scholarly journals Comparison of Lysimeter-Derived Crop Coefficients for Legacy and Modern Drought-Tolerant Maize Hybrids in the Texas High Plains

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1243-1257
Author(s):  
Gary W. Marek ◽  
Thomas H. Marek ◽  
Steven R. Evett ◽  
Jourdan M. Bell ◽  
Paul D. Colaizzi ◽  
...  

HighlightsDaily maximum crop coefficient (Kc) values were similar for legacy hybrids and a modern drought-tolerant (DT) hybrid.Later planting dates for a DT hybrid resulted in average season lengths ~25 days shorter than those of legacy hybrids.Results illustrated the effects of environment, planting date, interannual variation in temperature, and the importance of climate-specific Kc functions.DT hybrids may be more effective at reproductive growth during periods of heat stress in semi-arid environments, although additional data are needed to support this conclusion.Abstract. Corn (Zea mays L.) is a major irrigated crop grown in the Southern High Plains including the Texas Panhandle. Irrigation from the Ogallala Aquifer is required to sustain profitable corn production in the region by supplementing inadequate and erratic rainfall. Effective irrigation scheduling works to extend limited groundwater resources by avoiding water losses associated with runoff and/or percolation below the root zone. The use of crop coefficient (Kc) and reference evapotranspiration (ETo) values to estimate daily crop water use (ETc) remains an effective scheduling tool that can complement other irrigation scheduling approaches. Both Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-56) piecewise and curvilinear Kc values for corn are found in the literature. However, advances in corn genetics have led to questions about the applicability of Kc values developed using legacy corn hybrids to irrigation of modern drought-tolerant (DT) hybrids. Lysimeter-derived Kc values for legacy corn hybrids grown in large weighing lysimeter fields at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Bushland, Texas, were compared with those derived from a modern DT corn hybrid recently grown in the same fields. Results indicated that although midseason daily Kc values were similar for all hybrids, average season length was ~25 days shorter for the modern DT hybrid, characterized by a shortened initial growth period followed by more rapid increase of Kc during the development period. However, plots of Kc over thermal time illustrated that the differences in season length were likely attributable to later planting dates associated with the DT corn hybrids. Average seasonal water use was 730 and 811 mm for the legacy and modern DT hybrids, respectively (three years each), with corresponding average yields of 1.2 and 1.4 kg ha-1. Results suggest that published Kc and Kcb values developed with legacy corn hybrids remain largely applicable to modern DT corn hybrids when used with accurate estimates of effective canopy-based growth stages and climate-specific Kc functions. Keywords: Crop coefficients, Drought-tolerant, Evapotranspiration, Maize, Weighing lysimeters.

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 953-966
Author(s):  
Salim & et al.

A factorial experiment was conducted within split-split plot design with three replicates. Four genotypes seeds (Regalona, Q-37, KVL-SR2, and Q21) were planted in the sub plots while six water treatments distributed in the main plots. They were ordinary river irrigation (S0), stress at emergence (S1), branching (S2), at ear formation (S3), at flowering (S4), and at maturity (S5). Irrigation water was applied in the normal irrigation when 50-60% of the available water was depleted and one irrigation was omitted from the water stress treatments. Reference and actual evapotranspiration, pan evaporation, yield, crop coefficient, and water use efficiency were calculated. Mean irrigation requirement for the four genotypes based on irrigation scheduling was 230.8 mm, decreased by 14 and 17% under stress conditions of the drought tolerant stages. Grain yield ranged between 3.1 and 5 Mg ha-1 for water stress treatments compared to 5.6 and 4.2 mg. ha-1 for normal irrigation treatments. Genotype Q21 gave the highest yield and differed significantly from others. Field water use efficiency ranged between 1.6 to 1.1 kg m-3 and crop water use efficiency 1.38 to 2.22 kg m-3. KVL-SR2 and Q21 showed the highest efficiency (1.87 kg m-3). Results indicated that the stage of ear formation and flowering are the most tolerant to water stress. On the other hand, the branching, and maturity were critical stages with high reduction in yield under stress conditions.  


