Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
- Publication Year
- Publication
-
- All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023 (6)
- Graduate Theses and Dissertations (5)
- Masters Theses (3)
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses (2)
- Master's Theses (2)
-
- Agricultural Education and Communication (1)
- BioResource and Agricultural Engineering (1)
- Electronic Theses and Dissertations (1)
- Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers (1)
- LSU Master's Theses (1)
- Open Access Theses (1)
- Open Access Theses & Dissertations (1)
- Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive) (1)
- Undergraduate Honors Theses (1)
Articles 1 - 27 of 27
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Impact Of Agricultural Practices On The Consumptive Water Use Of Irrigated Annual And Perennial Crops Of Northern Mexico And The U.S. Southwest., Orlando Ramirez-Valle
Impact Of Agricultural Practices On The Consumptive Water Use Of Irrigated Annual And Perennial Crops Of Northern Mexico And The U.S. Southwest., Orlando Ramirez-Valle
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
In drylands, crop water use varies considerably where high temperatures and limited water availability constraints farming activities, and irrigation planning is essential for the efficient water use and long-term sustainability of agriculture. However, despite dwindling water supplies and the looming threat of more frequent and intense droughts, low-efficient irrigation (e.g., furrow and flooding) continues to be the most widely used method for water delivery into agricultural parcels. Transitioning into more sustainable agriculture requires knowledge of the period of productive vs. unproductive crop water use during the agricultural cycle. I developed a method using satellite images for partitioning evapotranspiration (ETa) into …
Use Patterns And Influencing Factors Of Irrigation Best Management Practices In The Lower Mississippi River Basin, Merri E. Day
Use Patterns And Influencing Factors Of Irrigation Best Management Practices In The Lower Mississippi River Basin, Merri E. Day
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
This study uses the 2016 Irrigation Survey from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to document the use of irrigation best management practices (IBMPs), analyze use patterns, and use quantitative methods to determine factors that influence producers’ decisions regarding IBMPs. IBMPs included in the survey can be grouped as: field management practices (zero-grade leveling, precision-grade leveling, end blocking, warped surface, and deep tillage), water flow control practices (computerized pipe-hole selection, multiple-inlet irrigation, surge irrigation, alternate wetting and drying, cutback irrigation, flow meters, and pump timers), water recovery/storage practices (tail-water recovery system and on-farm storage reservoir), and advanced irrigation scheduling practices (soil moisture …
Evaluating Substrate Stratification Practices For Enhanced Water Resource Management In Nursery Production, Kristopher S. Criscione
Evaluating Substrate Stratification Practices For Enhanced Water Resource Management In Nursery Production, Kristopher S. Criscione
LSU Master's Theses
The nursery and greenhouse industries have continued to increase in production and sales over the past two decades. This increase in horticultural production necessitates a greater demand for finite natural resources, specifically water. Sustainable water resource management will be critical to the success and continual growth of the nursery industry. Strategic irrigation scheduling and innovative substrate management practices can improve nursery resource efficiency. Soilless substrates were originally utilized by the industry to increase substrate air-filled porosity, to ensure adequately drained container systems. Thus, the implementation of these soilless substrates can lead to an inefficient use of water and fertilizer. Substrate …
The Influence Of Peer Irrigators On The Extensive And Intensive Margin Of Irrigation Techniques, Victoria Bailey
The Influence Of Peer Irrigators On The Extensive And Intensive Margin Of Irrigation Techniques, Victoria Bailey
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
We examine how irrigation techniques in use by family and friends influence the use and share of land utilizing different irrigation techniques by Arkansas producers. A bivariate sample selection model simultaneously estimates how farm characteristics determine the use and explain the share of a farm that utilizes an irrigation technique. We find that the irrigation techniques in use by family and friends do affect the irrigation techniques a producer uses and the share of acres utilizing different irrigation techniques. A producer with a family or friend that uses end-blocking irrigation is 41% more likely to use end-blocking themselves. Having a …
Estimating Irrigation In Rice Fields With A Water Balance Approach, Kristen Trinh
Estimating Irrigation In Rice Fields With A Water Balance Approach, Kristen Trinh
Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Global food production must increase to meet the demand associated with increased population growth, so irrigation water use will continue to rise. Therefore, it is important to monitor water usage particularly when an irrigation flowmeter is unavailable. A field water balance was created for a selection of rice fields in East-central Arkansas under observation in 2018 and 2019. From those, irrigation inputs are deduced from the water balance alone. First, each field had sensors that collected water table level (WTL) data. Next, other water inputs and outputs such as precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) were collected from two modeled sources. The …
