Future proofing water productivity gains in the cotton industry
While cotton is not as water intensive as some crops (cotton plants are naturally drought and heat tolerant), geographically, the United States ‘Cotton Belt’ is primarily concentrated in the southern states where less precipitation occurs and therefore there is more need for groundwater irrigation. This has led to the cotton industry leading the way in responsible cotton production practices aimed at reducing water and energy use while increasing soil health and yield per acre.
The United States is a key producer and exporter of cotton with the industry accounting for more than $21 billion in products and services. U.S. cotton is grown predominantly in 17 ‘Cotton Belt’ States with the 2023 growing season recording over 11.1 million cotton acres planted.
Early investment in new technologies has reaped rewards with the benchmark study “Forty Years of Increasing Cotton’s Water Productivity and Why the Trend Will Continue” stating that cotton yields have increased 50% while irrigation water use has declined by 40%, over the past 40 years.
How has this been achieved?
According to the study, there are number of factors that have contributed to the increase in cotton’s water productivity (CWP, mass of cotton and cottonseed produced per unit of water used) including:
Improvements in water delivery systems – converting to sprinkler and micro irrigation systems, increasing application, energy, and nutrient efficiency.
The adoption of irrigation scheduling technologies – playing a critical role in improvements to CWP by providing insights on soil moisture, plant life stage and water requirements to provide farmers with an efficient irrigation schedule.
Developments in sensor technologies – the ability to monitor both soil and crop sensors remotely has become a game changer in the adoption of these tools (reducing manual labor and providing real time data).
Migration - of some cotton farming to the eastern states where water requirements are more likely to be met by rainfall.
Better understanding of cotton physiology and genealogy – understanding the critical growth stages of the plant to prevent water stress and allow targeted use of water when capacities are limited.
Additionally, there are other factors currently at play in the sector including high inflation rates squeezing profitability and growing sustainability and environmental concerns amongst farmers. Adapting to these challenges will shape the U.S. cotton industry in the coming years with the evolution of existing technologies and the emergence of new, essential to enhance long-term viability.
How can we continue the positive trend and safeguard for the future?
Since the 1980’s U.S. cotton growers have made significant progress in water efficiency by embracing new technologies and transitioning from a reliance on surface irrigation to intuitive irrigation and scheduling tools. Key to these advances has been innovative technology, management systems and new approaches that are more focused on long-term sustainability.
This Precision Agriculture (PA) strategy, with the goal of improving crop yields and profitability using high-technology sensor and analysis tools, has the power to create a more resilient cotton industry. An industry that is better able to withstand climate variables and other stressors through a deep, real-time understanding of its crops and land. Investment in Precision Agriculture will help to safeguard the gains made by the U.S. cotton industry over the past 40 years, maintaining their competitiveness on a global scale into the future.
More Crop Per Drop
Goanna Ag solutions offer farmers the ability to leverage real-time data insights so that they can make informed decisions, conserving water while enhancing profitability and sustainability in cotton production. Talk to us today.
References
“Forty Years of Increasing Cotton’s Water Productivity and Why the Trend Will Continue”.
E. M. Barnes, B. T. Campbell, G. Vellidis, W. M. Porter, J. O. Payero, B. G. Leib, R. Sui, D. K. Fisher, S. Anapalli, P. D. Colaizzi, J. P. Bordovsky, D. O. Porter, S. Ale, J. Mahan, S. Taghvaeian, K. R. Thorp