Water-savings Alternative for Grain Production

Vegetable study targets water savings in the High Plains at Taxas A&M Agril life Research center

"Everybody knows we are generallywatershort in the Texas High Plains and can no longer meet 100 percent of all crop water needs," said Thomas Marek, AgriLife Research senior research engineer for irrigationwater conservationand management in Amarillo. "We grow a tremendous amount of corn for the cattle industry. And we know from our regional water plan that corn production is going to have to be reduced in the future."

Marek said production changes, preferably to higher valued crops such as certain types of vegetables, may be a partial solution to sustaining future profitability for Texas High Plains' producers, particularly those within the northwestern area facing water shortages.

"Water is the largest input factor in economically feasible crop production, so numerous water management strategies have been proposed by the region's water planning committee, the Panhandle Water Planning Group," he said. "One of those strategies being considered is that of crop changes to reduce irrigation water use.

"While water use for vegetables may not be less per acre than that of some currently produced cereal grains, less overall regional acreage may be required to potentially maintain or even increase existing profit levels for producers," Marek said.

He conducted a relatively small demonstration in 2014 with several categories of vegetables at the AgriLife Research James Bush Farm north of Bushland. This study was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service's Ogallala Aquifer Program, AgriLife Research and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Source: Phys.org

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