Effects of Irrigation on Corn, Sorghum, and Soybean in the Mississippi RiverAlluvial Plain: An Economic Analysis

摘要

Field experiments were conducted from 1984 through 1991 to determine theagronomic and economic effect of irrigation on monocultures of corn (Zea mays (L.)), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) on Tunica clay soil (Vertic Haplaquept) in the Mississippi Delta. Irrigation increased the average yield of corn and soybean 92 percent and sorghum 18 percent over the 8-year test period. Although seed yields of crops are often used to assess the values and relationships of various cropping practices, economic returns must ultimately be considered the deciding factor when establishing long-term cropping practices.