Earth Sciences Commons^™

The Colorado River Water Supply Crisis In A Few Graphs: Part 2 Agricultural Water Use In The Lower Basin, Jack Schmidt, Anne Castle, Eric Kuhn, Kathryn Sorensen, Katherine Tara

The Traveling Wilburys of the Colorado River

Reductions in Lower Basin water use during the last four years, including

forecast use in 2026, are similar to the initial targets for Lower Basin shortages

described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Post-2026

Operational Guidelines and Strategies for Lake Powell and Lake Mead (FEIS)

and the accompanying Record of Decision (ROD).

6 Lower Basin consumptive

use in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and forecast for 2026 has been the smallest for

the entire 2010-2026 period. These four years of smallest use are between 1.4

and 1.7 million acre feet/year (maf/yr) less than the 7.50 maf/yr amount

generally recognized as …

Pastures And Pasture Management For High Animal Production In New Zealand, R W. Brougham, G P. Cosgrove

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Limits to pasture and animal production from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) pastures have been studied in systems experiments with fattening dairy beef bulls in the lowland Manawatu region of New Zealand. At high stocking rates the management system utilizes peak spring pasture growth and provides sufficient herbage for animals during periods of low growth in self contained, no conservation farmlets. High animal production of approximately 1000 kg of carcass meat/ha annually has been achieved. Accumulation of pasture reserves in autumn through long rotations and reductions in grazing pressure in summer through slaughter of fattened animals …

Influence Of Irrigation Frequency During Bloom On Lucerne Seed Yield On A Shallow Duplex Soil In South-Eastern Australia, A J. Taylor, V L. Marble

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

During bloom, lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) was subjected to different irrigation frequencies based on accumulated Class A 1 Pan evaporation (Epan) to determine the 1 irrigation requirements on a shallow duplex soil. Seed yields ranged from 528 kg ha- on the driest treatment to 1105 kg ha- on the treatment irrigated on the lowest Epan interval. The components of yield which correlated with seed yield were top growth, number of sterns, number of racemes with pods,.and the number of seeds per pod. In order to produce high seed yields, lucerne has a high requirement for water during bloom and on …

Integrating Forage Maize With Pasture Legumes For Efficient Dairy Production In South Eastern Australia, K E. Pritchard, W K. Mason, C R. Stockdale, J B. Moran

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In south eastern Australia, the mild climate permits year­round grazing for 1.5 million dairy cows which results in a low production cost for milk. More than 1 million hectares of annual and perennial pastures are irrigated to supplement rain­fall of 300-500 mm/ annum, for dairy, beef and sheep pro­duction. Animal production from the present system of grazing pasture is limited by the inefficient conversion of solar radiation achieved by temperate pasture species ; seasonal variation in quantity and quality of pasture forage ; by poor utilization of pasture ; and by the low quality of grass-dominant pasture. The Kyabram Research …

Reponse Du Brome Cathartique A L’Irrigation Premiers Resultats, C Longueval

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

L'interet de J'irrigation des graminees prairiales est unc ques­tion souvent debattue dans le sud de la France ou la secheresse estivalc ct frequemment automnale limite considerablement la production de fourrage vert durant cette deuxiemc moitie de l'annee. Dans la region toulousaine, les travaux de l'INRA a Tou­louse (Marty et al., 1977) ct de la Compagnic d'Amenagemenl des Coteaux de Gascogne ont montre, pour la fetuque et le dac­tyle notamment, que si !'irrigation pcrrnet de doubler la pro­duction estivale et automnale. le niveau attcint sans restriction hydrique reste globalement rr{odcstc puisque inferieur a 5 t/ha M.S. a partir du debut de …

Drought Stress And Alfalfa Production In A Mediterranean Environment, T Kipnis, I Vaisman, I Granoth

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Many experimental results have shown a close relationship between total dry matter (DM) yield of alfalfa and annual evapotranspiration (ET). However, this relationship may differ from harvest to harvest (Metochis and Orphanos, 1981), indicating that water use efficiency (WUE) may vary during the growing season, particulary as it is adversely affected by high temperature (Sammis, 1981). Water for irrigating alfalfa is often scarce during the dry Mediterranean summer in Israel. Under such conditions, water is withheld for approximately two months, at a relatively advanced stage of maturity, and the crop is allowed to go to seed, after which irrigation is …

