Effect of Amount of Irrigation Water Applied on Forage Sorghum Yield and Quality at Maricopa, AZ, 2015

Abstract

Irrigation water is a major input into production of a forage crop. The purpose of this research is to compare the yield and quality of forage sorghum grown with differing amounts of irrigation water. A linear move sprinkler system was used to apply 11 water application amounts from 23.79 to 35.52 inches over the season. Forage yield peaked at a water application amount of around 32.60 inches according to a quadratic function of yield vs water applied. Increasing irrigation amount decreased forage quality by increasing fiber components. Profit was maximized at 30.20 to 32.60 inches of applied water, which is slightly less than that for maximum yield.