Project Number: 6604-64000-006-04
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 08, 2008
End Date: Mar 31, 2013

Objective:
Develop conservation tillage systems for West Texas that increase water use efficiency, improve peanut yield, quality, and economic returns under water scarcity.

Approach:
Research from the Southeastern U.S. has demonstrated the extent to which conservation tillage increases plant available water and thus heightens drought response. A field study will be implemented which compares traditional tillage to conservation tillage with a rye cover crop. One-half of a center pivot irrigation system located in Lubbock, TX will be subdivided into 6 sections (0.21 ha each) where varying amounts of water will be applied to peanut and cotton. In addition to tillage differences, drought responses will be induced with an overhead pivot irrigation system. Irrigation treatments will be 100% (fully watered in the traditional manner), early season drought (50% plant evapotranspiration, pET), and late season drought (50% pET). Field plots will be intensively monitored for soil water conditions and plant physiological response including volumetric water content, plant photosynthetic rates, metabolic fitness, soil and canopy temperatures, and tissue collections for genomic expression. Effects on peanut yield and quality will be measured. An improved understanding of peanut drought response in West Texas and other semi-arid growing regions will improve accuracy in scheduling water application and improve yield and overall profitability. A constrained optimization model will be developed specific to West Texas to schedule irrigation under water scarcity to assist producers in irrigation management.