Evaluation of Subsurface Drip Irrigation Strategies for the Optimal Use of Available Water for Cotton Production In the Texas South-Plains

Increased use of groundwater in the Texas Southern High Plains for irrigated agriculture has led to extensive withdrawals from the Ogallala Aquifer. The regional economy relies heavily on the groundwater supply from the aquifer which recharges at a rate lower than the current withdrawal rate. This research focuses on evaluating alternative irrigation strategies for subsurface drip irrigation. The data used in the study was obtained from field experiments from 2002-2006 at the Texas AgriLife Research Center in Halfway, Texas. The main objective of the research was to compare two strategies of applying available irrigation water and other inputs such as fertilizers, seed rate, herbicides, growth regulators and insecticides. The two strategies were a) concentrating the irrigation water on a limited area of the field with the rest of the field in dryland production and b) spreading irrigation water over the entire field. The above two strategies serve as the main treatments and the sub-treatments included cotton varieties. The expected outcome will provide the farmers of the region with a comprehensive evaluation of the economic costs and benefits associated with the implementation of the two alternative subsurface drip irrigation strategies. It will also depict the response of different cotton varieties to the irrigation treatments. Overall, the experimental results will offer the producers a range of options to incorporate into the existing cropping systems to maximize net income with reduced water availability.