Increasing Groundwater Recharge Activity In The San Joaquin Valley Of California, Jacob Willhite, Jacob Willhite
Increasing Groundwater Recharge Activity In The San Joaquin Valley Of California, Jacob Willhite, Jacob Willhite
Agricultural Education and Communication
Over the past several decades, groundwater has become a primary source of water used for agriculture in California. Surface water available for agricultural use has depleted due to declining rain totals and reallocation to environmental purposes. As a result, groundwater overdraft has become a severe challenge, especially in the San Joaquin Valley of California. This excessive overdraft causes a plethora of issues, one of the most serious being land subsidence (Faunt, Sneed, Traum, & Brandt, 2016). Studies suggest some areas of the San Joaquin Valley have experienced more than a 28-foot drop in the land level since the 1970’s (Alley …
Hydrogen Peroxide: A Grower’S Best Friend?, Mitchell Eicher-Sodo
Hydrogen Peroxide: A Grower’S Best Friend?, Mitchell Eicher-Sodo
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an oxidizing agent used to disinfect irrigation systems (e.g. nutrient solution and equipment) used in controlled environment plant production and produces no harmful by-products. The action of H2O2 is non-selective, and therefor H2O2 will oxidize all components of the irrigation water as well as tissues from the greenhouse crops being irrigated. The phytotoxic effect H2O2 has on common greenhouse crops is not well understood, requiring detailed characterization and determination of threshold concentrations. Thresholds within the thesis were based on applied H2O …
Drivers Of On-Farm Performance Of Irrigation Water Management Practices: Empirical Evidence From Eastern Arkansas, Jacob Askey
Drivers Of On-Farm Performance Of Irrigation Water Management Practices: Empirical Evidence From Eastern Arkansas, Jacob Askey
Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses
Unsustainable agricultural practices are putting a strain on freshwater supplies in many parts of the world. More efficient irrigation techniques are going to be critical to feed a growing population. Data from the 2016 Arkansas Irrigation Survey was used to assess the adoption of three Irrigation Water Management (IWM) practices: multiple inlet rice irrigation, tailwater recovery, and storage reservoirs. Results indicate that these practices do not always lead to reported pumping time reductions, a proxy for water use savings. Large variations in pumping time reduction are observed across producers for all three practices. A Tobit model was used to examine …
Producer Preferences For Alternative Irrigation Practices In The Arkansas Delta, Robert Edward Rosene
Producer Preferences For Alternative Irrigation Practices In The Arkansas Delta, Robert Edward Rosene
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
We use a bivariate sample selection model to address peer network effects on participation in and/or intensity of use of land being irrigated by alternative irrigation practices in the state of Arkansas. As groundwater in the state becomes more limited, the use of scientific scheduling, flowmeters, and more efficient row crop water application systems will allow producers to better manage water resources. We find relatively large, positive relationships between belonging to a peer network of the same irrigation practice and participation in that practice. Intensity of use of alternative irrigation techniques is mostly influenced by which crop type the practice …
Utilization Of Various Methods And A Landsat Ndvi/Google Earth Engine Product For Classifying Irrigated Land Cover, Andrew Nemecek
Utilization Of Various Methods And A Landsat Ndvi/Google Earth Engine Product For Classifying Irrigated Land Cover, Andrew Nemecek
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Methods for classifying irrigated land cover are often complex and not quickly reproducible. Further, moderate resolution time-series datasets have been consistently utilized to produce irrigated land cover products over the past decade, and the body of irrigation classification literature contains no examples of subclassification of irrigated land cover by irrigation method. Creation of geospatial irrigated land cover products with higher resolution datasets could improve reliability, and subclassification of irrigation by method could provide better information for hydrologists and climatologists attempting to model the role of irrigation in the surface-ground water cycle and the water-energy balance. This study summarizes a simple, …
An Assessment Of The Greatest Impacts On Distribution Uniformity For Drip And Micro Irrigation, Brooke Ashley Worden
An Assessment Of The Greatest Impacts On Distribution Uniformity For Drip And Micro Irrigation, Brooke Ashley Worden
Master's Theses
Using the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Centers (ITRC) drip/micro evaluation program, global, or system, DUlq is computed by combining the component DUlq values of: pressure variation, uneven spacing between emitters, unequal drainage and “other” causes. “Other” causes include plugging, wear and manufacturing coefficient. The program also computes what percentage of the non-uniformity is due to each component. Burt (2004) showed that over 95% of the non-uniformity is due to “Other” causes and pressure differences. This thesis looks at what specifically in those components is driving the non-uniformity by analyzing various equipment and field practices and their …
