The Potential Use of Summer Rainfall Enhancement in Illinois. Part I: A Field Experiment to Define Responses of Crop Yields to Increased Rainfall

Abstract

An assessment was made of factors affecting the use of cloud seeding to increase summer (June-August) rainfall for improved corn and soybean yields in Illinois. Crop yields from a five-year agricultural field experiment involving nine levels of rain increases were compared with yields produced under natural rainfall. The sampled years (1987?91) included a wide range of summer weather conditions, including extremely hot and dry (1988) and very wet and cool (1990). Since the types of growing seasons sampled represented only 30% of all types, caution must be used in interpreting the results and applying them to other years. Additional water of 10%, 25%, or 40% of each day's actual rainfall was applied after each rain. Additional water was also applied only to certain rains, depending on whether they were light, moderate, or heavy. The best treatment, based on performance in all years and considering both treated and untreated crops, was a 25% rain increase applied on days with moderate rain (2.5 mm?2.53 cm). However, it was only marginally better than the natural rainfall. The best treatment for soybeans alone, based on the average yields for 1987?90, was the natural, unmodified rainfall, whereas that for corn was 10%?40% increases only on heavy-rain days. In general, rain increases of 10% had little yield effect, and 40% increases applied in all years were found damaging in wetter years. However, in extremely dry summers, the 40% rain increases were the best for both crops. The best treatment in any given summer varied by the type and timing of rain conditions and crop. Selection of the best treatment to use in any summer would require the capability to predict the amount and timing of summer rainfall by 1 June.