Sweet Corn Irrigation Scheduling Using Infrared Thermometers and the Crop Water Stress Index

Abstract

The Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) was used to schedule irrigations on Jubilee sweet corn on 12 drip- irrigated plots at the Campus Agricultural Center in Tucson. Irrigations were to be scheduled at 0.15, 0.35, and 0.50 CWSI values to represent a wet, medium and a dry treatment. Actual average CWSI values at time of irrigation were for 0.14, 0.36, and 0.48. There were no significant yield or quality differences for the wet and medium treatments with exception of a greater ear diameter in the wet treatment. Yield and quality significantly decreased for the dry treatment scheduled at a CWSI value of 0.48. Irrigation application totals were 26.4, 24.2 and 18.3 inches for the wet, medium and dry treatments respectively.