Irrigation Practice Adoption: Causes And Consequences In The Arkansas Delta, Kerr James Adams
Irrigation Practice Adoption: Causes And Consequences In The Arkansas Delta, Kerr James Adams
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Concerns about groundwater depletion from conventional irrigation agriculture in the Arkansas Delta region have led to the promotion of more efficient irrigation practices. With Arkansas being the largest producer of rice, the 10th largest producer of soybeans and the 16th largest producer of corn in the United States, the irrigation demand of these crops has put pressure on producers to find ways to irrigate more efficiently. Not only are the alternative technologies supposed to reduce water use, it is also believed that their adoption can also yield economic benefits for the producer. Despite these assumed benefits, adoption of alternative technologies …
Landscape Foundations: A Practical & Technical Guide To Landscape Maintenance, Marco Crosland
Landscape Foundations: A Practical & Technical Guide To Landscape Maintenance, Marco Crosland
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Many homeowners struggle to maintain healthy landscapes. Often, they simply don’t understand basic principles that, if followed, would make a significant difference in the health and appearance of their landscape. The hope of Landscape Foundations is to help homeowners maintain healthy and excellent landscapes by teaching these “correct principles”.
What makes Landscape Foundations different than other landscape guides is that it brings in current research and explains it in a simple way. This guidebook provides pictures and additional resources to explain landscape maintenance principles. It teaches both the practical and technical sides.
Landscape Foundations is written for both beginners and …
Game Theory Analysis Of Intra-District Water Transfers; Case Study Of The Berrenda Mesa Water District, Harry Riordan Ferdon
Game Theory Analysis Of Intra-District Water Transfers; Case Study Of The Berrenda Mesa Water District, Harry Riordan Ferdon
Master's Theses
California state officials have continued to warn and encourage preparedness for the growing threats of water scarcity. This puts pressure on water suppliers to develop technological and managerial solutions to alleviate the problems associated with scarcity. A recent popular management strategy for distributing water is encouraging water transfers. While there has been analyses on water transfers between large districts and agencies, little analysis has been completed for smaller scale trades, i.e. between individuals in the same water district. This analysis models an agricultural water district, based on the Berrenda Mesa Water District (BMWD). In the model, the growers in the …
Willingness To Pay For Irrigation Water Under Scarcity Conditions, Tyler Robert Knapp
Willingness To Pay For Irrigation Water Under Scarcity Conditions, Tyler Robert Knapp
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Reliance of Arkansas agricultural producers on groundwater for irrigation has led to depletion of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Without intervention, consequences include insufficient groundwater to meet irrigation demand as well as drawdown of the deeper Sparta Aquifer, upon which communities in eastern Arkansas rely for non-agricultural use. Among proposed solutions to combat groundwater decline is the construction of off-farm surface water infrastructure to meet the irrigation needs of producers. Despite the importance of irrigated agriculture to Arkansas, there is little know about the economic value of irrigation water to producers. Thus, we implement a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent …
Irrigation Adoption, Groundwater Demand And Policy In The U.S. Corn Belt, 2040-2070, Molly A. Van Dop
Irrigation Adoption, Groundwater Demand And Policy In The U.S. Corn Belt, 2040-2070, Molly A. Van Dop
Open Access Theses
Climate change across the U.S. Corn Belt will significantly increase precipitation variability and temperatures by midcentury. Corn and soybean producers will seek to find strategies that may help to mitigate the potentially negative effects on yield. The adoption of irrigation technology has increased over the last several decades to improve yields in areas with insufficient rainfall, and is currently being adopted by producers who are choosing to minimize risk due to weather variability. To see if this trend in irrigation adoption has the potential to expand in the wake of climate change, this study uses weather data from four General …
Crop Selection, Cost Analysis, And Irrigation System Design For The Replanting Of A Nut Orchard, Maximilian Bricker
Crop Selection, Cost Analysis, And Irrigation System Design For The Replanting Of A Nut Orchard, Maximilian Bricker
BioResource and Agricultural Engineering
This report was made to help the landowner of Bricker Farms make decisions regarding the replanting of his orchard. The decisions that need to be made in this process include: which crop to plant, how to plant it, and how to improve the distribution uniformity of irrigation water on the orchard. The report does not give definitive final decisions, but presents viable options that the landowner can utilize when deciding. In addition to the options that are presented, the report offers suggestions to the landowner so that the replanting process is done properly in a timely and economically-friendly manner.
