Dillon, Merlin A.

Gwin, Roy E.

Stone, Loyd R.

Kansas State University

Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports Volume 0 Issue 12 Keeping up with Research Article 71 1981 Irrigating Corn and Grain Sorghum With Limited Water Loyd R. Stone Roy E. Gwin Merlin A. Dillon This report is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. Copyright 1981 Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. Contents of this publication may be freely reproduced for educational purposes. All other rights reserved. Brand names appearing in this publication are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/kaesrr Recommended Citation Stone, Loyd R.; Gwin, Roy E.; and Dillon, Merlin A. (1981) "Irrigating Corn and Grain Sorghum With Limited Water," Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 0: Iss. 12. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.7308 Irrigating Corn and Grain Sorghum With Limited Water Keywords Keeping up with research; 51 (July 1981); Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station contribution; no. 81-504-s; Irrigation; Corn; Grain sorghum; Limited water Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. This research report is available in Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: https://newprairiepress.org/kaesrr/vol0/iss12/71 MARCH t975 Irrigating Corn and Grain . Sorghum With Limited Water Loyd R. Stone, Soil Physicist Roy E. Gwin, Jr., Superintendent, Tribune Branch Merlin A. Dillon, Crops Research Agronomist In 1974 we evaluated how irrigation amount and timing influenced corn and grain sorghum yields at Man·hattan and Tribune. The results should help irrigators who want to use limited or less water because of limited pumping ca-pacity, limited time, limited water supplies, in-creased cost of fuel for pumping, or other reasons. At Manhattan, the study was on the Ashland Research Farm, approximately 8 miles southwest of Manhattan. The soil is Muir silt loam, which developed from river sediments . The Tribune data were collected on the Tri-bune Branch Experiment Station Irrigation Field on Ulysses silt loam; a soil developed from windblow n deposits. A brief description of the field plots is given in Table 1. Available water stored in the 5-foot soil profile exceeded nine inches at plant emergence at both locations. Figure 1 presents the 30-year average rainfall pattern and the ra·infall received during the warm season at both Manhattan and Tribune. Rainfall at Tribune was 8.3 inches compared to AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Kansas State University, Manhatt•n Floyd W. Smith, Director This publication from Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service has been archived. Current information: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu.a 14.0 inch average. Rainfall at Manhattan was 18.4 inches compared to a 25.5 inch average. Table 2 gives 1974 corn g rain yields at Man-hattan and Tribune. Treatments consisted of no in-season irrigation; one irrigation at either one week before tasseling, during silk emergence, or at blister stage; and three irrigations, one at each of the three growth stages mentioned. Corn plots at Tribune received a pre-plant irri-gation. rable 3 g ives sorghum grain yields at Man-hattan and Tribune. Treatments consisted of no 6 1941-1970 AVG. 1974 5 ...J TRIBUNE, KAN. 4 (/) ' 3 u z 2 z 5 1941-1970 AVG. 4 MANHATTAN, KAN. 3 w ' ' 2 + APR. I JUL. I OCT. Figure 1.-Thirty-year rainfall pa.ttern and rain-fall received during 1974, Manhattan and Tri-bune, Kansas. This publication from Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service has been archived. Current information: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu.Table I.-Information on corn and grain sorghum field plots, 1974. Planting date ......................... ...... . Variety ......................... .............. . Population (plants/acre) ............. . Row width (inches) ..................... . Plot size, ft ................................. .. Fertilizer (per acre) ....................... . Inches of available water in 5-foot profile on date listed ..... . Com Manhattan May 13 Prairie Valley 82S 25,500 30 25 X 40 170 lbs N 36 lbs P20G (June 12) 12.8 May 7 Pioneer 3390 23,000 30 25 X 50 19llbsN 46 lbs P20~ (May 29) 9.1 Grain Sorghum Manhattan May 21 Pioneer 846 88,500 30 25 X 40 117 lbs N 36 lbs P20 o (J une 20) 13.8 Tribune May 29 T-E 66B 70,000 30 25 X 50 191 lbs N 46 lbs P20s Uune 11) 9.5 Table 2.-Corn grain yields at Manhattan and Tribune, Kansas, as influenced by irrigation in 1974. Time irriga-ted* One week before tasseling ......... ... .. ....... .. During silk emergence .......................... ... . At bli·ster stage ..... .............. .. .................... . One week before tasseling, during silk emergence, and at blister stage .... .. No in-season irrigation ........................... . .. LSD 0.05 ..... ...... ....................... ......... ..... ....... . Water applied (in.) Manhattan 4.0 4.0 4.0 12.0 0.0 Tribune 6.0 6.0 6.0 18.0 0.0 Yield (bu/ acre}*" Manhattan Tribune 106.3 11 0.7 112.8 91.6 70.2 69.1 146. 1 119.8 45.9 78.5 28.3 24.2 Table 3.-Sorghum grain yields at Manhattan and Tribune, Kansas, as influenced by irrigation in 1974. Water applied (in.) Time irriga-ted* Manhattan Boot stage ... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. ... ... .. ..... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 4.0 Half-bloom .. ................. ........... ........ ... ...... . 4.0 Soft-dough ...................... ..... ....................... 4.0 Boot stage, half-bloom,: and soft-dough .... 12.0 No in-season irrigation ........... ................... 0.0 LSD 0.05 .................. ...... ..... ................ .......... . Tribune 6 .0 6.0 6.0 18.0 0.0 * All plo ts at Tribune a lso rece ived a pre-p lant irrigation of 7. 0 inches April 23, * • Yields are reported at 12 .5% moisture content. 1974. Note: A ll plots at Tribune were damaged by hail August 10 and by frost September 3. Yield (bu/ acre)* • Manh•ttan Tribune 113.7 64.0 106.6 58.1 97.2 73.5 108.8 78.4 108.1 55.3 15.8 12.3 This publication from Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service has been archived. Current information: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu.in-season irrigation; a single irrigation at either boot stage, half-bloom; or soft-dough; and three irrigations, one at each of those g rowth stag€ Grain sorghum plots at Tribune received a pre-plant irrigation. The corn data indicate that a single irrigation applied near tasse ling or at early silking in-creased yields greatly over one irrigation at blister stage or no in-season ·irrig ation. Due to grain sorghum's drought resistance, and timely rainfall, no definite trend between irrigation timing and gra in sorghum yield w as determined in 197 4. limited in-season irrigation is most practical in soils that contain nothing to restrict extensive root . developme nt, that have large water~holding capacity, and if a moderate to large amount of available water is stored before planting. Info rmation in this report is for fa rmers, producers, colleag ues, industry cooperators, and other inte rested persons. It is intended as an aid in irriga tion management decisions and not as an irrigation gu ide. It is not a recommendation o r endorsement and represents one year's research at two locations. Contribution no. 160, Kansas Water Resources Research Inst itute, Manhattan. The U. S. Department of Interior, Office of Wate r Research and Technology p rovided par-tial support. Con tribution no. 1492, Agronomy Depart-ment, Evapotranspiration Laboratory; and no. 26, Tribune Branch Experiment Station, Kansas Agricultural Experi-ment Station, Manhattan, Kansas 66506. Publ ications and public mee tings by the Kansas Agri-cultura l E?<periment Station are avail ab le and open to the public regardless of race, color, national o rigin, sex, or religion. This publication from Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service has been archived. Current information: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu.

Irrigating Corn and Grain Sorghum with Limited Water (1975)

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Irrigating Corn and Grain Sorghum With Limited Water (1981)

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