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<br />CUG17S <br /> <br />, ,I <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Irrigation water requirement <br /> <br /> <br />The amount of irrigation water required for optimum erop growth and <br /> <br /> <br />produetion depends upon many factors including type of crop, stage of crop <br /> <br />growth and climatic factors, Several methods are available for estimating <br /> <br /> <br />irrigation water requirements, The method used in this study is commonly <br /> <br /> <br />referred to as the Modified Blaney-Criddle Method as published by the <br /> <br /> <br />USDA Soil Conservation Service (1967). This method is based upon correla- <br /> <br /> <br />tions of field research on crop-water use with temperature, length of day, <br /> <br /> <br />stage of crop growth and effective precipitation. Using these data and <br /> <br /> <br />the coefficients recommended by the Soil Conservation Service, calculations <br /> <br /> <br />of irrigation water requirements for each major crop grown in the study <br /> <br /> <br />reach were made by weeks over the IS-year study period. <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado agricultural statistics for Logan and Sedgwick counties were <br /> <br /> <br />used to estimate the percentage of each crop grown during each year of <br /> <br /> <br />the 1947 through 1961 study period. These percentages were then used <br /> <br />along with the Modified Blaney-Criddle analysis to estimate the total <br /> <br /> <br />irrigation water requirements in the reach on a weekly basis. It should <br /> <br /> <br />be emphasized that these figures represent an optimum or desirable amount <br /> <br /> <br />of water each week and do not necessarily represent the amount of water <br /> <br /> <br />actually received. A summary of the calculated annual irrigation water <br /> <br /> <br />requirements per acre, using the appropriate crop mix for each year and <br /> <br />measured climatological data at Fort Morgan, Sterling and Julesburg, is <br /> <br /> <br />presented in Table 3, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />-22- <br />