Trickle and Level Basin Irrigation for 1985 Cotton at the Maricopa Agricultural Center

Abstract

Both trickle and level-basin irrigation methods, when properly managed and operated, achieved high cotton yields and water use efficiencies on a low water holding capacity soil in 1985. A maximum lint yield of 1906 kg/ha (3.8 bales/ac) was achieved for the DPL-90 variety with a single trickle irrigation line per every two rows irrigated daily on the narrow row spacing; however, the new DPL-775 was best overall. The single trickle line per every two rows irrigated daily averaged 15% more lint cotton than the level-basin, every furrow irrigated weekly for both row spacings. The narrow-row spacing (30 inch between rows) outyielded the conventional spacing (40 inch between rows) by 15%, partly because of a higher plant populations. Daily trickle irrigations averaged about 10% more yield than the twice weekly trickle irrigations, and the weekly level-basin irrigations averaged over 20% increase in yield over the biweekly (every two weeks) level-basin irrigations. Light-frequent irrigations can be advantageous for nonhomogenous soils in the semiarid Southwestern United States.