Drip-irrigation study sees ‘huge’ reduction in water, fertilizer use for sweet corn
![A researcher stands in a field of sweet corn in the desert]( "A researcher stands in a field of sweet corn in the desert")
UCCE research staff member Tayebeh Hosseini takes infrared images of the canopy to study the growth of desert sweet corn. Photo by Ali Montazar
A study by an UCCE consultant in Imperial County also shows a 5% increase in yield
A new study suggests that drip irrigation for sweet corn can significantly save water, reduce fertilizer use and increase crop yields in California's low desert, and likely in many other areas of the state with similar conditions.
Although Imperial County is California's leading sweet corn producing county, with about 8,000 acres planted on average each year, irrigation methods for this crop have rarely been studied in this region (or anywhere else). in the state), according to , UC Cooperative Extension Irrigation and Water Management Advisor for Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
![A cornfield under drip irrigation]( "A cornfield under drip irrigation")
A drip irrigated sweet corn trial field in Westmorland, Imperial County. Photo by Ali Montazar
Montazar conducted a study in the Imperial Valley over two growing seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22, to demonstrate and quantify the potential benefits of switching to drip irrigation from the irrigation method by furrows more common. The study, available in a recent issue of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources', will be published in an upcoming issue of Vegetables West.
"I hope with this project we can encourage growers to adopt it, because it looks very promising," Montazar said, noting that drip irrigation is a "new practice" for the sweet corn in California.
Among the 11 commercial sweet corn fields in the study during the 2021-22 season, the six that were under drip irrigation used, on average, 37% less water than the five under irrigation by furrows. In absolute terms, drip-irrigated fields recorded an average water saving of acre-feet per acre; for Montazar, who studied drip for a variety of crops in the Imperial Valley, it was an amazing result.
"I've worked with drip on processed onions, lettuce, alfalfa, spinach...we've never seen a number like acre-feet per acre, it's is huge," he said, attributing the dramatic drop to the high volume of water needed to crisscross-irrigate the sandy soil of the Imperial Valley.
![Filtration system for drip irrigation of corn fields soft]( "Filtration system for drip irrigation of sweet corn fields")
Filtration is crucial in drip irrigation because it removes sediment and other particles that can clog the system. Photo by Ali Montazar
More efficient irrigation also means less fertilizer - a boon for the environment and Salton Sea's water quality, as well as grower bottom lines. According to Montazar's study, as fertilizer prices continue to rise, sweet corn growers using drippers could realize a substantial savings of 25% on fertilizer expenses, or about $150 less per acre. , compared to furrow irrigation.
And by relieving plants of the stress caused by over- or under-irrigation conditions, drip irrigation helps maintain soil moisture at its "sweet spot", resulting in an increase in 5% of marketable crop yield for sweet corn in the study.< /p>
"When we have a better, more efficient irrigation system, we can maintain soil moisture at the desired level over time and space," Montazar explained.
Since the benefits of drip irrigation appear to be tied to soil conditions (sandy loam and other light soils), Montazar believes this irrigation practice could provide relatively low water and fertilizer savings. similar and improve crop yield in other regions of California, regardless of climatic differences.
"If you use drip in any part of the state, you get the benefits of drip - more even water application, more even fertilizer - that don't have nothing to do with the desert," he said. "It's part of the potential of the system."
Montazar plans to continue its preliminary study with additional research on sweet corn and drip irrigation during the 2022-23 agricultural season.
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![A researcher stands in a field of sweet corn in the desert]( "A researcher stands in a field of sweet corn in the desert")
UCCE research staff member Tayebeh Hosseini takes infrared images of the canopy to study the growth of desert sweet corn. Photo by Ali Montazar
A study by an UCCE consultant in Imperial County also shows a 5% increase in yield
A new study suggests that drip irrigation for sweet corn can significantly save water, reduce fertilizer use and increase crop yields in California's low desert, and likely in many other areas of the state with similar conditions.
Although Imperial County is California's leading sweet corn producing county, with about 8,000 acres planted on average each year, irrigation methods for this crop have rarely been studied in this region (or anywhere else). in the state), according to , UC Cooperative Extension Irrigation and Water Management Advisor for Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
![A cornfield under drip irrigation]( "A cornfield under drip irrigation")
A drip irrigated sweet corn trial field in Westmorland, Imperial County. Photo by Ali Montazar
Montazar conducted a study in the Imperial Valley over two growing seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22, to demonstrate and quantify the potential benefits of switching to drip irrigation from the irrigation method by furrows more common. The study, available in a recent issue of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources', will be published in an upcoming issue of Vegetables West.
