Irrigating Sweet Corn with Drip Irrigation to Conserve Water Resources - hawkins

IRRIGATION SWEET CORN WITH DRIP IRRIGATION TO

CONSERVE WATER RESOURCES

GARY L. HAWKINS, PH.D. AND CALVIN PERRYUNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA – CROP AND SOIL SCIENCE

28 JULY 20152015 SWCS ANNUAL MEETING

GREENSBORO, NC

IRRIGATION IN GEORGIA

OBJECTIVES

• THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT WERE:• TO COMPARE SWEET CORN PRODUCTION AND GRADE

UNDER FOUR IRRIGATION TREATMENTS• OVERHEAD – STANDARD CONTROL• DRIP WITH PLASTIC• DRIP WITHOUT PLASTIC• DRIP IN STANDARD ROW SPACING

• MEASURE SOIL MOISTURE AND MONITOR SOIL MOISTURE MOVEMENT

Rep 1 Rep 2 Rep 3 Rep 4

16”

16”

36”

Drip with Plastic

Drip without Plastic

Drip between rows

Treatments

72’ minus 54’

72’ minus 54’

18’

18’

Every other day plastic with tapeSplit application plastic with tape T2 no plastic but

tapeT3 Bare Ground and tape

T1 plastic and tape

Hawkins/Perry Sweet Corn 2013

Sweet Corn Plots at SIRP

NMain Office

P-R1

P-R3

P-R2

G-R1

G-R3

G-R2

R1T2

R3T1

R1T3

R1T1

R2T1

R2T3

R2T2

R4T2

R4T3

R4T1

R3T2

R3T3

There are also 4 treatments in the

overhead (OH1, OH2, OH3, OH4). Each plot

is 6 rows from the LEFT

Corn seed were planted directly into the beds

Beds without plastic was planted as beds with plastic

Overhead irrigated and drip between rows was planted with normal planters

MONITORING SOIL MOISTURE

15-Ap

r-13

18-Ap

r-13

21-Ap

r-13

24-Ap

r-13

27-Ap

r-13

30-Ap

r-13

3-May-

13

6-May-

13

9-May-

13

12-May-

13

15-May-

13

18-May-

13

21-May-

13

24-May-

13

27-May-

13

30-May-

13

2-Jun

-13

5-Jun-13

8-Jun-1

3

11-Ju

n-13

14-Ju

n-13

17-Ju

n-13

20-Ju

n-13

23-Ju

n-13

26-Ju

n-13

29-Ju

n-13

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Cumulative Rainfall verses Cumulative Irrigation

Inches of Rain Cum Irrigation Cum rain Inch

es o

f Rai

nfal

l or I

rigat

ion

(Cum

ulat

ive in

ches

)

Rain

fall

(inch

es)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 900

0.050.1

0.150.2

0.25

Days After Planting (DAP)

Inch

es o

f wat

er p

er

day

5/6/2013 12:00 AM5/16/2013 12:00 AM

5/26/2013 12:00 AM6/5/2013 12:00 AM

6/15/2013 12:00 AM

0.000

0.050

0.100

0.150

0.200

0.250

0.300

0.350

Overhead Irrigation - Check

4 inch16 inch 24 inch

Volu

met

ric S

oil M

oist

ure

(m^3

/m^3

)

4/16/2013 12:00 AM

4/26/2013 12:00 AM

5/6/2013 12:00 AM5/16/2013 12:00 AM

5/26/2013 12:00 AM

6/5/2013 12:00 AM6/15/2013 12:00 AM

0.000

0.050

0.100

0.150

0.200

0.250

0.300

0.350

Drip without Plastic

4 inch T2 16 inch T224 inch T2Vo

lum

etric

Soi

l moi

stur

e (m

^3/m

^3)

4/16/2013 12:00 AM

4/26/2013 12:00 AM

5/6/2013 12:00 AM

5/16/2013 12:00 AM

5/26/2013 12:00 AM

6/5/2013 12:00 AM

6/15/2013 12:00 AM

0.000

0.050

0.100

0.150

0.200

0.250

0.300

0.350

Overhead vs. Drip w/ Plastic vs. Drip w/o Plastic

4 inch T2 16 inch T2 24 inch T2 4 inch T1 16 inch T124 inch T1 4 inch Overhead 16 inch Overhead 24 inch Overhead Series19

Volu

met

ric

Soil

Moi

stur

e (m

^3/

m^

3)

Overhead - Check

Standard with DripDrip without Plastic

Drip with PlasticJune 6 2013 - 65 DAP

Plastic with Drip

Overhead (Control)

Plastic No-Plastic Bare Grd. Tifton Green Purple 5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

8.00 Comparison of all Treatments -- 2013 Sweet Corn

Average (Length) Average (Girth)

Leng

th a

nd G

irth

(in

ches

)

A AA

C

BB

BCD

B

CD

C

AA

Overhead (Control)

Plastic No-Plastic Bare Grd. Tifton Green Purple14.0

14.5

15.0

15.5

16.0

16.5

17.0 Brix of Sweet Corn at SIRP 2013

Overhead (Control)

Plastic No-Plastic Bare Grd. Tifton Green Purple86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

Grade of Sweet Corn -- 2013Gr

ade

(%)

CONCLUSIONS

• WE STARTED THIS PROJECT TO DETERMINE IF USING PLASTIC WITH DRIP TO GROW SWEET CORN WAS A METHOD TO CONSERVE WATER RESOURCES IN AN AREA THAT WAS FACING WATER ISSUES IN GEORGIA

• DRIP WAS USED AS A METHOD THAT WOULD BE USED IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

• OVER THE GROWING SEASON WE HAD AN ALMOST EQUAL AMOUNT OF RAINFALL AS IS REQUIRED BY THE WATER USE CURVE

• EVEN THOUGH WE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH WATER ON THE CROP, THERE WERE SOME SLIGHT DIFFERENCES THAT COULD BE SEEN

• THE TEST IS PLANNED TO BE RERUN IN 2014

Thanks for Your Time.

Questions?Gary L. Hawkins

UGA – Crop and Soil ScienceWatkinsville, GA

[email protected]