Potential Improvements in Irrigation Management Practices: Water Savings and Costs

26 pages

Performance of Seedigated and Conventionally Planted Crops

Seedigation is the use of a moving sprinkler irrigation system to broadcast seeds on the soil surface. Seed germination, plant characteristics and yield for grain sorghum, winter wheat and soybeans that were seedigated and conventionally planted are compared. When the seeding rates for seedigation were increased above that for conventional planting, and adequate moisture was available for germination, grain sorghum and wheat seedigated on tilled surfaces produced yields similar to conventionally planted crops. Seedigation of soybeans into fallow conditions, or when used as a relay crop, was unsuccessful. Shallow disking following seedigation did not improve germination or yield of grain sorghum or winter wheat. Using seedigation to plant wheat into soybeans offers good potential. Seedigating wheat into dense grain sorghum canopies was less successful

Performance of Seedigated and Conventionally Planted Crops

Seedigation is the use of a moving sprinkler irrigation system to broadcast seeds on the soil surface. Seed germination, plant characteristics and yield for grain sorghum, winter wheat and soybeans that were seedigated and conventionally planted are compared. When the seeding rates for seedigation were increased above that for conventional planting, and adequate moisture was available for germination, grain sorghum and wheat seedigated on tilled surfaces produced yields similar to conventionally planted crops. Seedigation of soybeans into fallow conditions, or when used as a relay crop, was unsuccessful. Shallow disking following seedigation did not improve germination or yield of grain sorghum or winter wheat. Using seedigation to plant wheat into soybeans offers good potential. Seedigating wheat into dense grain sorghum canopies was less successful

EC81-713 It Pays to Test Your Irrigation Pumping Plant

Extension Circular 81-713 discusses how it pays to test your irrigation pumping plant

Mapping of Dynamic Transcriptome Changes Associated With Silica-Triggered Autoimmune Pathogenesis in the Lupus-Prone NZBWF1 Mouse

Crystalline silica (cSiO2) is a widely recognized environmental trigger of autoimmune disease. In the lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mouse, airway exposure to cSiO2 triggers pulmonary ectopic lymphoid neogenesis, systemic autoantibody elevation, and glomerulonephritis. Here we tested the hypothesis that upregulation of adaptive immune function genes in the lung precedes cSiO2-triggering of autoimmune disease in this model. The study include three groups of mice, as follows: (1) necropsied 1 d after a single intranasal instillation of 1 mg cSiO2 or vehicle, (2) necropsied 1 d after four weekly single instillations of 1 mg cSiO2 or vehicle, or (3) necropsied 1, 5, 9, or 13 weeks after four weekly single instillations of 1 mg cSiO2 or vehicle. NanoString nCounter analysis revealed modest transcriptional changes associated with innate and adaptive immune response as early as 1 d after a single cSiO2 instillation. These responses were greatly expanded after four weekly cSiO2 instillations. Concurrent with ectopic lymphoid neogenesis, dramatic increases in mRNAs associated with chemokine release, cytokine production, sustained interferon activity, complement activation, and adhesion molecules were observed. As disease progressed, expression of these genes persisted and was further amplified. Consistent with autoimmune pathogenesis, the time between 5 and 9 weeks post-instillation reflected an important transition period where considerable immune gene upregulation in the lung was observed. Upon termination of the chronic study (13 weeks), cSiO2-induced changes in transcriptome signatures were similarly robust in kidney as compared to the lung, but more modest in spleen. Transcriptomic signatures in lung and kidney were indicative of infiltration and/or expansion of neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, B cells, and T cells that corresponded with accelerated autoimmune pathogenesis. Taken together, airway exposure to cSiO2 elicited aberrant mRNA signatures for both innate and adaptive immunity that were consistent with establishment of the lung as the central autoimmune nexus for launching systemic autoimmunity and ultimately, kidney injury

Testing of a Water Loss Distribution Model for Moving Sprinkler Systems

Field water balance measurements using monolithic lysimeters were used in validating the Cupid-DPE model for predicting water loss partitioning during sprinkler irrigation from a moving lateral system fitted with impact sprinklers and spray nozzles. The model combines equations governing water droplet evaporation and droplet ballistics with a comprehensive plant-environment energy balance model. Comparisons indicate good agreement between measured and modeled transpiration, and the measured and modeled soil evaporation during the day of irrigation. Total predicted evapotranspiration during the day of irrigation was greater than measured totals using the monolithic lysimeters. However, part of this difference was because the lysimeters could not measure water use during irrigation. Total measured and predicted evapo-transpiration agreed well for the day following irrigation. Predicted soil evaporation rates matched well for the period immediately following irrigation, and cumulative soil evaporation was nearly identical to the measured total through the end of the next day. During irrigation, the main water loss was shifted from transpiration to evaporation of the wetted-canopy. For equal application volumes, the duration of this effect was greater using impact sprinklers due to the greater wetted diameter and lower average application rate compared to spray nozzles. Predicted water flux rates during irrigation were up to 50% greater for canopy evaporation than for transpiration rates predicted immediately prior to the start of irrigation. Canopy evaporation amounted to 69% and 63% of the total predicted water use during impact and spray irrigation, respectively. It also was 0.69 and 0.28 mm greater, respectively, than the predicted transpiration total during this same time span assuming no irrigation had been applied. About 13 and 5% of the water applied by overhead sprinkling was evaporated or transpired during impact and spray irrigation, respectively. However, the net increase in predicted water loss during irrigation was only 5.8% and 2.4% of the irrigated water depth applied for the impact and spray cases, respectively, because transpiration and soil evaporation would have occurred even without irrigation. Although droplet evaporation represented less than 1% of the total water loss for the day using either type of sprinkler, irrigation water did influence the energy transfer between the plant-environment and water droplets during flight, on the canopy, and the soil

