Interactive effects of water table depth, rainfall variation and sowing date on maize production in the Western Pampas

The study identifies an optimum water-table depth of 1.5–2.5 m for maize production in the Western Pampas, where yields are highest and most stable regardless of rainfall or sowing date. Water-tables shallower than this range cause yield declines due to waterlogging, while deeper water-tables lead to significant yield reductions, particularly for early-sown maize during dry seasons, as these crops rely more heavily on groundwater supply.

• Maize yields in the Western Pampas are highest and most stable, averaging approximately 11.6 Mg ha-1, when the water-table depth is between 1.5 and 2.5 m, regardless of whether the growing season was dry or wet or if the crop was sown early or late.
• Water-tables shallower than 1.5 m lead to yield declines across all evaluated conditions due to the negative effects of waterlogging, which is also reflected in the Crop Water Stress Index.
• Water-tables deeper than 4 m significantly reduce yields to between 25% and 50% of those found in optimum depth areas; these declines are most pronounced for early-sown maize during dry seasons, indicating a higher dependence on groundwater.
• Rainfall during the flowering period strongly impacts maize yields in areas with deep water-tables, whereas yields in areas with optimum water-table depth remain stable and independent of rainfall during that period.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Interactive effects of water table depth, rainfall variation and sowing date on maize production in the Western Pampas. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/interactive-effects-of-water-table-depth-rainfall-variation-and-sowing-date-on-maize-production-in-the-western-pampas/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Interactive effects of water table depth, rainfall variation and sowing date on maize production in the Western Pampas. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/interactive-effects-of-water-table-depth-rainfall-variation-and-sowing-date-on-maize-production-in-the-western-pampas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Interactive effects of water table depth, rainfall variation and sowing date on maize production in the Western Pampas |date=16 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/interactive-effects-of-water-table-depth-rainfall-variation-and-sowing-date-on-maize-production-in-the-western-pampas/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025interactive, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Interactive effects of water table depth, rainfall variation and sowing date on maize production in the Western Pampas}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/interactive-effects-of-water-table-depth-rainfall-variation-and-sowing-date-on-maize-production-in-the-western-pampas/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }