IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v287y2023ics0378377423002937.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A

Author

Listed:
  • Schattman, Rachel E.
  • Jean, Haley
  • Faulkner, Joshua W.
  • Maden, Rebecca
  • McKeag, Lisa
  • Nelson, Katie Campbell
  • Grubinger, Vernon
  • Burnett, Stephanie
  • Erich, M. Susan
  • Ohno, Tsutomu

Abstract

The Northeast United States is a temperate region that has historically experienced even rainfall distribution across the agricultural growing season. Due to climate change, seasonal precipitation and temperature dynamics are shifting, causing many farmers to rethink their approach to irrigation. Soil-water sensing technology, including tensiometers and granular matrix sensors, are often used by farmers to increase water use efficiency. However, adoption of these technologies is low in the Northeast. We conducted a field study to assess the potential of soil-water sensing hardware and software to improve crop outcomes in temperate agricultural regions such as the Northeast, and a survey to better understand farmer preferences for using soil moisture sensors and associated data. The survey involved two vegetable farmer industry associations, and focus groups at four agricultural conferences. We found a diversity of preferences among farmers when it comes to when and how they would like to access soil-water data. The cost of cloud-based data collection and storage is a barrier for some farmers, and they question the economic benefits of investing in these platforms. Additionally, we conducted field experiments in two locations across two growing seasons to investigate how using three irrigation strategies (feeling the soil, granular matrix sensors, and timers) affect soil-water conditions, leaching, and crop yield and quality. We found no significant effects of irrigation strategy on yield, though our results suggest other advantages in using soil moisture sensors. For example, the use of sensors increased the proportion of days during the growing season in which soil-water was in the optimal field capacity category. Therefore, using these sensors will reduce potential environmental risk associated with N contamination of groundwater.