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Niu ◽  
D.S. Rodriguez ◽  
R. Cabrera ◽  
C. McKenney ◽  
W. Mackay

Abstract The water use and crop coefficient of five woody landscape species were determined by growing the shrubs both in 56-liter (15 gal) drainage lysimeters and in above-ground 10-liter containers (#3). Water use per plant, crop coefficient and overall growth parameters differed by species and culture system. Of the five species tested, Buddleia davidii ‘Burgundy’ and Nerium oleander ‘Hardy Pink’ had higher water use per plant in the lysimeters than in the containers. Water use per plant for Abelia grandiflora ‘Edward Goucher’, Euonymus japonica and Ilex vomitoria ‘Pride of Houston’ was the same for the two culture systems. Crop coefficient and growth index of A. grandiflora, E. japonica, and I. vomitoria was similar between the two systems. The growth index of B. davidii and N. oleander was much higher in the lysimeters than in the containers. Abelia grandiflora and E. japonica had more growth in the containers than in the lysimeters while I. vomitoria had slightly larger leaf area in the lysimeters than in the containers. The culture system did not affect the water use per unit leaf area of all species. Therefore, our results indicated that by quantifying the leaf area, the plant water use in the two culture systems is exchangeable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-455
Author(s):  
Thomas Henry Marek ◽  
Dana Porter ◽  
Terry A. Howell ◽  
Gary W. Marek ◽  
David Brauer

Highlights Irrigation scheduling using accurate ET network data can conserve energy and water. ET networks can be a valuable, cost effective, and feasible management tool in water policy. The Texas High Plains ET Network saved irrigated producers an estimated $US 22M dollars annually. ET network benefits and use extend beyond the agricultural sector. Abstract . Evapotranspiration (ET) networks have been developed and used to support weather and related ET information needs of U.S. agricultural production for nearly half a century, but many networks have been affected by inherent problems associated with sustaining operations. Consequently, these challenges have led to the discontinuation of network service in many cases. Most ET networks have been impacted by inadequate financial support compounded by inadequate public awareness and understanding of their usefulness and value in irrigation management, water conservation and water planning, and policy activities. Data accuracy is vital to usefulness, yet network data quality is often degraded when limited resources result in reduced equipment maintenance and data QA/QC. A discussion of ET network requirements and associated costs is presented. Estimates of the value and pumping reduction using the Texas High Plains ET networks are presented documenting the improvements of crop water use estimates and the impact associated with these improvements on irrigation groundwater withdrawal. Keywords: ET network, Evapotranspiration network, Irrigation scheduling, Irrigation value, Water management tools, Water savings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Burdette Barker ◽  
Christopher M. U. Neale ◽  
Derek M. Heeren ◽  
Andrew E. Suyker

