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ET where a deficit irrigation system is being considered and
<br />shallow water table conditions exist.
<br />SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
<br />Data from several studies conducted across the Great Plains and
<br />Intermountain West of the United States were examined to evalu-
<br />ate the biomass yield response of irrigated alfalfa to ET and to deter-
<br />mine how that response is affected by deficit irrigation strategies
<br />(Darer et aL, 1970; Bauder et al., 1978; Retta and Hanks, 1980;
<br />Sammis, 1981; Carter and Sheaffer, 1983; Undersander, 1987;
<br />Wright, 1988, Bogler and Marches, 1990; Smeal et al., 1991). Only
<br />studies that accounted for water from all sources, including soil
<br />water, were reviewed to elucidate management practices that can
<br />improve WUE in deficit irrigated alfalfa. The results of these stud-
<br />ies revealed apositive, linear response of alfalfa biomass yield to ET
<br />and suggested several management techniques that could improve
<br />that relationship. Total seasonal ET of alfalfa ranged from 18 cm
<br />under dryland to 152 cm under full irrigation with an average total
<br />seasonal ET of 88 cm. The irrigation strategy used to reduce ET in
<br />most reported studies was deficit irrigation, with a reduced amount
<br />of irrigation water applied throughout the entire crop growing sea-
<br />son. A relative water production function accounted for most of the
<br />environmental and climate variability among studies and showed
<br />that when managing irrigation to reduce ET, yield declines from its
<br />local maximum 25% faster than ET.
<br />For environmental conditions in the Great Plains and Inter-
<br />mountain West, alfalfa WUE is greatest during the first harvest
<br />interval when plants are using carbohydrates stored in roots, solar
<br />irradiance is high, and temperatures are relatively low. Thus, partial
<br />season irrigation is apotential management approach to saving
<br />irrigation water that combines full irrigation during the earliest
<br />growth cycle with no irrigation during subsequent growth cydes.
<br />Irrigation termination during hot, dry summers can be detrimen-
<br />tal to alfalfa stands in arid environments and sandy soils (Ottman
<br />et al., 1996), but evidence suggests minimal stand loss in semiarid
<br />environments with finer soil textures (Hansen and Putnam,
<br />2000). Partial season irrigation may improve total seasonal WUE
<br />for alfalfa compared to deficit irrigation and may be a better
<br />approach for conservation of agricultural water compaired to
<br />deficit irrigation or conversion to dryland production.
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