Suggested Citation

  • Schattman, Rachel E. & Jean, Haley & Faulkner, Joshua W. & Maden, Rebecca & McKeag, Lisa & Nelson, Katie Campbell & Grubinger, Vernon & Burnett, Stephanie & Erich, M. Susan & Ohno, Tsutomu, 2023. "Effects of irrigation scheduling approaches on soil moisture and vegetable production in the Northeastern U.S.A," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:287:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423002937
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108428
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377423002937
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108428?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Imtiyaz, M. & Mgadla, N. P. & Chepete, B. & Manase, S. K., 2000. "Response of six vegetable crops to irrigation schedules," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 331-342, August.
    2. Hrozencik, Aaron & Aillery, Marcel, 2021. "Trends in U.S. Irrigated Agriculture: Increasing Resilience Under Water Supply Scarcity," Economic Information Bulletin 327359, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    3. Levidow, Les & Zaccaria, Daniele & Maia, Rodrigo & Vivas, Eduardo & Todorovic, Mladen & Scardigno, Alessandra, 2014. "Improving water-efficient irrigation: Prospects and difficulties of innovative practices," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 84-94.
    4. Viscarra Rossel, Raphael A. & Bouma, Johan, 2016. "Soil sensing: A new paradigm for agriculture," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 71-74.
    5. Knox, J.W. & Kay, M.G. & Weatherhead, E.K., 2012. "Water regulation, crop production, and agricultural water management—Understanding farmer perspectives on irrigation efficiency," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 3-8.
    6. Hrozencik, Aaron & Aillery, Marcel, 2021. "Trends in U.S. Irrigated Agriculture: Increasing Resilience Under Water Supply Scarcity," USDA Miscellaneous 316792, United States Department of Agriculture.
    7. Rahil, M.H. & Qanadillo, A., 2015. "Effects of different irrigation regimes on yield and water use efficiency of cucumber crop," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 10-15.
    8. Sezen, S. Metin & Yazar, Attila & Eker, Salim, 2006. "Effect of drip irrigation regimes on yield and quality of field grown bell pepper," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 81(1-2), pages 115-131, March.
    9. Kelly, T.D. & Foster, T. & Schultz, David M., 2023. "Assessing the value of adapting irrigation strategies within the season," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    10. Rey, D. & Holman, I.P. & Daccache, A. & Morris, J. & Weatherhead, E.K. & Knox, J.W., 2016. "Modelling and mapping the economic value of supplemental irrigation in a humid climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 13-22.
    11. Simsek, Mehmet & Tonkaz, Tahsin & Kacira, Murat & Comlekcioglu, Nuray & Dogan, Zeki, 2005. "The effects of different irrigation regimes on cucumber (Cucumbis sativus L.) yield and yield characteristics under open field conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 173-191, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniel Cooley & Steven M. Smith, 2022. "Center Pivot Irrigation Systems as a Form of Drought Risk Mitigation in Humid Regions," NBER Chapters, in: American Agriculture, Water Resources, and Climate Change, pages 135-171, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Ngouajio, Mathieu & Wang, Guangyao & Goldy, Ronald, 2007. "Withholding of drip irrigation between transplanting and flowering increases the yield of field-grown tomato under plastic mulch," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(3), pages 285-291, February.
    3. Liu, Haijun & Yin, Congyan & Gao, Zhuangzhuang & Hou, Lizhu, 2021. "Evaluation of cucumber yield, economic benefit and water productivity under different soil matric potentials in solar greenhouses in North China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    4. Sangha, Laljeet & Shortridge, Julie, 2023. "Quantification of unreported water use for supplemental crop irrigation in humid climates using publicly available agricultural data," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    5. Fernández, J.E. & Alcon, F. & Diaz-Espejo, A. & Hernandez-Santana, V. & Cuevas, M.V., 2020. "Water use indicators and economic analysis for on-farm irrigation decision: A case study of a super high density olive tree orchard," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    6. Pratt, Tyler & Allen, L. Niel & Rosenberg, David E. & Keller, Andrew A. & Kopp, Kelly, 2019. "Urban agriculture and small farm water use: Case studies and trends from Cache Valley, Utah," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 24-35.
    7. Morris, J. & Else, M.A. & El Chami, D. & Daccache, A. & Rey, D. & Knox, J.W., 2017. "Essential irrigation and the economics of strawberries in a temperate climate," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 90-99.
    8. Çakir, Recep & Kanburoglu-Çebi, Ulviye & Altintas, Surreya & Ozdemir, Aylin, 2017. "Irrigation scheduling and water use efficiency of cucumber grown as a spring-summer cycle crop in solar greenhouse," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 180(PA), pages 78-87.
    9. Rio, M. & Rey, D. & Prudhomme, C. & Holman, I.P., 2018. "Evaluation of changing surface water abstraction reliability for supplemental irrigation under climate change," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 200-208.
    10. Avery W. Driscoll & Richard T. Conant & Landon T. Marston & Eunkyoung Choi & Nathaniel D. Mueller, 2024. "Greenhouse gas emissions from US irrigation pumping and implications for climate-smart irrigation policy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Kumar, Satyendra & Imtiyaz, M. & Kumar, Ashwani & Singh, Rajbir, 2007. "Response of onion (Allium cepa L.) to different levels of irrigation water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(1-2), pages 161-166, April.
    12. Lauri Ahopelto & Noora Veijalainen & Joseph H. A. Guillaume & Marko Keskinen & Mika Marttunen & Olli Varis, 2019. "Can There be Water Scarcity with Abundance of Water? Analyzing Water Stress during a Severe Drought in Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-18, March.
    13. Çolak, Yeşim Bozkurt & Yazar, Attila & Gönen, Engin & Eroğlu, E. Çağlar, 2018. "Yield and quality response of surface and subsurface drip-irrigated eggplant and comparison of net returns," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 165-175.
    14. Bopp, Carlos & Jara-Rojas, Roberto & Bravo-Ureta, Boris & Engler, Alejandra, 2022. "Irrigation water use, shadow values and productivity: Evidence from stochastic production frontiers in vineyards," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    15. Antony, Edna & Singandhupe, R. B., 2004. "Impact of drip and surface irrigation on growth, yield and WUE of capsicum (Capsicum annum L.)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 121-132, March.
    16. Marjan Aziz & Madeeha Khan & Naveeda Anjum & Muhammad Sultan & Redmond R. Shamshiri & Sobhy M. Ibrahim & Siva K. Balasundram & Muhammad Aleem, 2022. "Scientific Irrigation Scheduling for Sustainable Production in Olive Groves," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, April.
    17. Lobell, David B., 2020. "Viewpoint: Principles and priorities for one CGIAR," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    18. Mohammed Wazed, Saeed & Hughes, Ben Richard & O’Connor, Dominic & Kaiser Calautit, John, 2018. "A review of sustainable solar irrigation systems for Sub-Saharan Africa," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 1206-1225.
    19. Ćosić, Marija & Djurović, Nevenka & Todorović, Mladen & Maletić, Radojka & Zečević, Bogoljub & Stričević, Ružica, 2015. "Effect of irrigation regime and application of kaolin on yield, quality and water use efficiency of sweet pepper," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 139-147.
    20. Zhou, Xinyao & Zhang, Yongqiang & Sheng, Zhuping & Manevski, Kiril & Andersen, Mathias N. & Han, Shumin & Li, Huilong & Yang, Yonghui, 2021. "Did water-saving irrigation protect water resources over the past 40 years? A global analysis based on water accounting framework," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:287:y:2023:i:c:s0378377423002937. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.