Analysis of Water Requirements for Agricultural Irrigation in Pennsylvania.

摘要

Crop yields under irrigation are dependent on the rainfall characteristics,plant moisture requirements,and soil moisture depletion characteristics of the area. This report provides information on quantitative data for assessing present and future water needs,including the analysis of frequency distribution of rainfall, 'effective precipitation,'and soil moisture deficit as they vary by crop and location throughout PA. Ten task areas were covered: (1) Identification of crops likely to be irrigated in PA; (2) determination of growing season; (3) determination of moisture capacities for irrigable soils; (4) compilation of available hydrologic and meteorologic data; (5) formulation of a method to estimate the fraction of total rainfall available to plants; (6) development of an evapotranspiration method suitable for PA conditions; (7) development of soil moisture budget simulation model; (8) development of statistical methods for analyzing frequency distributions of precipitation,effective precipitation,and soil moisture deficit; (9) computer analysis and presentation of results; (10) evaluation of consumptive use of applied irrigation water.