Supplemental data for "Using NDVI For Variable Rate Cotton Irrigation Prescriptions"

This is digital research data corresponding to a published manuscript, "Using NDVI For Variable Rate Cotton Irrigation Prescriptions", in Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 2022, Volume 38(5): 787-795. doi:10.13031/aea.15071.  

Irrigation timing is crucial for achieving high cotton yields and lint quality. This irrigation timing is more challenging in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain region due to its spatial variable sandy soils with low water and nutrient holding capacities and rainfall variability during the growing season. To address these challenges, we conducted a 2-year (2017 and 2018) study evaluating two irrigation scheduling methods under a variable rate irrigation system. The two irrigation methods were: (1) a uniform irrigation management based on weekly crop water usage, and (2) spatial crop coefficients derived from normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI). We compared cotton yields and water use efficiency using the two irrigation scheduling methods at two different planting densities. The two plant populations were 5 and 11.5 plants m^-1 of row to provide different NDVI readings and water requirements.