Abstract. Accurate generation of spatial soil water maps is useful for many types of irrigation management. A hybrid remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) model combining reflectance-based basal crop coefficients (Kcbrf) and a two-source energy balance (TSEB) model was modified and validated for use in real-time irrigation management. We modeled spatial ET for maize and soybean fields in eastern Nebraska for the 2011-2013 growing seasons. We used Landsat 5, 7, and 8 imagery as remote sensing inputs. In the TSEB, we used the Priestly-Taylor (PT) approximation for canopy latent heat flux, as in the original model formulations. We also used the Penman-Monteith (PM) approximation for comparison. We compared energy balance fluxes and computed ET with measurements from three eddy covariance systems within the study area. Net radiation was underestimated by the model when data from a local weather station were used as input, with mean bias error (MBE) of -33.8 to -40.9 W m-2. The measured incident solar radiation appeared to be biased low. The net radiation model performed more satisfactorily when data from the eddy covariance flux towers were input into the model, with MBE of 5.3 to 11.2 W m-2. We removed bias in the daily energy balance ET using a dimensionless multiplier that ranged from 0.89 to 0.99. The bias-corrected TSEB ET, using weather data from a local weather station and with local ground data in thermal infrared imagery corrections, had MBE = 0.09 mm d-1 (RMSE = 1.49 mm d-1) for PM and MBE = 0.04 mm d-1 (RMSE = 1.18 mm d-1) for PT. The hybrid model used statistical interpolation to combine the two ET estimates. We computed weighting factors for statistical interpolation to be 0.37 to 0.50 for the PM method and 0.56 to 0.64 for the PT method. Provisions were added to the model, including a real-time crop coefficient methodology, which allowed seasonal crop coefficients to be computed with relatively few remote sensing images. This methodology performed well when compared to basal crop coefficients computed using a full season of input imagery. Water balance ET compared favorably with the eddy covariance data after incorporating the TSEB ET. For a validation dataset, the magnitude of MBE decreased from -0.86 mm d-1 (RMSE = 1.37 mm d-1) for the Kcbrf alone to -0.45 mm d-1 (RMSE = 0.98 mm d-1) and -0.39 mm d-1 (RMSE = 0.95 mm d-1) with incorporation of the TSEB ET using the PM and PT methods, respectively. However, the magnitudes of MBE and RMSE were increased for a running average of daily computations in the full May-October periods. The hybrid model did not necessarily result in improved model performance. However, the water balance model is adaptable for real-time irrigation scheduling and may be combined with forecasted reference ET, although the low temporal frequency of satellite imagery is expected to be a challenge in real-time irrigation management. Keywords: Center-pivot irrigation, ET estimation methods, Evapotranspiration, Irrigation scheduling, Irrigation water balance, Model validation, Variable-rate irrigation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 1922-1930 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Hao ◽  
Q. Xue ◽  
T. H. Marek ◽  
K. E. Jessup ◽  
J. Becker ◽  
...  

HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 819-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig A. Storlie ◽  
Paul Eck

Inexpensive weighing lysimeters ($1475/unit) were constructed for measuring evapotranspiration of young highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The use of a single load cell and other design characteristics decreased lysimeter measurement accuracy but minimized lysimeter construction costs. Measurement error was within ±3%. Crop coefficient (CC) curves for 5- and 6-year-old `Bluecrop' highbush blueberry plants in their third and fourth year of production were generated using reference evapotranspiration and crop water use data from the 1991 and 1992 growing seasons. The CC increased during leaf expansion and flowering in the spring to its maximum value of about 0.19 in 1991 and 0.27 in 1992 and remained near these values until leaves began senescing in the fall. Water use on sunny days during June, July, and August ranged from (liters/bush each day) 3.5 to 4.0 in 1991 and 4.0 to 4.5 in 1992. During the second year of the study, plants had an average height of 0.9 m, an average diameter of 0.9 m, and covered 18% of the total cultivated area. The maximum calculated CC was equal to 1.5 times the measured canopy cover percentage.


2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Attarod ◽  
M. Aoki

The main goal was to understand the trends of actual evapotranspiration (AET) and crop coefficient (<I>K<sub>c</sub></I>) in summer and winter seasons crops in Japan, maize, soybean, wheat and Italian rye-grass. Bowen ratio energy balance technique (BREB) was applied to measure the AET and heat flux between ground surface and atmosphere. Measurements were carried out using an automatic weather station (AWS) installed seasonally in the experimental farm of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT). Penman-Monteith equation recommended by FAO was used to calculate reference crop evapotranspiration (ET<SUB>0</SUB>) and <I>K<sub>c</sub></I> was obtained from the ratio of AET to ET<SUB>0</SUB>. The results indicated that the average amount of daytime AET in the winter and summer seasons crops were approximately 2.5 and 3.5 mm, respectively monthly daytime. Daytime AET varied between 1.3 and 5.7 mm in winter season crops and between 1.4 and 6.5 mm in summer season crops. No significant differences between daily average values of AET for winter season as well as for summer season crops were found at 5% level of confidence (<I>t</I> = 0.9278, wheat and Italian rye-grass and <I>t</I> = 0.6781, soybean and maize). Average <I>K<sub>c</sub></I> values of summer season crops were found to be slightly higher than those of winter seasons crops. For planning the irrigation scheduling, it is quite necessary to understand the behaviors of AET and <I>K<sub>c</sub></I> during the growing season.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-488
Author(s):  
Allan A. Andales ◽  
Andrew C. Bartlett ◽  
Troy A. Bauder ◽  
Erik M. Wardle

