Managing ratooned guayule in the Southwestern United States

Abstract

In Arizona, sufficient water supply for agriculture has become a growing concern for farmers due to drought and the depletion of groundwater supply. Therefore, crops like guayule that provide economic value while consuming less water will be needed. Since guayule follows a perennial lifecycle, it can be cut and regrown multiple times after the initial harvest with a process called ratooning. In general, ratooned guayule requires less water than replanting as more water is needed at crop establishment to support seedlings than is needed to regrow mature plants. This can result in lower irrigation costs if an optimized irrigation regime is adopted. The following guide leverages data from several years of Arizona grown guayule and provides a specialized irrigation strategy in terms of irrigation amounts and timing to save water and optimize growth for ratooned guayule.