Evaluation of Polyacrylamide on Irrigation Efficiency, Soil Conservation, and Water Quality in Furrow Irrigated Mid-South Cotton Production

Arkansas is one of the leading states in irrigated acres. As such, resulting groundwater decline and irrigation-induced soil erosion can have negative impacts. This establishes a need for irrigation management practices to improve the irrigation efficiency as well as soil erosion and water quality conditions. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is a high molecular weight, anionic, water-soluble chemical flocculant that acts as a soil conditioner. When combined with irrigation practices, the applied water has been found to stabilize the near surface particles to decrease potential soil erosion and improve runoff water quality. The use of the polymer in the western United States agricultural areas has shown positive water retention results in furrow-irrigated systems. Currently, limited data is available showing practical benefits of PAM in the Mid-South. This research will describe PAM’s performance on soil erosion, water infiltration, movement of nutrients and sediments, and crop yields in cotton production typical of Northeast Arkansas. Treatments include no irrigation, irrigation without PAM and irrigation with PAM. The experiment was arranged as a randomized complete block with three replications. Multiple applications and forms of PAM were applied to the furrow throughout the growing season until cutout. This will provide the status of PAM research in Mid-South cotton production areas with an emphasis on irrigation efficiency, soil conservation, and water quality through its application.