Modeling the Impact of Deficit Irrigation on Corn Production

Marilyn S. Painagan () and Victor B. Ella
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Marilyn S. Painagan: Department of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan 9407, Philippines
Victor B. Ella: Land and Water Resources Engineering Division, Institute of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Los Banos 4031, Philippines

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: Deficit irrigation or intentional under-irrigation offers the potential for sustainable water resources management. The DSSAT CERES-Maize and AquaCrop models were coupled to simulate the effects of deficit irrigation on corn yield and water productivity. The models were calibrated and validated using observed values of crop and biomass yield under 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% depletion of the available soil water. Model simulation results showed that a 15% level of deficit irrigation results in maximum yield while a 60% level of deficit irrigation leads to maximum water productivity. Results suggest that it is not necessary to use large amounts of water in order to obtain high crop yield. The net irrigation application depths ranged from 60 mm to 134 mm, with a depth of 77 mm as optimum under 60% deficit irrigation when applied at the start of tasseling to grain filling. This study demonstrated the applicability of deficit irrigation as a water-saving management strategy for corn production systems. Crop models such as DSSAT CERES-Maize and AquaCrop proved to be viable tools to support decision making in corn production systems in the Philippines, especially when employing deficit irrigation.

Keywords: AquaCrop; DSSAT CERES-Maize; crop models; deficit irrigation; water productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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