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THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.70, # 1, 2013, pp. 4-22
THE WATER REQUIREMENT AND PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS OF
CORN USING IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT APPROACHES
INCLUDING EVAPOTRANSPIRATION AND WEATHER DATA
XiaolinQu, M.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Agricultural Sciences
West Texas A&M University
Canyon, TX 79016
Lal K. Almas, Ph.D.
Fulbright Scholar and Professor
Department of Agricultural Sciences
West Texas A&M University
Canyon, TX 79016
E-mail: lalmas@wtamu.edu
Received 14 January 2013; accepted 10 May 2013; published online 15 July 2013
Abstract
By using the corn demonstrations from a local research, the production
functions for corn with respect to total available water (TW), irrigation application
and Percentage of Potential Evapotranspiration (PPET) are established to represent
the conditions in the Texas Panhandle area. The production functions and the total
cost function generated are used to determine the optimal level of water application
and the corresponding maximized profit. Also the benefits of ET information is
analyzed and proved to be valuable in the decision-making process aimed at
improving water-use efficiency.
Key words: corn, irrigation efficiency, yield-water response function, ET
JEL Classification Codes: Q15
Introduction
The Texas High Plain is a major producer of irrigated and dryland crops in the
United States. Historically, agriculture activity is the major economic activity in
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