Determination De L’Effet Du Phosphore Et Des Intervallets D’Irrigation Sur La Production De Graines De Trefle Bersim En Iran, A Vaez Zadeh

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

La culture du trefle Bersim (Trifolium alexandrinum) devient de plus en plus importante en Iran. Elle est pratiquee dans les rizieres apres la recolte du riz. Aujourd'hui, cette culture s'etend sur 40.000 ha et la production atteint 500.000 tonnes de foin sec, soit un rendement moyen de 12.5 t/ha. Le ministere de !'Agriculture developpe un important programme pour augmenter la superficie jusqu'a 200.000 ha. Ceci correspondra a la moitie de toutes Jes rizieres. La culture du trefle Bersim s'est fortement developpee pen­dant ces dernieres annees en Iran: la superficie a augmente de 578,5 ha en 1982 a 39.500 …

Les Inineraires Techniques Pour La Production De Semences De Trefle Blanc En France, J Aletru, Y Bouchet

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Le Trefle blanc est une legumineuse fourragere ayant une morphologie et une physiologie tout a fait originales par rapport aux autres especes fourrageres que nous avons l'habitude de travailler : luzerne, trefle violet, sainfoin, etc. Le Trefle blanc a un port rampant, l'essentiel de la croissance s'effectue horizontalement, Jes parties aeriennes sont consti­tuees de petioles, de feuilles en phase vegetative, auxquelles s'ajoutent des pedoncules et des inflorescences en phase repro­ductrice. Le stolon, « colonne vertebrale » des parties aeriennes, est l'organe de reserve ayant une importance preponderante. II colonise le sol en emettant de 70 a 110 metres de stolons …

Development Of Forage Systems For Dairying In Subtropical Australia, R J. Moss, K F. Lowe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The development of productive dairy farm systems integrating irrigated temperate pastures with rain-grown tropical pastures in subtropical Australia is described, Milk production increased from 2976-34211/cow (P<0,01) with increased temperate pasture allowance from 0. I to 0.2 ha/cow, and this increase was similar for nitrogen­fertilised ryegrass or clover-ryegrass mixtures, Temperate pastures provided cows with a high protein diet (20-30% crude protein}, enabling energy-rich grain and molasses concentrates to be efficiently used, Increasing supplementation to S kg grain/cow day increased milk yields to S109 I/lactation. Nitrogen fertilisation of perennial tropical grasses enabled higher stocking rates to be used and, together with the increases in production/cow, increased farm output from 464S I/ha to 7300 I/ha.

Direct Drilling Forage Maize Into Dairy Pastures In South-Eastern Australia, K E. Pritchard

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage maize (Zea mays) was planted directly into uncultivated dairy pastures after desiccation. A planter specially developed for this purpose, which used coulters, tynes and narrow rotary hoes to place fertiliser and seed precisely, achieved excellent crop establishment in dense red­brown earth soils. Yields were up to 22.7 t of dry matter/ha, similar to that of cultivated seedbeds with flood irrigation and 10% less than with furrow irrigation. Key agronomic requirements for success were a specialised planter, good surface drainage, adequate pre- and post­planting weed control and a requirement for early application of irrigation water and nitrogen fertiliser. …

Salinity Tolerance Of Turf And Forage Grasses, R C. Mckenzie, H G. Najda, J R. King

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are over 1.2 million ha of cultivated saline land in the province of Alberta, Canada. Our experiment's objectives were to develop reliable recommendations under field conditions of the salinity tolerance of various grasses. Information on how salinity levels influence the growth of grasses under field conditions would provide better management options for forage production. An irrigated site was established at Brooks and a dryland site at Hanna, Alberta. Twenty-five species are being evaluated under irrigation and I 9 under dry land using a randomised block design, Forage yields indicate that tall wheatgrass (Elytrigia pontica), Dahurian wildrye (Elymus …

