Project Number: 5302-13000-010-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Jan 29, 2007
End Date: Jan 28, 2012

Objective:
1. Determine new water requirements and develop improved management practices and systems for irrigated crops to promote efficient resource use and water quality protection. 2. Develop sustainable agronomic systems for water reuse strategies and for bio-remediation of soils impacted by use of saline water containing high concentrations of boron and trace elements. 3. Develop and evaluate improved drainage design and irrigation, drainage, and vegetation management methods to reduce water and pollutant discharge from irrigated agriculture to preserve quality of agricultural soils and ground water.

Approach:
Use weighing lysimeters and precision water and nutrient application through micro irrigation systems to assess water, nutrient, crop yield and quality, and deep percolation relationships for annual crops and perennial horticultural crops. Determine shallow groundwater contribution to water requirements of currently used crops and new species using large weighing lysimeters. Use field studies to develop sustainable cropping systems in areas with restricted drainage discharge, and to determine the impact of management practices on soil salinity, groundwater and drain water quality and quantity, and crop yield. Determine, through greenhouse and field studies, the ability of crop species to tolerate and accumulate selenium, boron, and other constituents found in arid saline soils and shallow groundwater. Formerly 5302-13000-009-00D (12/06).