WUE and Irrigation Response of Cotton Cultivars Grown on Sub-Surface Drip in West Texas

Decreasing water availability has led to research on the water use requirements of most agronomic crops, as well as the yield and quality impacts of deficit irrigation. In the Southern High Plains in Texas, efficient irrigation water use is particularly important, because rainfall events are erratic, with considerable variation from year to year. Subsurface-drip irrigation (SDI) is one of the most efficient methods of irrigation and is most suited for semi-arid and arid areas in the Southern High Plains. The Ogallala Aquifer is the source of nearly all irrigation water in the Texas High Plains, and its resources are being depleted. We examined crop growth, in-season maturity, agronomic water use efficiency, final yield, fiber quality, and yield distribution. During the two years, we observed cultivar differences, irrigation effects, and irrigation*cultivar interactions for all of these parameters.