EC81-713 It Pays to Test Your Irrigation Pumping Plant

Extension Circular 81-713 discusses how it pays to test your irrigation pumping plant

It Pays to Test Your IRRIGATION PUMPING PLANT

A pumping plant performance test can determine the energy efficiency of an irrigation pumping plant and provIde information on adjustments needed to improve energy efficiency. The performance of an irrigation pumping plant should be evaluated by trained personnel using accurate testing equipment. This service can be performed by consulting engineers, by many well drilling companies, and some Natural Resources Districts and Public Power Districts. See your County Extension Agent for more information concerning these services. A pumping plant test should be performed regardless of the age of your system. Test all new systems so that you can be assured that your unit meets the contract specifications, which should be at least equal to the Nebraska Performance criteria for pumping plants (Table 1). The components must be carefully selected, installed, adjusted and operated to obtain these standard values. For an existing pumping plant a test can determine: 1. If energy and money can be saved by adjusting, rebuilding, or replacing the existing pump, drive systems, or power unit. 2. If the well is being operated at too great a discharge rate for existing pump and well conditions

Docosahexaenoic Acid Consumption Impedes Early Interferon- and Chemokine-Related Gene Expression While Suppressing Silica-Triggered Flaring of Murine Lupus

Exposure of lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to respirable crystalline silica (cSiO2), a known human autoimmune trigger, initiates loss of tolerance, rapid progression of autoimmunity, and early onset of glomerulonephritis. We have previously demonstrated that dietary supplementation with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) suppresses autoimmune pathogenesis and nephritis in this unique model of lupus flaring. In this report, we utilized tissues from prior studies to test the hypothesis that DHA consumption interferes with upregulation of critical genes associated with cSiO2-triggered murine lupus. A NanoString nCounter platform targeting 770 immune-related genes was used to assess the effects cSiO2 on mRNA signatures over time in female NZBWF1 mice consuming control (CON) diets compared to mice fed diets containing DHA at an amount calorically equivalent to human consumption of 2 g per day (DHA low) or 5 g per day (DHA high). Experimental groups of mice were sacrificed: (1) 1 d after a single intranasal instillation of 1 mg cSiO2 or vehicle, (2) 1 d after four weekly single instillations of vehicle or 1 mg cSiO2, and (3) 1, 5, 9, and 13 weeks after four weekly single instillations of vehicle or 1 mg cSiO2. Genes associated with inflammation as well as innate and adaptive immunity were markedly upregulated in lungs of CON-fed mice 1 d after four weekly cSiO2 doses but were significantly suppressed in mice fed DHA high diets. Importantly, mRNA signatures in lungs of cSiO2-treated CON-fed mice over 13 weeks reflected progressive amplification of interferon (IFN)- and chemokine-related gene pathways. While these responses in the DHA low group were suppressed primarily at week 5, significant downregulation was observed at weeks 1, 5, 9, and 13 in mice fed the DHA high diet. At week 13, cSiO2 treatment of CON-fed mice affected 214 genes in kidney tissue associated with inflammation, innate/adaptive immunity, IFN, chemokines, and antigen processing, mostly by upregulation; however, feeding DHA dose-dependently suppressed these responses. Taken together, dietary DHA intake in lupus-prone mice impeded cSiO2-triggered mRNA signatures known to be involved in ectopic lymphoid tissue neogenesis, systemic autoimmunity, and glomerulonephritis

Influence of Total Western Diet on Docosahexaenoic Acid Suppression of Silica-Triggered Lupus Flaring in NZBWF1 Mice

Lupus is a debilitating multi-organ autoimmune disease clinically typified by periods of flare and remission. Exposing lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to crystalline silica (cSiO2), a known human autoimmune trigger, mimics flaring by inducing interferon-related gene (IRG) expression, inflammation, ectopic lymphoid structure (ELS) development, and autoantibody production in the lung that collectively accelerate glomerulonephritis. cSiO2-triggered flaring in this model can be prevented by supplementing mouse diet with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A limitation of previous studies was the use of purified diet that, although optimized for rodent health, does not reflect the high American intake of saturated fatty acid (SFA), ω-6 PUFAs, and total fat. To address this, we employed here a modified Total Western Diet (mTWD) emulating the 50th percentile U.S. macronutrient distribution to discern how DHA supplementation and/or SFA and ω-6 reduction influences cSiO2-triggered lupus flaring in female NZBWF1 mice. Six-week-old mice were fed isocaloric experimental diets for 2 wks, intranasally instilled with cSiO2 or saline vehicle weekly for 4 wks, and tissues assessed for lupus endpoints 11 wks following cSiO2 instillation. In mice fed basal mTWD, cSiO2 induced robust IRG expression, proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine elevation, leukocyte infiltration, ELS neogenesis, and autoantibody production in the lung, as well as early kidney nephritis onset compared to vehicle-treated mice fed mTWD. Consumption of mTWD containing DHA at the caloric equivalent to a human dose of 5 g/day dramatically suppressed induction of all lupus-associated endpoints. While decreasing SFA and ω-6 in mTWD modestly inhibited some disease markers, DHA addition to this diet was required for maximal protection against lupus development. Taken together, DHA supplementation at a translationally relevant dose was highly effective in preventing cSiO2-triggered lupus flaring in NZBWF1 mice, even against the background of a typical Western diet