Comparing Water Use Efficiency in South Texas Furrow and DripIrrigated Watermelon

摘要

Crop production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of South Texas is at continual risk due to drought conditions. Irrigation sources stem from the Rio Grande, and when water resources are limiting, water conserving methods are needed. The purpose of this project was to evaluate drip irrigation with plastic mulch as a water conservation strategy to drip without plastic and furrow irrigated watermelon. Crop water requirements were estimated using a weather station, Penman-Montieith evapotranspiration (ET) equation, and FAO crop coefficients. Drip irrigation was employed by a water balance approach, replacing ET water loss within the drip irrigated plots versus irrigating to soil saturation point in furrow irrigated plots. Harvested watermelon weremeasured for total soluble solids (TSS), size and weight to determine yield and quality. In the drip with plastic treated plots, the highest average yield and best overall irrigation use efficiency compared to the other systems was observed.