Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Gholson, Drew M.

Committee Member

Singh, Gurbir

Committee Member

Kaur, Gurpreet

Committee Member

Larson, Erick J.

Committee Member

Czarnecki, Joby M.

Date of Degree

5-10-2024

Original embargo terms

Visible MSU only 2 years

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only

Major

Plant and Soil Sciences (Agronomy)

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Abstract

The majority of soils in the Mississippi Delta are vertisols, which are prone to waterlogging and can negatively affect crop production. Thus, our goal was to investigate whether widening the spacing of irrigated furrows will relieve waterlogging and improve corn productivity. The effects of furrow irrigation spacing on corn grain yield and quality were investigated for three years at a research station and a commercial farm. Widening furrow irrigation spacing up to 8 m never decreased corn grain yield, and higher corn yields were documented in 8 m furrow spacing compared to narrower irrigation spacing. Irrigation water was found to spread underground at least 4 m perpendicular to the irrigated furrow and refill the soil from the bottom up. As irrigation spacing widened, water flow accelerated through the field and infiltration was reduced, especially for the soil away from the irrigated furrow. This suggests irrigation water savings of up to 30 % from adopting wide-spaced furrow irrigation in vertisols.

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