Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Xiaofei, Li

Committee Member

Mills, Brian

Committee Member

Tagert, Mary

Committee Member

Yun, Seong

Date of Degree

8-7-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agricultural Economics

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Agricultural Economics

Abstract

Variable rate irrigation (VRI) systems offer a promising solution by optimizing water application based on site-specific needs in different areas within a crop field. While accurate crop water production functions (CWPFs) are essential for VRI systems, developing CWPFs has been hindered by challenges in data collection and the complexities of modeling water’s impact on yields. This study attempts to develop site-specific CWPFs using farmers’ historical soil moisture data, collected using soil water tension (SWT) as a proxy, and yield maps. The spatial variability of the crop-water response functions was modeled using Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) and the results from this revealed consistent variability patterns in the crop-water relationship. The study found that both corn and soybean crops were most sensitive to water during their reproductive stage and farmers may have to optimize water use during these periods. These findings could be valuable in making irrigation management decisions by farmers.

Sponsorship (Optional)

Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board project: Low-Cost Precision Agriculture Solutions for Advancing Irrigation Efficiency

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