Our research program has identified several technologies and irrigation water management (IWM) practices that can reduce the overdraft on the Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer while maintaining or increasing yield, increasing net returns, and ensuring that corn, cotton, soybean, and rice producers do not exceed permitted irrigation limits. However, the adoption of proven irrigation water management practices by Mississippi producers has been minimal.
This project will evaluate the addition of automation to furrow irrigation practices that would promote better management of those practices and, thereby, enable farmers to increase yields using less labor, water, and energy. Additionally, to encourage adoption, growers will receive assistance with design, installation of proven IWM practices on their farm, and irrigation timing decisions. This hands-on learning approach alongside the producer will provide maximum learning opportunities and remove possible barriers to technology adoption. The overall project will address the full spectrum of growers in Mississippi – from those who need to initiate proven IWM practices to those who have already adopted some or all of technologies, as well as, investigating the “next step” or tying the practices together through automation. We submit that the RISER (Row-crop Irrigation Science Extension and Research) Program can serve as the means to facilitate the widespread adoption of the latest irrigation water management practices across the Mississippi Delta as well as investigate new opportunities.
Declining aquifer levels, coupled with impending well monitoring, serve as a catalyst to improve water use efficiency. The RISER program has identified several technologies and management practices that have the potential to eliminate the 300,000 ac-ft/year overdraft on the Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer while ensuring that producers stay within permitted irrigation limits. However, the adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) by producers in the Mississippi Delta is minimal. The RISER (Row-crop Irrigation Science Extension and Research) Program can serve as the primary means to facilitate widespread adoption of the latest irrigation management research findings across the Mississippi Delta. The goal of the project is to evaluate, demonstrate, and transfer innovative and proven technologies that can result in water conservation by conducting coordinated extension activities throughout the Mississippi Delta.