Risk Management Potential of Supplemental Irrigation for Cotton in a Sub-humid Climate under Climate Change

Adoption of supplemental irrigation to reduce cotton yield losses is a potential risk management strategy for farmers given increasingly frequent drought periods due to climate change. However, cotton farmers in the rolling landscape areas of the lower Mississippi River Basin (MRB) are concerned about whether an investment in supplemental irrigation is economically feasible. This study determined the impacts of the effects of risk exposure on optimal irrigation strategies for cotton production under climate change in West Tennessee. A crop simulation model was calibrated and validated using measured data from cotton irrigation experiments at Jackson, TN over three years (2006–2008). Simulated cotton yield matched closely with observed yield during model calibration (coefficient of determination r² >0.85; index of agreement d>0.87; percent error PE