Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2007SD105B

Alternative Irrigation Water Management Strategies to Conserve Water

Institute: South Dakota
Year Established: 2007 Start Date: 2007-03-01 End Date: 2009-06-30
Total Federal Funds: $52,095 Total Non-Federal Funds: $103,227

Principal Investigators: Todd Trooien

Project Summary: Since irrigation is the largest consumptive use of water, irrigation water management is critical to make the best use of the water available. When water is not limited, full irrigation may provide the greatest economic return. However, limited water supplies due to drought or competition require efficient water applications. This project will use the CERES-Maize crop model to study the impact of various irrigation management strategies on corn production to determine the best management practices when water is limited. Weather data from several sites in the Great Plains together with soil, crop and irrigation inputs will be used in the modeling. The model will use irrigation inputs from a center pivot simulator. Critical corn production periods coupled with high ET demand will be considered in the analysis. Results will be used for student training and disseminated to irrigators and industry professionals.