Water Decision-Making Under Uncertainty, Augustina Yaa Oye Odame
Water Decision-Making Under Uncertainty, Augustina Yaa Oye Odame
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
This dissertation is made up of three separate studies under the unifying theme of “Water Decision-Making under Uncertainty.” The first study analyzed a farmer’s decision to invest in a more efficient irrigation system given uncertainty about future water supplies and his post-investment efficiency. It found the price at which farmers would no longer produce to be a bigger consideration in irrigation investment than previously thought. It also found support for a careful identification and consideration of all significant sources of uncertainty in order to create better policy incentives for irrigation technology investments.
The second study extended the first to allow …
Efficient Irrigation For Recreational Turfgrass In New England: Evapotranspiration And Crop Coefficients, James W. Poro
Efficient Irrigation For Recreational Turfgrass In New England: Evapotranspiration And Crop Coefficients, James W. Poro
Masters Theses
As water demand increases it will become more imperative for golf course superintendents, landscape managers, and other industry professionals to improve water use efficiency in the management of recreational turfgrass. Scheduling irrigation according to actual turfgrass evapotranspiration rates (ETT) is an integral component of efficient irrigation practices. Impracticality of field derived ETT for industry use, however, directs the need of weather station derived reference (predicted) evapotranspiration (ET0). To accurately predict (estimate) ETT of turf and other crops, scientifically derived landscape (crop) coefficients (Kc values) are used in conjunction with mathematical models that incorporate …
Native Grass And Forb Establishment In Post-Agricultural Soil, Courtney D. Hall
Native Grass And Forb Establishment In Post-Agricultural Soil, Courtney D. Hall
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Restoration of degraded and abandoned agricultural land in arid and semiarid climates is a global problem. The erratic patterns of precipitation these lands experience makes restoration of a plant community difficult. Application of supplemental irrigation and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are two restoration techniques that have been suggested to overcome deficits in natural precipitation. The effects and the interactions of irrigation and seeding date on the ground cover of intended species and unintended exotic species were tested in a post-agricultural restoration experiment in south-central Colorado, USA. The greatest ground cover of intended species and lowest ground cover of …
Locating The Variability Of Soil Water Holding Capacity And Understanding Its Effects On Deficit Irrigation And Cotton Lint Yield, Heath Adam Duncan
Locating The Variability Of Soil Water Holding Capacity And Understanding Its Effects On Deficit Irrigation And Cotton Lint Yield, Heath Adam Duncan
Masters Theses
Precision irrigation equipment such as variable-rate center pivots is readily available to Tennessee growers and producers; however, little research exists describing its application to cotton grown in Tennessee. In order to optimize the use of variable-rate irrigation equipment and water resources, two experiments were performed to determine (1) whether or not ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical conductivity (EC) measurements can be used to delineate variable-rate irrigation zones and (2) examine the response of cotton lint yield to varying rates and duration of irrigation.
