Irrigation in Midwest: Lessons from Illinois
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 117, Issue 5
Abstract
Irrigation is becoming increasingly important in midwestern agriculture. Yet, since the Midwest has traditionally not been heavily irrigated, relatively little has been known about present irrigation water use and irrigation scheduling and efficiency in that region. Questions are arising with greater frequency about irrigation in the subhumid climate of the Midwest, and about the impact of irrigation water use on regional water resources. Biweekly and total irrigation amounts and irrigation‐scheduling practices were monitored at representative sites in central Illinois during the 1988 and 1989 growing seasons. Soil water‐holding capacity (expressed as average field capacity in the root zone) correlates well with total irrigation water use, suggesting that irrigation farmers largely determine their irrigation applications based on some understanding of the water‐holding capacity of their soil. Total irrigation water use varies with weather conditions; year‐to‐year variations are greater than variations from farmer to farmer within any single year. Surprisingly little variation in total irrigation applications is evident between different crop types. Irrigation practices vary because of individual farmer idiosyncracies; these variations have no apparent relation to the physical controls of weather, crop type, or soil type. Irrigation farmers are applying irrigation water on corn and soybean crops in amounts and timing that are in general alignment with evaporative demand and with rainfall. The irrigation sites observed in this study may serve as an analogue for gaining greater understanding of irrigation throughout the Midwest.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Algozin, K. A., Bralts, V. F., and Ritchie, J. T. (1988). “Irrigation strategy selection based on crop yield, water, and energy use relationships: A Michigan example.” J. Soil Water Conservation, 43(5), 428–431.
2.
Boggess, W. G., and Ritchie, J. T. (1988). “Economic and risk analysis of irrigation decisions in humid regions.” J. Production Agric., 1(2), 116–121.
3.
Bowman, J. A. (1990). “Ground‐water‐management areas in United States.” J. Water Resour. Plng. and Mgmt., 116(4), 484–502.
4.
Bowman, J. A., and Clark, G. R. (1989). “Transitions in midwestern groundwater law.” Water Resour. Bull., 25(2), 413–420.
5.
Cravens, S. J., and Wilson, S. D. (1989). “Irrigation development and management alternatives of a Dolomite aquifer in northeastern Illinois.” Water Resour. Bull., 25(5), 1073–1083.
6.
Eheart, J. W., and Barclay, J. B. (1990). “Economic aspects of ground‐water withdrawal permit transfers.” J. Water Resour. Plng. and Mgmt., 116(2), 282–303.
7.
Engel, B. A., Lembke, W. D., Sipp, S. K., and Goetsch, W. D. (1989). “Irrigation crop coefficients for Illinois corn.” Trans. ASAE, 32(4), 1275–1280.
8.
Fehrenbacher, J. B., Alexander, J. D., Jansen, I. J., Darmody, R. G., Pope, R. A., Flock, M. A., Voss, E. E., Scott, J. W., Andrews, W. F., and Bushue, L. J. (1984). “Soils of Illinois.” Bulletin 778, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign, Ill.
9.
Heermann, D. F. (1988). “Evapotranspiration research priorities for the next decade—Irrigation.” Trans. ASAE, 31(2), 497–502.
10.
“1989 Irrigation Survey.” (1990). Irrig. J., 40(1), 23–36.
11.
Peterson, D. F., and Keller, A. A. (1990). “Effects of climate change on U.S. irrigation.” J. Irrig. and Drain. Engrg., 116(2), 194–210.
12.
Thornthwaite, C. W., and Mather, J. R. (1957). “Instructions and tables for computing potential evapotranspiration and the water balance.” Publication 10, Lab. of Climatology, Centerton, N.J.
13.
Tracy, J. C., and Marino, M. A. (1989). “Management model for control of on‐farm irrigation.” J. Irrig. and Drain. Engrg., 115(6), 954–972.
14.
Walker, W. H., Bergstrom, R. E., and Walton, W. C. (1965). “Preliminary report on the ground‐water resources of the Havana region in west‐central Illinois.” Cooperative Ground‐Water Report 3. State Water Survey and State Geological Survey, Illinois Dept. of Registration and Education, Urbana, Ill.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1991 ASCE.
History
Published online: Sep 1, 1991
Published in print: Sep 1991
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.