Highlights An existing sugar beet crop coefficient curve (K cr ) was modified to better represent canopy development in northeast Colorado conditions. The modified K cr curve improved the estimated soil water deficits (net irrigation requirements) calculated by the cloud-based Water Irrigation Scheduler for Efficient Application (WISE App). Feedback from sugar beet growers and agronomists helped expand WISE applicability in the northern High Plains with access to additional weather station networks and functionality to aggregate irrigation data across multiple sugar beet fields or regions. Abstract . The convergence of agrometeorological network, database, and cloud-computing technologies has enabled greater accessibility of irrigation management tools for growers. The goal of this research and outreach project was to adapt an existing cloud-based irrigation scheduler (WISE) for use by sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) producers in eastern Colorado and a wider area of a cooperative operating in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. Four center pivot sugar beet fields in northeast Colorado were monitored during the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons. Soil water, leaf area index (LAI), and weather data were used to estimate the soil water deficit (net irrigation requirement) and to modify a crop coefficient (Kcr) curve originally reported in the literature based on growing degree days (GDD). The average cumulative GDDs for sugar beets to mature (100% maturity) was 2,944°C·d. The localized Kcr had a peak value (Kcr,mid) occurring between 43% and 69% of maturity, which corresponded to effective full cover (LAI = 3) and start of leaf senescence, respectively. In contrast, the original Kcr curve from literature had a longer duration of Kcr,mid spanning 33% to 83% of maturity. Use of the modified Kcr curve in lieu of the original Kcr curve in WISE reduced the relative error of soil water deficits by 12% to 35%. Feedback and collaborations from representative sugar beet growers and agronomists in the Western Sugar Cooperative led to expansion of WISE weather data access in the High Plains to include sugar beet growing areas in western Nebraska, eastern and northern Wyoming, and southern Montana. Keywords: Crop coefficient, Evapotranspiration, Irrigation scheduling, Soil water balance, Soil water deficit, Sugar beets.


Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Ramírez-Cuesta ◽  
José Mirás-Avalos ◽  
José Rubio-Asensio ◽  
Diego Intrigliolo

Advances in information and communication technologies facilitate the application of complex models for optimizing agricultural water management. This paper presents an easy-to-use tool for determining crop water demands using the dual crop coefficient approach and remote sensing imagery. The model was developed using Python as a programming language and integrated into an ArcGIS (geographic information system) toolbox. Inputs consist of images from satellites Landsat 7 and 8, and Sentinel 2A, along with data for defining crop, weather, soil type, and irrigation system. The tool produces a spatial distribution map of the crop evapotranspiration estimates, assuming no water stress, which allows quantifying the water demand and its variability within an agricultural field with a spatial resolution of either 10 m (for Sentinel) or 30 m (for Landsat). The model was validated by comparing the estimated basal crop coefficients (Kcb) of lettuce and peach during an irrigation season with those tabulated as a reference for these crops. Good agreements between Kcb derived from both methods were obtained with a root mean squared error ranging from 0.01 to 0.02 for both crops, although certain underestimations were observed resulting from the uneven crop development in the field (percent bias of −4.74% and −1.80% for lettuce and peach, respectively). The developed tool can be incorporated into commercial decision support systems for irrigation scheduling and other applications that account for the water balance in agro-ecosystems. This tool is freely available upon request to the corresponding author.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 641-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Gordon Kruse ◽  
James E. Ells ◽  
Ann E. McSay

A 3-year irrigation scheduling study on carrots (Daucus carota L.) was conducted at the Colorado State Univ. Horticulture Research Center near Fort Collins to determine the irrigation schedule that produced the best combination of high water use efficiency and marketable yields with the least amount of water and fewest irrigations. This study used an irrigation scheduling program developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service with crop coefficients calculated for carrots. Maximum carrot production and water use efficiency were obtained when the scheduling program simulated a 30-cm rooting depth at planting, increasing linearly to 60 cm in 75 days. Best yields and water use efficiency were attained by irrigating whenever 40% of the available water in the root zone had been depleted. The computer program for irrigation scheduling is available on diskette from the authors.


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