Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important commercial crop in the northeastern part of Louisiana. Research-based information for irrigation scheduling in cotton is lacking in this region. A two-step reference evapotranspiration (ETo) - cotton crop coefficient (Kc) approach is considered a standard method of crop water use (ETc) estimation. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine stage-specific cotton water use crop coefficients (Kc), a ratio of ETc to ETo at the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station in 2010. For ETc estimation, paired weighing lysimeters were used. Cotton variety Stoneville 5458 B2RF was planted on weighing lysimeters by hands and surrounding field using a vacuum planter under similar growing conditions typical of the region on May 12. Cotton plants on lysimeters and surrounding field were irrigated throughout the season. Other crop management practices were carried out following the LSU AgCenter recommendations. To estimate ETo, an area of 102 m by 102 m seeded with Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L.) was demarcated and a tower 10 m in height instrumented with weather sensors was installed in the center of demarcated area in July 2009. Daily measurements of maximum and minimum air temperature, minimum and maximum RH, wind speed, and total solar radiation were obtained and ETo was estimated using the Standardized Reference Evapotranspiration Equation (SREE) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).An average Kc value of 0.42 for initial growth stage (0 to 25 days after planting), 0.89 for developmental (26 to 60 days after planting) and 1.41 for mid-season (61 to 132 days after planting) were observed. With the development of these Kc values, a simple internet based tool can be designed to help producers conduct a more efficient irrigation scheduling which will subsequently improve water use efficiency in this region.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-04272011-153235 |
| Date | 28 April 2011 |
| Creators | Kumar, Vipan |
| Contributors | Miller, Donnie K., Clawson, Ernest L., Udeigwe, Theophilus K., Rohli, Robert V., Tubana, Brenda, Sheffield, Ron, Labonte, Don R. |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04272011-153235/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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