![]() But there were significant differences in other areas, including: The LESA tests did not make it to the fourth harvest, as the plants had died back by then.Īdhikari said there was no difference in the sugar content and fruit size of the watermelons between the treatments. During the second and third harvests, they selected an equal amount of fruit for quality analysis. The team transplanted the watermelon plants from the greenhouse on May 27. Growth of watermelon plants under the low-elevation sprinkler application irrigation system. ![]() ![]() Ranjeeta Adhikari, Ph.D., a post-doctoral researcher in Rush’s program, ran the trials using two spans of a traditional LESA center pivot system, retrofitted with MDI on the AgriLife Research facilities at Bushland. It includes spray nozzles that hang from the center pivot and place the water application about 2 feet from the soil surface. The LESA irrigation system is representative of traditional irrigation in most fields. The MDI system attaches to existing center pivot irrigation systems and applies water directly to the soil surface as the driplines are dragged across the field to provide uniform wetness. Additionally, the study uses neutron probes to measure soil moisture and help determine irrigation timing. The two-year study compares MDI and LESA irrigation systems against the traditional subsurface drip irrigation. However, most producers have already invested in center pivot systems, so we feel this study will let them see if it will be worth their time to retrofit those with draglines.” “We know high-value crops do best under drip irrigation. “We want to look for options for Texas High Plains producers to use specialty crops to diversify their operation and have the potential to get higher returns for their water,” he said. The spray pattern on the typical center pivot system with LESA hoses is much broader. In contrast, most crop growers in the High Plains grow traditional crops and use center pivots for sprinkler irrigation. Most vegetable farmers use stationary drip irrigation, either subsurface or surface. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service faculty at Bushland and industry partners to investigate the potential of producing high-quality vegetables under irrigation for fresh market sales. The project comparing types of irrigation and irrigation scheduling is led by Charlie Rush, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant pathologist and a faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology within Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Amarillo.įunding is provided by a grant from the Irrigation Innovation Consortium at Colorado State University. With mobile drip irrigation, a center pivot system pulls long dragging drip irrigation hoses through a field of tomatoes, directing the water application to the plants.
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