Study Finds More Irrigation Needed

Study Finds More Irrigation Needed Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns increase the potential for drought and the need for more irrigation according to a study led by Trevor Partridge a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth University and a research hydrologist with the U S Geological Survey Water Resources Mission Area The study identified a need for more irrigation throughout the Midwest from Michigan and Ohio to North and South Dakota and south to Kentucky and Oklahoma It found that the benefits of irrigation in those areas that are currently rain-fed outweigh the costs of installation and operation “Our work essentially creates a U S map of where it’ll make the most sense to install and use irrigation equipment for corn and soybean crops in the future ” says Partridge Study participants ran model crop growth simulations under various global climate projections under fully irrigated or rain-fed conditions Each scenario was run for corn and soybean crops across all cultivated areas of the U S The simulations were run under moderate and high greenhouse gas scenarios They calculated the additional crop yield and market value expected relative to the irrigation costs The team looked at where and when irrigation would pay and whether the area had sufficient water for irrigation Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dartmouth College Hanover N H 03755 tpartridge@usgs gov; https://home dartmouth edu/news/2023/08/study-finds-more-us-crops-require-irrigation

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