Constraints And Opportunities For Turkish Grasslands Use Patterns And The Expected Development Of Forage Crops, With The South-Eastern Anatolian Project (Gap) In Turkey, T Tukel, T Saglamtimur, H Gulcan, V Tansi, A E. Anlarsal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Turkey has 78 million ha land area. Of this, about 28% covers permanent grasslands, 36% arable land, and 30% forest and woodlands. Mainly, ii has a typical mediterranean climate but with regional differences. In general, Turkish grasslands are continuously being overutilised. There are 3 utilisation systems called sedentary, transhumance and nomadic. Each not only has its constraints but also some rational use under special situations. Intensive feeding programmes with high yielding and quality forage crops are also being encouraged. Recently, a national project, the south-eastern Anatolian Project (GAP in Turkish), is proceeding in the form of a big regional development. …

The Value Of Adapted, Annual Ryegrasses For Subtropical Dairy Production, K F. Lowe, T M. Bowdler, G K. Reason, R J. Moss

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cutting and grazing experiments were conducted in a subtropical environment to determine whether a relationship existed between differences measured in ryegrass cultivars from cutting experiments and milk production differences under grazing. Differences in dry mauer (OM) production under cutting between the standard annual ryegrass for the subtropics (Grasslands Tama) and a cultivar selected for superior performance under subtropical conditions (Midmar) averaged 31 %, differences in feed on offer under grazing averaged 21 %, while milk production differences averaged 10% in a 2-year study. The results indicate that increases in OM yield measured in cutting experiments will be consistent wlth differences …

Soil Additives And Alternative Crops For Drought Defense In The Intermountain West, Tina M. Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Western U.S. looks for water optimization and conservation as agriculture is the largest water diverter, and resources are pressured by urban growth, winter snowpack instability, and drought persistence. Agricultural producers have several potential options to optimize water use with different investments associated with them. Options with varying levels of risks and known management practices include alternative crops, soil wetting agents, and crop biologicals.

An alternative crop that grew incredibly fast in popularity was industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) despite limited agronomic knowledge for best management practices. Field trials occurred (2020-2022) near Logan, UT to test a total of …

Comparison Of Yield, Forage Quality And Persistence Of 11 Grasses Grown With Irrigation In A Semi-Arid Climate, D E. Glover, G A. Kielly, R H. Cohen, P G. Jefferson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Nutritive quality of many grass species used for forage in the Northern Great Plains of Canada and the United States is not well documented, especially at different maturity stages. This study compared agronomic and forage quality characteristics of eleven grasses common to Saskatchewan. Botanical separation and quality analysis was undertaken at three growth stages. Meadow Brome (Bromus riparius), Russian Wildrye (Psathyrostachys juceus) and Altai Wildrye (Elymus angustus) were shown to have high leaf to stem ratios which corresponded with high protein levels. Separations showed persistence of Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arudinaceus), Creeping Foxtail …

Production Efficiency Benchmarks For Irrigated Dairying In South Eastern Australia, K E. Pritchard, O A. Gyles, D P. Armstrong, S L. Spiteri

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Milk production from grazed irrigated pasture is an important industry in south eastern Australia. Irrigation water is essential for perennial pastures, but the efficiency with which the irrigation water is used to produce milk varies widely between farms. As irrigation water is a limiting resource, future productivity increases will depend on increasing the amount of milk produced per unit of water applied. This research project estimates metabolisable energy utilised from grazed pasture, using energy values for animal requirements, products and feedstuffs. Efficiency criteria, in terms of production per hectare of irrigated pasture, per megalitre of irrigation water, and per cow …

Monitoring The Stabilization Of Semi-Arid Grassland In The Bridge Creek Watershed Of Central Oregon, R Demmer, L Andrews, B Keller

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Using land exchanges the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in central Oregon consolidated its land base in the Bridge Creek Watershed between 1987 and 1992 to obtain a 64,500 acre land block. The uplands had been grazed and the valley bottoms farmed since the middle 1800s. Due to improper grazing, primitive irrigation, fire suppression and juniper invasion, the native vegetation was sparse. Weeds were ubiquitous, and soils were eroded. The results of actions taken after baseline inventories of riparian and range communities were monitored. This feedback prompted further actions. Monitoring confirms that increasing native vegetation and decreasing erosion is stabilizing …

Yield Formation And Changes In Quality In Legume-Grass Mixtures As Affected By N-Fertilization, Irrigation And Grass Species, K Richter, K Schmaler

