Assessing Spring Canola Adoptability to the Southern High Plain Using Critical Stage Based Irrigation and Crop Modeling Approaches.

The Southern High Plain mainly depends on Ogallala aquifer for irrigation due to low and uncertain precipitation. But the extensive use of ground water resources for irrigation has significantly depleted the Ogallala aquifer. It is estimated that if current rate of water withdrawal continued, nearly 35% of the Ogallala irrigated area of the Southern High Plain will not be able to irrigate in the next 30 years. Therefore, there is a need for identifying alternative crops with less water requirement compared to the traditional crops which is the major objectives of this research. The study was initiated during the summer 2015 at Clovis, New Mexico and is being repeated in 2016. Three different canola cultivars (930, 955, and L140) were grown under four different irrigation treatments (fully irrigated, stress at vegetative stage, stress at reproductive stage, and rainfed). Higher total plant biomass, seed yield, and harvest index were observed for both the treatments of  irrigated and stress at vegetative stage which were 34%, 58%, and 37% more than stress at reproductive stage while 56%, 80%, and 59% more than rainfed respectively. But the water use efficiency was observed highest for stress at vegetative stage which was 19% more than both irrigated and stress at reproductive stage while 32% more than rainfed. Total plant biomass and water use efficiency were the highest for L140 which were 26% and 15% more than both the 930 and 955 respectively. Spring canola tolerated limiting irrigation at vegetative stage than at reproductive stage.