Water Conservation through Limited Irrigation of Corn and Grain Sorghum in the Great Plains

摘要

The overall purpose was to conduct agronomic and economic evaluation of the potential of limited irrigation of corn and grain sorghum for conserving and extending water supplies in the central Great Plains. A high linearity was found in the relationship between yield and evapotranspiration (ET) with both crops. When ET-yield functions were normalized and expressed on a relative basis, the slopes for all varieties of a specific crop and at a particular location were very similar. A water supply which fails to meet the conditions for full ET demand would be expected to reduce yields. At higher ET values, corn equaled or exceeded sorghum yields.