End of season irrigation should use up soil water

Growers urged to leave fields drier for fall, winter seasons

  • A center pivot irrigation system sprays water on a late-season soybean crop. Farmers are urged to optimize their last few irrigations of the season in order to allow the soil to soak up more water in the non-growing seasons.
    A center pivot irrigation system sprays water on a late-season soybean crop. Farmers are urged to optimize their last few irrigations of the season in order to allow the soil to soak up more water in the non-growing seasons.
Scheduling the last few irrigations of the season deserves extra attention because the goal is not only to focus on keeping the crop wet enough to produce optimal yields, but also on using up stored soil water. Leaving the field a little drier at the end of the season will save irrigation costs, decrease leaching losses, improve soil conditions for harvest traffic and save water for future years…

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