Forty Years of Increasing Cotton’s Water Productivity…

Over the last 40 years the amount of irrigation water used by cotton in the United States has decreased while yields have increased leading to a large increase in crop water productivity (CWP).  Many factors have contributed to improved CWP, such as improvements in water delivery systems, and increased yields from improved cultivars without an increase in water requirements has also been important for CWP. Continued developments in sensor technologies and improved crop simulation models are two examples of future strategies that should allow the U.S. cotton industry to continue an upward trend in CWP.