Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future

Irrigated agriculture in the U.S. High Plains primarily relies on the High Plains aquifer, which supplies 30% of the nation’s irrigated groundwater (Steward et al., 2013) and increases land production value by more than $12 billion annually (Hornbeck and Keskin, 2014). As of 2005, the change in water level of the aquifer ranged from a positive 25.6 m to a negative 84.4 m, with an area-weighted average decline of 3.9 m since pre-development (McGuire, 2007). Consequently, the ability of the aquifer, or parts of it, to support irrigated agriculture at existing capacity levels into the future is in question. Advancements in irrigation technology and system design, such as mobile drip irrigation (MDI), have occurred to help address this concern. MDI consists of integrating drip irrigation technology with center pivot irrigation. A two year research campaign investigating the performance of MDI versus sprinkler irrigation for soybean production under two residue levels (no-removal and baling of the previous year’s corn residue) receiving 60% and 100% of full irrigation requirements was conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, West Central Research and Extension Center - Brule Water Laboratory located near Big Springs, NE. Research findings will be presented.