The Arkansas “Most Crop per Drop” Contest: An Innovative Extension Method to Improve Irrigation Water Management Adoption

Highlights An integrated research and Extension program promoted adoption of computerized hole selection (CHS), surge irrigation, soil moisture monitoring, and multiple inlet rice irrigation (MIRI) for surface irrigators in Arkansas. Using a contest design, water use efficiency (WUE) was determined for maize, soybean, and rice fields, and report cards were provided to contest participants to provide feedback on their irrigation acumen. The highest yielding fields did not always result in the highest WUE. The contest was implemented on working commercial farms in the Arkansas Delta using flowmeters and in-field crop yield checks for the purpose of promoting adoption of irrigation water management (IWM). Abstract . The Arkansas “most crop per drop” irrigation contest is an integrated research and Extension program developed to assess water use, rainfall, and yield for the purpose of estimating water use efficiency (WUE). The irrigation contest resembles traditional yield contests, with the goal of documenting WUE and increasing adoption and awareness of irrigation water management (IWM) practices in the region. Adoption of IWM practices was greater for those who participated in the contest than their Arkansas peer average, with documented adoption increases of 33% for computerized hole selection, 28% for surge irrigation, and 51% for soil moisture monitoring. Keywords: Computerized hole selection, Soil moisture monitoring, Surge irrigation.