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In the years of 1984 to 1992 field experiments have been conducted with different legume-grass mixtures at a location in north-east Germany. Dry matter yield, crude protein and crude fibre content in legume-grass mixtures changed by N-fertilization, grass species, duration of utilization and irrigation. First this was caused by the effect of these factors on yield proportion. The variation of N-fertilization and irrigation influenced red clover grown in a mixture with grass more than lucerne-grass mixture. Irrigation of red clover-grass mixture supported the yield proportion of legume whereas N-fertilization and duration of utilization supported the grass species. Yield proportion, crude …

Effect Of Irrigation And Nitrogen Fertilization On Ryegrass And Ryegrass/ White Clover Swards, C J. Escuder, C A. Cangiano

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An experiment to determine nitrogen and water effect on dry matter yield of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L) in mixtures with white clover (Trifolium repens L) and pure ryegrass pastures was carried out during two years at Balcarce, the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Two levels of irrigation, natural rainfall and 20 mm irrigation when needed, and four levels of nitrogen fertilization 0; 150; 300; and 450 kg N.ha-1.yr were applied. During the first year it was necessary to apply 250 mm of supplementary water to the irrigated plots, while 530 mm were needed the second year. Nitrogen responses …

Influence Of Five Cutting Frequencies On The Production Of Medicago Sativa Cultivars In The Boland Of South Africa, T Oberholzer, J M. Van Heerden

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The use of fixed interval cutting management for lucerne was studied for four cultivars (CUF101, Condor, SA Standard and Alfagraze) of four dormancy classes. Five fixed cutting intervals ranging from two to ten weeks were imposed for three years on irrigated stands at Elsenburg Research Station in the Boland of South Africa. The experimental design was a 4 by 5 split-plot randomised block with three replications. The four main plots were four cultivars split into five subplots containing five cutting treatments. The more winter dormant cultivar, Alfagraze, was least sensitive to cutting frequency and relatively more productive than the other …

Water-Energy-Food Linkages In Community Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: Center Pivot Irrigation In Rwanda, Ankit Chandra, Derek M. Heeren, Lameck O. Odhiambo, N. Brozovic

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Water, energy, and food are linked in intricate ways in irrigated agriculture and understanding the interplay of these components is crucial for sustainable and profitable crop production, particularly in smallholder setting such as in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluates water-energy-food linkages, engineering and economic performance, irrigation decision making, and challenges faced around water management in a community-based mechanized irrigation scheme in Rwanda. The research is the first to analyze such as scheme, which uses technology typically used by large farmers in a smallholder setting. The study investigates the variation in water requirements and the relationship and impacts of this variability …

Evaluation Of Site-Specific, Zone Management In Northeast Arkansas Cotton, Nelson Ray Benson

Student Theses and Dissertations

Temporal and spatial variations in crop performance are common in agricultural production fields in northeastern Arkansas. With the alluvial soils of the Mississippi Delta region, within-field soil texture can range from coarse sand to heavy clay. Such variability influences chemical and physical soil properties that affect yield potential of the region’s commercial cropping systems. With advances in precision management, delineating large commercial fields into zones of homogenous production potential could increase profitability and improve efficiency. Standardized criteria for defining homogeneity within potential delineation zones have not been developed or field-tested in the region, which includes Mississippi County, Arkansas, the largest …

Potential For Forecasting Uk Summer Grass Growth From The North Atlantic Oscillation, P. S. Kettlewell, J. Easey, P. D. Hollins, T. Martyn, D. B. Stephenson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern which is well-known to influence the UK winter climate (Wilby et al., 1997). Recently, it has been shown that the winter NAO also affects summer rainfall in the UK (Kettlewell et al., 2003). Since water supply is an important limitation to summer grass growth in many parts of the UK, the winter NAO may influence summer growth. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the winter NAO and summer grass growth using data from reference plots at North …

Carbon Sequestration In Irrigated Pastures, Glenn E. Shewmaker, J. A. Entry, R. E. Sojka

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Carbon sequestration potential for irrigated grazing lands is significant. We measured organic and inorganic C stored in southern Idaho soils having long-term land use histories that supported native sagebrush vegetation (NSB), irrigated pasture systems (IP), irrigated conservation tillage sites (ICT), and irrigated moldboard plowing systems (IMP). This study estimates the amount of possible organic, inorganic and total C sequestration if irrigated pasture land was expanded by 10%.

