽  
Irrigation District ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Recharge Rates ◽  
Controlled Flow ◽  
Putah Creek ◽  
Channel Seepage

A critical component of water-resources management in the irrigated agriculture landscape, particularly those landscapes dependent on groundwater availability, is determining groundwater recharge rates from streams and other channels. In California, flows in many such channels are “controlled” by upstream reservoir releases to meet downstream urban, irrigation and environmental water requirements. Seepage volumes from these channels and how they might vary during controlled release periods is a key component of meeting downstream riparian and groundwater-pumping needs. Understanding annual seepage from streamflow channels is also important in developing water budgets as part of the management of groundwater resources under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in California. However, direct measurements of channel seepage rates are infrequent or unavailable, and these rates, or associated volumes, are most often only estimated. Here we describe direct point- and reach-scale field measurements of channel seepage rates in Lower Putah Creek (Solano County) and in distribution lateral channels of the Oakdale Irrigation District on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley (San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties). We measured overall average seepage rates of about 2 feet (610 mm) per day at both locations and determined how these rates varied spatially and temporally during the summer when channel flows are controlled for downstream requirements.

scholarly journals Analysis of 220 Years of Floodplain Population Dynamics in the US at Different Spatial Scales

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Firoza Akhter ◽  
Maurizio Mazzoleni ◽  
Luigia Brandimarte
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
National Level ◽  
State Level ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
The Us ◽  
Over Time

In this study, we explore the long-term trends of floodplain population dynamics at different spatial scales in the contiguous United States (U.S.). We exploit different types of datasets from 1790–2010—i.e., decadal spatial distribution for the population density in the US, global floodplains dataset, large-scale data of flood occurrence and damage, and structural and nonstructural flood protection measures for the US. At the national level, we found that the population initially settled down within the floodplains and then spread across its territory over time. At the state level, we observed that flood damages and national protection measures might have contributed to a learning effect, which in turn, shaped the floodplain population dynamics over time. Finally, at the county level, other socio-economic factors such as local flood insurances, economic activities, and socio-political context may predominantly influence the dynamics. Our study shows that different influencing factors affect floodplain population dynamics at different spatial scales. These facts are crucial for a reliable development and implementation of flood risk management planning.

scholarly journals Associations between Google Search Trends for Symptoms and COVID-19 Confirmed and Death Cases in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4560
Author(s):  
Mostafa Abbas ◽  
Thomas B. Morland ◽  
Eric S. Hall ◽  
Yasser EL-Manzalawy
Keyword(s):  
Functional Data ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Functional Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Dynamic Correlation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Google Search

We utilize functional data analysis techniques to investigate patterns of COVID-19 positivity and mortality in the US and their associations with Google search trends for COVID-19-related symptoms. Specifically, we represent state-level time series data for COVID-19 and Google search trends for symptoms as smoothed functional curves. Given these functional data, we explore the modes of variation in the data using functional principal component analysis (FPCA). We also apply functional clustering analysis to identify patterns of COVID-19 confirmed case and death trajectories across the US. Moreover, we quantify the associations between Google COVID-19 search trends for symptoms and COVID-19 confirmed case and death trajectories using dynamic correlation. Finally, we examine the dynamics of correlations for the top nine Google search trends of symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19 confirmed case and death trajectories. Our results reveal and characterize distinct patterns for COVID-19 spread and mortality across the US. The dynamics of these correlations suggest the feasibility of using Google queries to forecast COVID-19 cases and mortality for up to three weeks in advance. Our results and analysis framework set the stage for the development of predictive models for forecasting COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths using historical data and Google search trends for nine symptoms associated with both outcomes.

Hydro-economic analysis of groundwater pumping for irrigated agriculture in California’s Central Valley, USA

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1205-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josué Medellín-Azuara ◽  
Duncan MacEwan ◽  
Richard E. Howitt ◽  
George Koruakos ◽  
Emin C. Dogrul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Central Valley ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Groundwater Pumping ◽  
California's Central Valley ◽  
California’S Central Valley

scholarly journals Voting Rights for Non-Citizens: The European Multilevel and the US Federal Constitutional Systems Compared

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Fabbrini
Keyword(s):  
State Level ◽  
Voting Rights ◽  
The State ◽  
Comparative Perspective ◽  
Federal System ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
The Us ◽  
Comparative Methodology ◽  
Federal Constitutional ◽  
Regulatory Models

Voting rights – Citizens and aliens – European multilevel architecture – US federal system – Comparative methodology – Different regulatory models for non-citizens suffrage at the state level in Europe – Impact of supranational law – Challenges and tensions – Analogous dynamics in the US constitutional experience – Recent European legal and jurisprudential developments in comparative perspective – What future prospects for citizenship and democracy in Europe?

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