Cotton is one of the major crops in the U.S. Mid-South and producers in the region often farm numerous fields spread over a large area. While sufficient groundwater is available for surface irrigation in many areas, the supply and cost of labor is always a concern. For surface irrigated fields, they commonly employ patterns such as every-other-furrow irrigation to allow them to irrigate fields in one set. In many years there is sufficient rainfall that no obvious deleterious effect is observed but producers are concerned about reducing yields. A study was conducted at the University of Missouri Fisher Delta Research Center near Portageville to investigate the impact of different furrow irrigation patterns on cotton yield. The study included four furrow irrigation patterns: every furrow; every other furrow; every other furrow, alternating; and every third furrow; along with a rainfed treatment. In 2014, only two treatment yields were significantly different from the field average. Some treatments may have been affected by waterlogging when irrigation was followed closely by rain; however, all irrigated treatments yielded better than the rainfed treatment. In 2015, yields were greater than the previous year and all treatments were significantly different from the field average. In 2014, canopy temperature was highest for the rainfed treatment and lowest for the every third furrow treatment, which had a dry furrow on either side of the sensed rows. The treatment with every furrow irrigated had the tallest plants and the rainfed treatment the shortest. NDVI was significantly greater than the field average for the every furrow treatment and significantly less for both the rainfed and every third furrow treatments. Sensing data from 2015 was being analyzed at the time of this report. Because 2014 was a fairly wet year, including data from additional years should help to clarify the observed response. The study is planned for a third growing season in 2016.
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