Australian growers plant crops using different skip row configurations to minimize production ris... more Australian growers plant crops using different skip row configurations to minimize production risk in water-limiting environments. Previous studies have focused on comparing the effect of row configuration on crop yield, and information on soil water is still lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the water use, soil water extraction, and yield of dryland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) planted using solid and single-skip row configurations. An experiment comparing two row configuration treatments (solid and single-skip) was conducted in a cotton field with heavy-clay soil in the sub-tropical climatic environment of Queensland, Australia, during 2007-2008. Water content in the soil profile was measured about weekly using the neutron probe method. Measurements were taken from three positions from the crop row: within a row (P1), between two rows (P2), and skip or planted row (P3). The soil water measurements indicated that, in general, the solid treatment tended to extrac...
Optimum nitrogen (N) application is essential to the economic and environmental sustainability of... more Optimum nitrogen (N) application is essential to the economic and environmental sustainability of cotton production. Variable-rate N fertigation could potentially help farmers optimize N applications, but current overhead irrigation systems normally lack automated site-specific variable-rate fertigation capabilities. The objective of this study was to develop an automated variable-rate N fertigation based on real-time Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measurements from crop sensors integrated with a lateral move irrigation system. For this purpose, NDVI crop sensors and a flow meter integrated with Arduino microcontrollers were constructed on a linear move fertigation system at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, South Carolina. A computer program was developed to automatically apply site-specific variable N rates based on real-time NDVI sensor data. The system’s ability to use the NDVI data to prescribe N rates, the flow meter to monitor the flow of ...
Australian cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers use different planting configurations as a stra... more Australian cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers use different planting configurations as a strategy to minimise production risk in water-limited environments. Although there has been considerable research comparing yields between different row configurations, detailed information on associated water extraction is still lacking. The objectives of this study were to compare the water use, soil water extraction pattern, crop development and yield of dryland cotton planted on solid and single-skip row configurations. A replicated field experiment comparing the two configurations was conducted at Kingsthorpe, Queensland, in 2007-08. Soil water was measured weekly with the neutron probe method at 10 cm depth increments from three positions (P1, P2, and P3) with respect to the crop row. We found that the single-skip configuration had more water available in the top 105 cm during the vegetative development stage. Seasonal water extraction, however, was the same (about 128 mm) for both con...
Australian growers plant crops using different skip row configurations to minimize production ris... more Australian growers plant crops using different skip row configurations to minimize production risk in water-limiting environments. Previous studies have focused on comparing the effect of row configuration on crop yield, and information on soil water is still lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the water use, soil water extraction, and yield of dryland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) planted using solid and single-skip row configurations. An experiment comparing two row configuration treatments (solid and single-skip) was conducted in a cotton field with heavy-clay soil in the sub-tropical climatic environment of Queensland, Australia, during 2007-2008. Water content in the soil profile was measured about weekly using the neutron probe method. Measurements were taken from three positions from the crop row: within a row (P1), between two rows (P2), and skip or planted row (P3). The soil water measurements indicated that, in general, the solid treatment tended to extrac...
Optimum nitrogen (N) application is essential to the economic and environmental sustainability of... more Optimum nitrogen (N) application is essential to the economic and environmental sustainability of cotton production. Variable-rate N fertigation could potentially help farmers optimize N applications, but current overhead irrigation systems normally lack automated site-specific variable-rate fertigation capabilities. The objective of this study was to develop an automated variable-rate N fertigation based on real-time Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measurements from crop sensors integrated with a lateral move irrigation system. For this purpose, NDVI crop sensors and a flow meter integrated with Arduino microcontrollers were constructed on a linear move fertigation system at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, South Carolina. A computer program was developed to automatically apply site-specific variable N rates based on real-time NDVI sensor data. The system’s ability to use the NDVI data to prescribe N rates, the flow meter to monitor the flow of ...
Australian cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers use different planting configurations as a stra... more Australian cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers use different planting configurations as a strategy to minimise production risk in water-limited environments. Although there has been considerable research comparing yields between different row configurations, detailed information on associated water extraction is still lacking. The objectives of this study were to compare the water use, soil water extraction pattern, crop development and yield of dryland cotton planted on solid and single-skip row configurations. A replicated field experiment comparing the two configurations was conducted at Kingsthorpe, Queensland, in 2007-08. Soil water was measured weekly with the neutron probe method at 10 cm depth increments from three positions (P1, P2, and P3) with respect to the crop row. We found that the single-skip configuration had more water available in the top 105 cm during the vegetative development stage. Seasonal water extraction, however, was the same (about 128 mm) for both con...
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