"I hope with this project we can encourage growers to adopt it, because it looks very promising," Montazar said, noting that drip irrigation is a "new practice" for the sweet corn in California.
Among the 11 commercial sweet corn fields in the study during the 2021-22 season, the six that were under drip irrigation used, on average, 37% less water than the five under irrigation by furrows. In absolute terms, drip-irrigated fields recorded an average water saving of acre-feet per acre; for Montazar, who studied drip for a variety of crops in the Imperial Valley, it was an amazing result.
"I've worked with drip on processed onions, lettuce, alfalfa, spinach...we've never seen a number like acre-feet per acre, it's is huge," he said, attributing the dramatic drop to the high volume of water needed to crisscross-irrigate the sandy soil of the Imperial Valley.
![Filtration system for drip irrigation of corn fields soft]( "Filtration system for drip irrigation of sweet corn fields")
Filtration is crucial in drip irrigation because it removes sediment and other particles that can clog the system. Photo by Ali Montazar
More efficient irrigation also means less fertilizer - a boon for the environment and Salton Sea's water quality, as well as grower bottom lines. According to Montazar's study, as fertilizer prices continue to rise, sweet corn growers using drippers could realize a substantial savings of 25% on fertilizer expenses, or about $150 less per acre. , compared to furrow irrigation.
And by relieving plants of the stress caused by over- or under-irrigation conditions, drip irrigation helps maintain soil moisture at its "sweet spot", resulting in an increase in 5% of marketable crop yield for sweet corn in the study.< /p>
"When we have a better, more efficient irrigation system, we can maintain soil moisture at the desired level over time and space," Montazar explained.
Since the benefits of drip irrigation appear to be tied to soil conditions (sandy loam and other light soils), Montazar believes this irrigation practice could provide relatively low water and fertilizer savings. similar and improve crop yield in other regions of California, regardless of climatic differences.
"If you use drip in any part of the state, you get the benefits of drip - more even water application, more even fertilizer - that don't have nothing to do with the desert," he said. "It's part of the potential of the system."
Montazar plans to continue its preliminary study with additional research on sweet corn and drip irrigation during the 2022-23 agricultural season.
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UCCE research staff member Tayebeh Hosseini takes infrared images of the canopy to study the growth of desert sweet corn. Photo by Ali Montazar
A study by an UCCE consultant in Imperial County also shows a 5% increase in yield
A new study suggests that drip irrigation for sweet corn can significantly save water, reduce fertilizer use and increase crop yields in California's low desert, and likely in many other areas of the state with similar conditions.
Although Imperial County is California's leading sweet corn producing county, with about 8,000 acres planted on average each year, irrigation methods for this crop have rarely been studied in this region (or anywhere else). in the state), according to , UC Cooperative Extension Irrigation and Water Management Advisor for Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
A drip irrigated sweet corn trial field in Westmorland, Imperial County. Photo by Ali Montazar
Montazar conducted a study in the Imperial Valley over two growing seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22, to demonstrate and quantify the potential benefits of switching to drip irrigation from the irrigation method by furrows more common. The study, available in a recent issue of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources', will be published in an upcoming issue of Vegetables West.
"I hope with this project we can encourage growers to adopt it, because it looks very promising," Montazar said, noting that drip irrigation is a "new practice" for the sweet corn in California.
Among the 11 commercial sweet corn fields in the study during the 2021-22 season, the six that were under drip irrigation used, on average, 37% less water than the five under irrigation by furrows. In absolute terms, drip-irrigated fields recorded an average water saving of acre-feet per acre; for Montazar, who studied drip for a variety of crops in the Imperial Valley, it was an amazing result.
"I've worked with drip on processed onions, lettuce, alfalfa, spinach...we've never seen a number like acre-feet per acre, it's is huge," he said, attributing the dramatic drop to the high volume of water needed to crisscross-irrigate the sandy soil of the Imperial Valley.
Filtration is crucial in drip irrigation because it removes sediment and other particles that can clog the system. Photo by Ali Montazar
More efficient irrigation also means less fertilizer - a boon for the environment and Salton Sea's water quality, as well as grower bottom lines. According to Montazar's study, as fertilizer prices continue to rise, sweet corn growers using drippers could realize a substantial savings of 25% on fertilizer expenses, or about $150 less per acre. , compared to furrow irrigation.