GPR and EC measurements were recorded, validated using soil cores, and used to identify the subsurface variability …
Irrigation Plus Nitrogen Rate Effects On Hybrid Bermudagrass Hay Yield And Quality, With Preliminary Evaluation Of Ndvi, Tissue, And Soil Nitrate-N Sampling As Diagnostic Tools, Timothy Donald Carter
Irrigation Plus Nitrogen Rate Effects On Hybrid Bermudagrass Hay Yield And Quality, With Preliminary Evaluation Of Ndvi, Tissue, And Soil Nitrate-N Sampling As Diagnostic Tools, Timothy Donald Carter
Masters Theses
A nitrogen fertility study with Vaughn’s hybrid bermudagrass conducted on a Crider silt loam soil (fine, silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Paleudalfs) over three (3) years (2008-2011) at the Highland Rim Research and Education Center near Springfield, Tennessee is evaluated in this manuscript. Nitrogen applications are evaluated in both irrigated and non-irrigated plots at five (5) different application rates: 0, 56, 112, 168, and 224 kg N ha-1. These rates are applied beginning in late April, and three (3) additional times upon harvests occurring in June, July, and August. Irrigation plots receive enough water to bring total weekly …
Alfalfa Production As Related To Irrigation Scheduling: An Economic Perspective, Craig L. Israelsen
Alfalfa Production As Related To Irrigation Scheduling: An Economic Perspective, Craig L. Israelsen
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
This study analyzed the economics of irrigation scheduling for alfalfa hay in the Cache Valley, Utah area. Yield, evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation drainage loss, along with the costs and returns per acre attributable to irrigation scheduling, were simulated through the use of a computerized plant growth model. The model created yearly "irrigation schedules" for alfalfa hay based on actual climatic, soil and plant characteristic data from the Utah State University Greenville Experiment Station. The model calculated the irrigation schedules based on a soil-water balance equation which never allowed the available soil water to go below the crop stress point.
The …
Irrigation And Non-Irrigation Alternatives For Reducing Sugar Cane Transportation Costs In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Lee M. Bailey
Irrigation And Non-Irrigation Alternatives For Reducing Sugar Cane Transportation Costs In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Lee M. Bailey
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
The major objective of this study was to investigate various alternatives for lowering the cost of transporting sugar cane in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. These alternatives included both irrigation and non-irrigation possibilities. Production costs for sugar cane were determined by using studies completed by the USAID-Utah State University study team, budget studies of Senor Carlos Castro of the Guabira' sugar cane mill in Santa Cruz and a study undertaken by Senor Enrique Gomez, a graduate student at Utah State University.
A cane registry commissioned by the National Sugar Cane Commission was used in conjunction with a least-cost transportation model in order …
Estimating Agricultural Production Functions From Experimental Data For Different Crops In Relation To Irrigation, Fertilization And Soil Management In Northern Utah, Subramaniuam Swami Nathan
Estimating Agricultural Production Functions From Experimental Data For Different Crops In Relation To Irrigation, Fertilization And Soil Management In Northern Utah, Subramaniuam Swami Nathan
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Estimates of agricultural production functions from experimental data for four different crops in relation to six variable inputs are calculated by this study. There are four basic sections in the study. The first section covers the review of production function concepts and the procedures and problems that specifically pertain to this study. Also the importance of joint economic-agronomic research efforts, methodologies and applications of agricultural production functions are cited.
The second section includes the presentation data and postulated functional relationships in estimating production functions. Model building programs are used in developing three dimensional figures, which aid in the selection of …
The Secondary Benefits Of Irrigation Water: An Economic Appraisal, Erik Bruce Godfrey
The Secondary Benefits Of Irrigation Water: An Economic Appraisal, Erik Bruce Godfrey
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
The secondary or external benefits of increasing the availability of water for irrigation and changing the allocation of an existing water supply was analyzed from a theoretical point of view.
"Input-output" models for Cache County, Utah, and for the state of Utah were used to indicate the intersectoral relationship of water used by agriculture and other sectors in each economy.
The indirect value of water used by agriculture in Cache County was estimated. A method that extended the procedure used in this thesis was proposed that could be used to estimate the value of water in ether sectors. A "water …
Irrigation Water Values In Cache County, Utah, Marlyn Fife
Irrigation Water Values In Cache County, Utah, Marlyn Fife
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
In Utah all water, both on or below the ground surface, is considered public property. The right to use water is obtained by following certain subsiding procedures of appropriation through the office of the State Engineer. Any right to the use of water may be changed to some other beneficial use with the approval of the State Engineer; however, there must be no interference with other rights, unless proper compensation has been made.
Agriculture still uses most of the available water in Utah; However, farmers' needs for water are not exactly the same. When allocation per acre is the same …