In the upcoming weeks, Pitt County is expected to experience drought-like conditions. The weather forecast indicates little to no rain in the next 10 days. It’s crucial to note that only about 3% of North Carolina’s cropland is irrigated. The top two crops affected by drought are corn, ranking #1, and tobacco, #2. During this time of year, most of Pitt County’s corn is silking and maturing.

Dr. Heiniger explains, 'Severe drought can reduce corn yields by 20 to 30 percent during the silking and maturing stages.' Tobacco is particularly vulnerable when it develops flowers. Removing the flower from the top of the plant is equivalent to one irrigation in terms of yield impacts.

Dr. Guy Collins recently emphasized, 'We are never more than 4-5 days away from a drought that could impact yields, and even sooner on sandy soils.' This serves as a crucial reminder of how significantly irrigation can affect our yields here in Pitt County.

The figure above, Lint Yields (lbs/A) shows how much cotton yield can be increased on a normal irrigation schedule. Timing is key when making a decision on when to irrigate your cotton, squaring marks when water needs to be applied, that water demand increases with plant growth.