U.S. Water News Online
CLOVIS, N.M. -- New Mexico State University is studying subsurface drip irrigation to help agriculture in Curry and Roosevelt counties, where groundwater levels are dropping.
Agriculture in the two counties is worth nearly $700 million.
Subsurface drip irrigation reduces water use and is more efficient at getting water to plants than the low energy precision application techniques currently used with many center pivot systems to irrigate crops in the area, said Mark Marsalis, Extension Service agronomist for NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Clovis.
Subsurface systems are efficient because water goes directly on the roots, Marsalis said. The technique also minimizes evaporation and runoff losses at the surface, which is particularly important in arid regions.
However, such systems are rare in Curry and Roosevelt counties, largely because of limited information on system operation and application.
"With reduced amounts of irrigation water available to producers, it is imperative that maximum water use efficiency be achieved in order for farmers to maintain a level of productivity necessary for continued feed and food supply," Marsalis said.
NMSU's three-year project is aimed at educating producers on installing and managing subsurface drip irrigation systems and the benefits of using geographic information systems and global positioning systems in conjunction with them.
The irrigation technique historically has been used on such high-value crops as vegetables and alfalfa, Marsalis said. The NMSU project will use it on corn, sorghum and cotton -- typical crops in eastern New Mexico -- and compare the technology to conventional irrigation systems.
"This demonstration has the potential to increase adoption of the resource-conserving techniques and could lead to significant water savings, which may extend groundwater availability for future generations," Marsalis said.
The study will set drip tapes in a typical 30-inch row spacing and will manage the experiment to represent common practices in the area. It will estimate water use efficiency for all crops and evaluate the crops for the best fit to the drip technique.
The study also will document the differences in water, fertilizers and pesticides and yields and economic returns.
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