Consumptive Use of Water by Major Crops in the Southwestern United States

This publication identifies and clarifies aspects of water use by the most common field crops in the Southwestern United States. Estimates of consumptive use in the Salt River Valley of Arizona, as measured by soil moisture depletion, are reported. A method is described for using the reported data to develop consumptive use estimates for other irrigated areas. This USDA Conservation Research Report updates an earlier bulletin, "Consumptive Use of Water by Crops in Arizona," by Erie et al., including both additional crops and years of data.