Irrigation Management Strategies Under Drought Conditions.

Periods of drought such as the historic drought of 2012 are common in Texas, where irrigated agriculture consumes more than 90% of the total water used. It is imperative to embrace technologies that optimize irrigation and conserve agricultural water such as irrigation guidelines based on historical weather station data that incorporate crop evapotranspiration for planning irrigation. This presentation will address irrigation strategies to manage drought conditions in irrigated cropland. Limited irrigation stratagies will be outlined for crops procued in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The presentation will also highlight an internet based computer program that has been developed to help producers adapt irrigation management according to drought conditions.