About this Session

Characterizing Drought Stress While Optimizing Irrigation Amount For Cotton Cultivars

Presented by:  Dr. Avat Shekoofa, Crop Physiologist-Water Stress & Irrigation, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee

Producers have few options to mitigate drought stress on rainfed acres; must cope with it by either adopting cultural practices which improve water saving or by selecting drought-tolerant cultivars. Our 5-yr research at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson indicated that applying semi-irrigation [flower to peak flower (0.5”/wk), and peak flower to open boll (1.0”/wk) when -75 to -80 (kPa) range is considered as the onset of stress] can increase the lint yield by 33% compared to rainfed in dry years. In relatively wet years, the semi-irrigated out-yielded the rainfed treatments by8.5%. Our cultivars’ responses to rainfed conditions indicated that cultivars with higher water saving rates had significantly higher lint yield (29to 31%) compared to others. Selecting suitable cotton cultivars for rainfed conditions also choosing an appropriate irrigation strategy can improve cotton yield.

Eliminating The Guesswork Of Irrigation In The Mid-South

Presented by:  Andrew Kwasigroh, Agronomist, Irrigation Consultant, ABK Agriculture

The ABK Agriculture goal is to assist growers with using precision irrigation technology that will help them to “eliminate the guesswork of irrigation” on their farms. Our main focus is helping growers understand the technology of soil moisture sensors and how to implement that into their daily irrigation water management and scheduling. I assist growers in navigating and taking advantage of the various programs that NRCS has to offer, focusing on Irrigation Water Management. Our mission is to help dedicated land stewards obtain access and maximum benefit from USDA conservation programs which result in more conservation of water and land.