In this study, we examined methods for evaluating the amount and timing of irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer inputs through the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UNL-TAPS; https://taps.unl.edu) farm management competition.
We found some conventional metrics of input efficiency penalized appropriate input levels, and are easily affected by cultivar choice. We proposed and alternative approach that directly compares seasonal input totals or input application schedules against a range spanned by university recommendations and the observed minimum for protecting yield.
Publication: Lo, T.H., D.R. Rudnick, C.A. Burr, M.C. Stockton, and R. Werle (2019). Approaches to evaluating grower irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen amount and timing. Agricultural Water Management (213): 693-706.