Corn and Cotton Yield with Two Surface Drip Lateral Spacings
2008
Sorensen, Ronald B. | Lamb, Marshall C.
Surface drip irrigation laterals were spaced next to crop rows (0.91 m) and in alternate row middles (1.83 m) to document crop yield and partial economic returns compared with non-irrigated areas. A surface drip irrigation system was installed at two sites on a Faceville (Site 1) and a Greenville (Site 2) fine sandy loam with 1 to 3% slope, respectively. Cotton and corn were planted on 0.91-m row spacing. Drip tube orientations, 0.91 and 1.83 m, had the same corn yield (10,555 kg/ha) compared with the non-irrigated areas (5,562 kg/ha). Subtracting the cost of corn seed and drip tubing from the two irrigated regimens show that 0.91-m lateral spacing had $140/ha less net revenue compared with non-irrigated ($484/ha). The 1.83-m spaced laterals had $196/ha greater net revenue than the non-irrigated areas. Cotton lint yield averaged 1194 kg/ha for 0.91 and 1.83-m lateral spacing compared with the non-irrigated lint yield (608 kg/ha). Cotton gross revenue at both sites averaged about $1200/ha for both lateral orientations. Non-irrigated cotton revenue averaged over $600/ha. Subtracting the cost of the tubing resulted in net revenues of $613 and $969 for 0.91 and 1.83-m lateral spacing, respectively. The 0.91-m lateral spacing may not be cost effective for either corn or cotton. Partial net return analysis shows that 1.83-m lateral spacing had higher returns for both crops.
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