Kaur et al. (2026) Coupled surface-groundwater modeling of water stress-triggered irrigation and climate change effects on maize production in Southwestern Kansas

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Mahekpreet Kaur, Vaishali Sharda
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110789

Research Groups

• Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University

Short Summary

This study evaluates deficit irrigation as an adaptation strategy using the coupled surface–groundwater model SWAT + gwflow in the Sunset Memorial watershed of southwestern Kansas, to quantify the effects of different irrigation practices on maize yield and groundwater decline.

Objective

• Quantify the effects of water-stress-triggered irrigation scheduling on crop yield and groundwater decline under current and future climate scenarios

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Watershed scale (838 square kilometers)
• Temporal Scale: Multi-decadal simulation period (2001–2024)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: SWAT + gwflow, a coupled surface-groundwater model
• Data sources:
  • Streamflow data from USGS gauges
  • Groundwater head observations from monitoring wells
  • Weather data from gridMET
  • Soil and land use data from USDA databases

Main Results

• Irrigation demand declined by 18.5% for alfalfa and 21.4% for maize across the five irrigation practices
• Maize yield showed no significant temporal trend, but groundwater heads declined significantly in all irrigation practices
• The identified water-stress irrigation threshold (Ws<0.7) offers an actionable scheduling trigger for producers

Contributions

• This study provides a physically based, coupled surface–groundwater–crop modeling framework capable of resolving both field-scale crop responses and regional aquifer dynamics
• It highlights the importance of considering climate change impacts on groundwater resources and agricultural productivity when developing irrigation management strategies

Funding

• Not specified in the provided text

Citation

@article{Kaur2026Coupled,
  author = {Kaur, Mahekpreet and Sharda, Vaishali},
  title = {Coupled surface-groundwater modeling of water stress-triggered irrigation and climate change effects on maize production in Southwestern Kansas},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110789},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110789}
}