Irrigation Strategies for Guayule Grown in the U.S. Desert

In collaboration with the SBAR (Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions) USDA-NIFA project and Bridgestone Incorporated, we have conducted guayule irrigation experiments and simulations for the last five years. We found that we can apply 2.4 ft/year depth of water per year and optimize guayule rubber production as a function of water use. This is good news for Central Arizona farmers because many are being cut back to 2.4 ft / year due to the Colorado River crisis.

One of our recent accomplishments was germination of guayule seeds with gravity drip irrigation. After germination, guayule seedlings must be kept moist by irrigating frequently. This can waste water with sprinkler and flood irrigation systems.

We also simulated guayule irrigation and water use with the WINDS (Water-use, Irrigation, Nitrogen, Drainage, and Salinity) online irrigation app (https://viz.datascience.arizona.edu/WINDS/). Under Select a Planting à Planting Name, Scroll down to “2018 Maricopa Guayule Flood 100%, Replicate 1.” (or any other replicate).

Please visit the SBAR website for more information: https://sbar.arizona.edu/