Disk-till vs. no-till maize evapotranspiration, microclimate, grain yield, production functions and water productivity

•High-frequency water fluxes were measured in Disk-till (DT) and No-till (NT) maize fields.•DT maize ET was 92 mm higher than NT maize ET with sub-seasonal patterns.•NT maize had lesser and greater ET than DT maize, in pre- and post-anthesis periods.•DT maize had 8% higher yield than that of NT maiz...

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Published inAgricultural water management Vol. 216; pp. 177 - 195
Main Authors Irmak, Suat, Kukal, Meetpal S., Mohammed, Ali T., Djaman, Koffi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.05.2019
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ISSN0378-3774
1873-2283
DOI10.1016/j.agwat.2019.02.006

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Summary:•High-frequency water fluxes were measured in Disk-till (DT) and No-till (NT) maize fields.•DT maize ET was 92 mm higher than NT maize ET with sub-seasonal patterns.•NT maize had lesser and greater ET than DT maize, in pre- and post-anthesis periods.•DT maize had 8% higher yield than that of NT maize, and water productivity was unaffected.•Irrigation-yield and evapotranspiration-yield production functions were developed. Recognition and understanding of impacts of any crop and (or) soil management practice on crop water use is equally crucial as its intended impacts. One such practice that has gained adoption among producers in the U.S. maize growing regions is conservation tillage, aiming at maintaining about 30–40%, or more, of residual vegetative cover on the soil surface after planting. The presence of numerous interacting factors suggests that the success of this practice is subject to its effectiveness on local scales, requiring scientific/research-based data. The crop evapotranspiration (ETc), microclimate, yield, water productivity (WP) and other variables for irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) were measured and compared under disk-till (DT) (conventional) and no-till (NT) (conservation) tillage systems in 2011, 2012 and 2013 in two carefully managed and monitored producers’ fields, which have been under these tillage management practices for over 17 years. On a three-year total basis, the DT maize ETc (2091 mm) was 92 mm higher than the NT maize ETc (1999 mm). Also, a seasonal and a monthly pattern existed in the difference between DT and NT ETc. NT maize had less pre-anthesis water use than DT maize and greater post-anthesis water use than DT maize in all three growing seasons. The irrigation-yield (IYPF) and evapotranspiration-yield production functions (ETYPF) were developed, and change in ETc increase per unit irrigation application was quantified for both DT and NT maize. Differences in ETc between the two tillage systems was also responsible for modification of field-scale microclimate, where the difference in ETc between the two fields was negatively related to differences in air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, wind speed and sensible heat flux, whereas it was positively related to net radiation and total soil-water. Maize yield was higher for DT maize than NT maize for all three years, by 7% (0.8 t/ha), 6% (0.8 t/ha) and 10% (1.2 t/ha) for 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. Tillage practice did not impact WP as WP for both tillage practices were similar, ranging from 1.74 to 1.94 kg/m3. The presented research data and information are a benchmark evidence for tillage-specific agricultural water management for stakeholders in regions with similar crop management and climatic conditions.
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ISSN:0378-3774
1873-2283
DOI:10.1016/j.agwat.2019.02.006