Although impacted by insect and hail damage, cotton averaged 909.1 pounds of lint per acre, compared with an historicaverage of 787.0 pounds per acre using a center pivot with conventional spray irrigation. This irrigation scheduling program keeps cotton plants from stressing and keeps the feeder roots alive. Just about the time the plants have used up the available moisture, the pivot makes another round. In contrast, municipal and industrial water use combined is about 5 million acre-feet annually. A total of 10 weather stations dispersed over 20 counties gather PET data for the High Plains region.
Subscribers receive data sheets via fax machine early each morning.
In addition, local newspapers carry PET data daily. With high-frequency irrigation and the PET network data, farmers can apply just enough water to make sure the top foot of soil never dries out. But where LEPA really shines is deficit irrigation. Established in 1990 in Lamesa, Dawson County, a research validation farm tests emerging technologies to facilitate technology transfer to farmers. A producer may choose to conserve water by deliberate deficit irrigation and still end up with acceptable crop yields.