Abstract
The High Plains aquifer shown in Fig. 3.1 underlies 453,248 km2 in parts of eight states (Nebraska, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and South Dakota) making it the biggest aquifer in North America (Fig. 3.1). The predominant formation in the High Plains aquifer is the Ogallala Formation of the Miocene/Pliocene age (Sophocleous 2012), thus this aquifer is commonly referred to as the Ogallala aquifer. This predominantly unconfined aquifer comprises of silt, sand, gravel and clay, and varies in saturated thickness and permeability (Buchanan et al. 2009). For example, the predevelopment aquifer thickness and depth to water in Kansas varies from 15 m to over 90 m, and 8 m to over 105 respectively (High Plain Atlas). Most of the water from the aquifer is paleo or fossil water associated with the events of the last ice age when glaciers covered the Great Plains.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Buchanan RC, Buddmeier RR, Wilson BB (2009) Public information circular 18: the high plains aquifer. Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, KS
Debaeke P, Aboudrare A (2004) Adaptation of crop management to water-limited environments. Eur J Agron 21:433–446
Erhart A (1969) Early Kansas irrigation. One of three article series, “A page out of Irrigation History”. Irrigation Age Magazine. Feb 1969. 4pp
Gurdak JJ, Roe CD (2009) Recharge rates and chemistry beneath playas of the High Plains aquifer a literature review and synthesis. U.S. Geological Survey Circular, 2009
Howell TA, Copeland KS, Schneider AD, Dusek DA (1989) Sprinkler irrigation management for corn – Southern Great Plains. Trans ASAE 32(1):147, 154, 160
Kansas Water Office (2015) A long term vision for the future of water supply in Kansas. http://www.kwo.org/50_year_vision/Kansas%20Water%20Vision%20Draft%20II%2011.12.2014Final.pdf. Accessed 20 April 2016
Kisekka I, Aguilar JP, Rogers DH, Holman J, O’Brien DM, Klocke N (2015) Assessing deficit irrigation strategies for corn using simulation. Trans ASABE In Press
Klocke NL, Currie RS, Aiken RM (2009) Soil water evaporation and crop residues. Trans ASABE 52(1):103–110
Klocke NL, Stone LR, Clark GA, Dumler TJ, Briggeman S (2006) Water allocation model for limited irrigation. J App Eng In Agric 22(3):381–389
Lamm FR, Nelson ME, Rogers DH (1993) Resource allocation in corn production with water resource constraints. App Engr Iin Agric 9(4):379–385
Lamm FR, Rogers DH, Clark GA (1996) Irrigation scheduling for corn: macromanagement. In Proceedings of the Evapotranspiration and Irrigation Scheduling Conference, San Antonio, TX, Nov. 3–6 1996. Published by ASAE. p 741–748
Lamm FR, Rogers DH, Aguilar J, Kisekka I (2014) Deficit irrigation of grain and oilseed crops. In Proceedings of the 2014 Irrigation Association Technical Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, 19–20 November, Available from the Irrigation Association, Falls Church, Virginia
Miller JA, Appel CL (1997) Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Washington DC: United States Geological Survey Number HA 730-D
Nielsen DC, Vigil MF, Anderson RL, Bowman RA, Benjamin JG, Halvorson AD (2002) Cropping system influence on planting water content and yield of winter wheat. Agron J 94:962–967
Norwood CA (1992) Tillage and cropping system effects on winter wheat and grain sorghum. J Prod Agric 5:120–126
Opie J (2000) Ogallala: water for a dry land, 2nd edn. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln
Prihar SS, Stewart BA (1990) Using upper-bound slope through origin to estimate genetic harvest index. Agron. J. 82:1160–1165
Ritchie JT, Burnett E (1971) Dryland evaporative flux in a subhumid climate: I. micrometeorological influences. Agron J 63:56–62
Rogers DH, Lamm F (2012) Kansas irrigation trends. Proceedings of the 24th Annual Central Plains Irrigation Conference, Colby, Kansas, February 21–22, 2012 Available from CPIA, 760 N. Thompson, Colby, Kansa
Rogers DH, Alam M, Shaw LK (2008) Kansas irrigation trends. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, MF2849
Schlegel AJ, Stone LR, Dumler TJ, Lamm FR (2012) A return look at dormant season irrigation strategies. In: Proc. 24th annual Central Plains Irrigation Conference Feb. 21–22, 2012, Colby, Kansas. Available from CPIA, 760 N. Thompson, Colby, Kansas. p 51–58
Schneekloth J, Bauder T, Hansen N (2003) Limited irrigation management: principles and practices. 20142003. CSU, Extension Fact Sheet No.4.720
Sinclair TR (2009) Taking measure of biofuel limits. Am Sci 97:400–407. doi:10.1511/2009.80.1
Sinclair TR, Weiss A (2010) Principles of ecology in plant production, 2nd edn. CAB Int, Cambridge, MA
Smika DE, Wicks GA (1968) Soil water storage during fallow in the central Great Plains as influenced by tillage and herbicide treatments. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 32:591–595
Sophocleous M (2012) Conserving and extending the useful life of the largest aquifer in North America: the future of the High Plains/Ogallala Aquifer. Ground Water 50:831–839. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2012.00965.x
Stewart BA, Peterson GA (2014) Managing green water in dryland agriculture. Agron J 106:1–10. doi:10.2134/agronj14.0038
Steiner JL, Schomberg HH, and Morrison Jr. JE (1994) Measuring surface residue and calculating losses from decomposition and redistribution. In: Crop residue management to reduce erosion and improve soil quality: Southern Great Plains. Conservation Res. Rep. 37. Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, pp 21–29
Tanner CB, Sinclair TR (1983) Efficient water use in crop production: research or re-search. In: Taylor HM, Jordan WR, Sinclair TR (eds) Limitations to efficient water use in crop production. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, pp 1–27
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kisekka, I., Aguilar, J. (2016). Deficit Irrigation as a Strategy to Cope with Declining Groundwater Supplies: Experiences from Kansas. In: Fares, A. (eds) Emerging Issues in Groundwater Resources. Advances in Water Security. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32008-3_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32008-3_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32006-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32008-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)