Evaluation of Hydroclimatic Variability and Prospective Irrigation Strategies in the U.S. Corn Belt

Abstract

Changes in climate, land use, and population growth has put immense pressure on the use of water resources in agriculture. Non-irrigated fields suffer from variable water stress, leading to an increase in the implementation of irrigation technologies, thus stressing the need to analyze diverse irrigation practices. An evaluation of 17 sites in the U.S. Corn Belt for two temporal climatic conditions was carried out. It consisted of the analysis of critical hydroclimatic parameters, and the evaluation of seven diverse irrigation strategies using the Deficit Irrigation Toolbox. The strategies included rainfed, full irrigation, and several optimizations of deficit irrigation. The results show a significant change in the hydroclimatic parameters mainly by increased temperature and potential evapotranspiration, and a decrease in precipitation with an increase in intense short rainfall events. Consequently, the simulations indicated the potential of deficit irrigation optimization strategies to increase water productivity above full irrigation and rainfed conditions. In particular, GET-OPTIS for wet soil conditions and the Decision Tables for dry soil conditions seasons. The present study highlights the contributions of atypical weather to crop production and the implications for future management options, and allows specialized regionalization studies with the optimal irrigation strategy.

Simulation of Irrigation Strategy Based on Stochastic Rainfall and Evapotranspiration

“…Numerous studies have scrutinized the challenges of rainfed maize cultivation. In periods of anticipated water scarcity, the rainfed strategy yielded less than 40% in the study sites of the Corn Belt, as indicated by the research findings [31]. Similarly, compared to full irrigation, there was a substantial reduction in average annual grain yield, particularly under rainfed conditions, reaching 58.8% [32].…”

Irrigation optimization in green asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) using the AquaCrop model and evolutionary strategy algorithms

“…This optimization approach allowed for increasing the WP, as shown by our results. Orduña et al (2019) reported that the irrigation optimization strategy based on DT was better than other nonoptimized irrigation strategies and observed an increased WP due to optimized strategies such as DDT. Seidel et al (2015) observed increases in WP >30% when using optimization strategies such as GET‐OPTIS.…”

“…The main advantage of the DIT over other simulation tools is that it includes several crop models and various irrigation strategies, which allow for a comprehensive assessment of crop yields in variable environments. Kassing et al (2020);Quintero and Díaz (2020), Kuschel‐Otárola, Schütze, et al (2020), Kuschel‐Otárola, Rivera, et al (2020), and Orduña et al (2019) applied the AOS and DIT to simulate and optimize problems related to crops.…”

Analysis of Hotspots and Trends in Soil Moisture Research since the 21st Century

“…The third most studied is drought, which not only affects the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles of ecosystems but also has an impact on socioeconomic development and people's production and livelihoods, and even causes huge losses. Drought is a major cause of reduced crop harvests, and research on drought has focused on the effects of soil moisture on agricultural irrigation [37], crop growth, and the yield of agricultural products [38,39]. Remote sensing, with its ability to collect large-scale continuous spatial and temporal data, plays a crucial role in acquiring surface hydrology and vegetation information.…”