Downstream Hydrochemistry And Irrigation Water Quality Of The Syr Darya, Aral Sea Basin, South Kazakhstan, Bagdat Satybaldiyev, Baimurat Ismailov, Nurbek Nurpeisov, Kairat Kenges, Daniel D. Snow, Arindam Malakar, Omirzhan Taukebayev, Bolat Uralbekov

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

New hydrochemical measurements from the Syr Darya provide insights into factors affecting the composition and quality of a major freshwater source replenishing the Aral Sea. This river is heavily used for power and irrigation and crosses territories of four Central Asia republics. It is intensely managed, draining several major tributaries, many reservoirs, and numerous irrigation distribution systems and canals. Analysis of seasonal changes in dissolved ion concentrations using geochemical diagrams, elemental ratios, statistical correlation, and equilibrium modeling allowed the characterization of mineral formation processes that control the dissolved chemical composition. Measured water hydrochemistry and composition type differs substantially from previous …

Practical Improvements For Pivot And Surface Irrigation, Jonathan A. Holt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Irrigation is critical to meeting global food and fiber demands. Optimizing agricultural irrigation may help sustain production levels, while reducing its demand for water. This research evaluated precision sprinklers and drip irrigation for pivots, five pivot track mitigation tools, three scientific irrigation scheduling (SIS) methods, sensors for surface irrigation cutoff, and automating surface systems to implement surge irrigation. With pivots and surface irrigation being the most common methods for irrigation in the West, small improvements from these tools could result in significant water savings.

Low energy precision application (LEPA) sprinklers and mobile drip irrigation (MDI) were tested on two pivots. …

Potential Yield Of Cocksfoot (Dactylis Glomerata) Monocultures In Response To Irrigation And Nitrogen, A. Mills, D. J. Moot, R. L. Lucas, P. D. Jamieson, B. A. Mckenzie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cocksfoot is a widely sown grass in temperate pastures. However, while potential yield of cocksfoot can exceed 28 t DM/ha per year, it is often restricted by water, temperature and nitrogen (N). Of these, Peri et al. (2002) showed that N was severely limiting in all seasons. The aim of this study was to confirm the potential yield of cocksfoot and quantify the extent of yield reductions due to environmental constraints.

Water Resources, Agriculture And Pasture: Implications Of Growing Demand And Increasing Scarcity, M. W. Rosegrant, R. A. Valmonte-Santos, S. A. Cline, C. Ringler, W. Li

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

1. Water availability for irrigation is threatened in many regions by rapidly increasing demand for nonagricultural water uses in industry, households, and the environment. The scarcity of irrigation water will not only impact crop production, but also meat production, as much of the pasture used to feed livestock is irrigated.
2. Grassland is caught between two countervailing forces: a requirement for increasing meat demand that boosts the need for additional pasture to support livestock production, and rapidly increasing water scarcity that makes pasture irrigation uneconomical.
3. The most effective means of dealing with water scarcity is likely to be conserving water in existing …

Soil Aggregate Dynamics, Particulate Organic Matter And Phosphate Under Dryland And Irrigated Pasture, J. T. Scott, L. M. Condron, R. W. Mcdowell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Soil aggregate formation and turnover affects the rate of occlusion or release of soil organic matter and therefore the availability for mineralisation or stabilisation of soil carbon (C) and phosphorus (P). Furthermore, differences in soil type, management and the quantity and quality of organic inputs can affect aggregate turnover rates (Six et al., 2000). Under pastoral farming the ratio of coarse particulate organic matter (inter-POM) inside macroaggregates but outside microaggregates to fine POM (intra-POM) within microaggregates may provide an indication of physical processes influencing mineralisation and stabilisation of soil C and organic P (Po). Our aim was to determine …

Irrigation Decisions In Response To Groundwater Salinity In Kansas, Juhee Lee, Nathan P. Hendricks

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the interaction between groundwater salinity and irrigation decision making has important implications for groundwater management. Econometrics models were estimated using observed farmer behavior in response to different groundwater salinity levels in a region of Kansas. Estimation results demonstrate that farmers in the face of groundwater salinity change their irrigation decisions on irrigated acreage (i.e., extensive margin), crop choice (i.e., indirect intensive margin), and water application depth (i.e., direct intensive margin). The empirical results indicate an overall decrease in water use due to higher salinity, primarily through a decrease at the extensive margin.