Irrigation Continued from Page 7
wrote. “They have already adapted sever- al irrigation tools and water conservation practices for different commodities.” He also recently demonstrated that us- ing drip rather than sprinklers can signifi- cantly reduce downy mildew pressure in organic clipped spinach. It can take some time before the results of a study, however encouraging, translate into new practices in commercial production. “A common concern is how viable are these technologies and tools in different commodities, specifically when the tech- nology is initiated to be adapted keeping in mind that the environment, soil types and conditions, and cropping systems in the desert are significantly different,” Montazar wrote. “Using drip in sweet corn is new to the desert region, and besides that there have not been many irrigation studies on sweet corn in California.” He said his recent study attempted to assess the viability of using drip in sweet corn, while developing “real world” crop information rather than just data from small research plots. “The data and information developed may assist growers to understand better the promises and pitfalls of drip in sweet corn,” Montazar wrote. “I am hoping this study can encourage growers to adapt the technology.” (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)
University of California Cooperative Extension advisor Ali
fertilizer to avoid leaching nitrogen below the root zone. Precise application under the drip system made it possible to reduce fertilizer use by at least 25%, which would be a money saver with the rising cost of synthetic fertilizer. “The results demonstrated that the total expense of applied fertilizers in the drip-irrigated fields were $145.60 per acre less on average than the furrow-irrigated fields,” Montazar wrote. “This means that because of a higher water and fertilizer use efficiency in drip-irrigation system, drip could considerably reduce by nearly 25.7% the fertilizer costs compared to regular fur- row irrigation practice.” Corn is a tricky crop to deficit irrigate, because water stress at the wrong stage of development can be harmful. “While there is never a good time to water-stress corn, some periods are worse than others,” Mark Lundy, a UCCE agronomy specialist, wrote during the 2015 California drought. “The worst de- velopmental stage to water-stress corn is during the weeks leading up to and fol- lowing tasseling and silking, when polli- nation is occurring.” Lundy’s Managing Irrigated Corn During Drought pamphlet is available on the UC Agronomy website (corn.ucanr.edu/). He also outlined drought tips in a 2015 UC Agriculture and Natural Resources article,
Montazar led drip-irrigation studies in the Imperial Valley.
“Managing Corn During Drought.” Lundy said the amount of irrigation applied will largely determine how much water is available to the crop. “Although water limitations have reduced field corn productivity,” he wrote, “careful consid- eration of variety choice, planting date, tillage practices, residue management, in-season agronomic practices, and irri- gation system design and performance can help to counter some of these effects and maximize the productivity of the water that is applied.” Drip has the advantage of affording more precise control over when water applications are reduced, which makes it possible to grow more sweet corn with significantly less water and fertilizer. “The water requirements for sweet corn rapidly increase from nearly 30% of poten- tial evapotranspiration (PET) during early growth to 110% of PET at peak growth,”
Montazar wrote. “This rapid increase in crop water use can occasionally catch growers out and reduce yield. Irrigation management from two weeks prior to silk- ing until harvest is significantly associated with yield.” Growers in the study using drip pro- duced more sweet corn using not only less water but also 25% less fertilizer. “On average, high-quality sweet corn yields were 5% greater in the fields un- der drip than the fields under furrow,” Montazar wrote. In addition to studying sweet corn, Montazar also joined researchers in studies showing that drip irrigation can save signif- icant amounts of water in alfalfa production. “Our growers in the low desert region like other parts of the state of California, and all western states have concerns associated with water shortage, the high price of fer- tilizers, and water quality issues,” Montazar
JOIN OUR TEAM Become a Grower Relationship Professional for The Morning Star Packing Co.
Saving Farms Saving Profits Saving Futures
Ready to start a conversation? Phone: 530.666.6600 | Email: agjobs@morningstarco.com Bring your passion for the agricultural industry. Put your networking and relationship-oriented skills to use. Further your personal development within a Mission Focused Self-Management culture. Salary Range: $120k - $200k Morning Star is a tomato ingredient producer with three factories located in California’s Central Valley. We supply nearly 40% of the domestic market and 10% world-wide.
CHAPTER 12
Imagine a Better Future | Restore Your Farming Legacy Eliminate debt. Stop foreclosure. Stop repossessions. Cancel bad vendor and packing house contracts. Sell farmland with little to no capital gains tax.
APPLY TODAY!
Free Consultation | 760.884.4444 | www.JDL.law
8 Ag Alert July 20, 2022
Powered by FlippingBook