Profitability of Using Advanced Irrigation Scheduling Methods for Cotton Production

As global demand for food and fiber rise with growing population, scarce resources such as water face significant challenges. Agricultural producers rely on irrigation to manage production variability, which intensifies the pressure on water resources. To address this, advanced irrigation scheduling techniques have been developed to improve water use efficiency and boost production. However, the adoption of these new technologies remains low due to uncertainties about their economic return. This study evaluated the economic efficiency of four advanced irrigation scheduling methods alongside a calendar-based method for cotton production. Field trials were conducted over five growing seasons from 2013 to 2017. We compared water usage and profitability between dryland production and advanced irrigation scheduling methods under conservation and conventional tillage practices. The advanced irrigation scheduling methods included the smart irrigation cotton app (Cotton App), University of Georgia smart sensor array, cotton water stress index, and Irrigator Pro. The calendar-based method used the University of Georgia Checkbook method (Checkbook). Results showed that irrigation improved cotton productivity and profitability during dry years. However, in wet years, irrigated cotton exhibited reduced yield and profitability compared to dryland production. Among the various irrigation methods, the Cotton App demonstrated the best performance in terms of yield and profit. The adoption of advanced irrigation scheduling techniques, particularly the Cotton App, appears promising for enhancing cotton productivity and profitability, while potentially reducing water usage compared to traditional calendar-based approaches like the Checkbook method.