And by relieving plants of the stress caused by over- or under-irrigation conditions, drip irrigation helps maintain soil moisture at its "sweet spot", resulting in an increase in 5% of marketable crop yield for sweet corn in the study.< /p>
"When we have a better, more efficient irrigation system, we can maintain soil moisture at the desired level over time and space," Montazar explained.
Since the benefits of drip irrigation appear to be tied to soil conditions (sandy loam and other light soils), Montazar believes this irrigation practice could provide relatively low water and fertilizer savings. similar and improve crop yield in other regions of California, regardless of climatic differences.
"If you use drip in any part of the state, you get the benefits of drip - more even water application, more even fertilizer - that don't have nothing to do with the desert," he said. "It's part of the potential of the system."
Montazar plans to continue its preliminary study with additional research on sweet corn and drip irrigation during the 2022-23 agricultural season.
/h3>Area of interest tags: , ,
Tags: (4), (3), (6), (1), (1), (4), (1), (3), (1), (6), (1), ( 12), (2), (2)
UCCE research staff member Tayebeh Hosseini takes infrared images of the canopy to study the growth of desert sweet corn. Photo by Ali Montazar
A study by an UCCE consultant in Imperial County also shows a 5% increase in yield
A new study suggests that drip irrigation for sweet corn can significantly save water, reduce fertilizer use and increase crop yields in California's low desert, and likely in many other areas of the state with similar conditions.
Although Imperial County is California's leading sweet corn producing county, with about 8,000 acres planted on average each year, irrigation methods for this crop have rarely been studied in this region (or anywhere else). in the state), according to , UC Cooperative Extension Irrigation and Water Management Advisor for Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.
A drip irrigated sweet corn trial field in Westmorland, Imperial County. Photo by Ali Montazar
Montazar conducted a study in the Imperial Valley over two growing seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22, to demonstrate and quantify the potential benefits of switching to drip irrigation from the irrigation method by furrows more common. The study, available in a recent issue of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources', will be published in an upcoming issue of Vegetables West.
"I hope with this project we can encourage growers to adopt it, because it looks very promising," Montazar said, noting that drip irrigation is a "new practice" for the sweet corn in California.
Among the 11 commercial sweet corn fields in the study during the 2021-22 season, the six that were under drip irrigation used, on average, 37% less water than the five under irrigation by furrows. In absolute terms, drip-irrigated fields recorded an average water saving of acre-feet per acre; for Montazar, who studied drip for a variety of crops in the Imperial Valley, it was an amazing result.
"I've worked with drip on processed onions, lettuce, alfalfa, spinach...we've never seen a number like acre-feet per acre, it's is huge," he said, attributing the dramatic drop to the high volume of water needed to crisscross-irrigate the sandy soil of the Imperial Valley.
Filtration is crucial in drip irrigation because it removes sediment and other particles that can clog the system. Photo by Ali Montazar
More efficient irrigation also means less fertilizer - a boon for the environment and Salton Sea's water quality, as well as grower bottom lines. According to Montazar's study, as fertilizer prices continue to rise, sweet corn growers using drippers could realize a substantial savings of 25% on fertilizer expenses, or about $150 less per acre. , compared to furrow irrigation.
And by relieving plants of the stress caused by over- or under-irrigation conditions, drip irrigation helps maintain soil moisture at its "sweet spot", resulting in an increase in 5% of marketable crop yield for sweet corn in the study.< /p>
"When we have a better, more efficient irrigation system, we can maintain soil moisture at the desired level over time and space," Montazar explained.
Since the benefits of drip irrigation appear to be tied to soil conditions (sandy loam and other light soils), Montazar believes this irrigation practice could provide relatively low water and fertilizer savings. similar and improve crop yield in other regions of California, regardless of climatic differences.
"If you use drip in any part of the state, you get the benefits of drip - more even water application, more even fertilizer - that don't have nothing to do with the desert," he said. "It's part of the potential of the system."
Montazar plans to continue its preliminary study with additional research on sweet corn and drip irrigation during the 2022-23 agricultural season.
/h3>Area of interest tags: , ,
Tags: (4), (3), (6), (1), (1), (4), (1), (3), (1), (6), (1), ( 12), (2), (2)
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