Subsurface drip irrigation in raised bed tomato production. II. Soil acidification under current commercial practice

Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1305 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Stork ◽  
P. H. Jerie ◽  
A. P. L. Callinan

The effects of ammonium-based fertilisers on the soil pH of vegetable beds that utilised subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for commercial tomato production were investigated at field sites in the southern Murray–Darling Basin region (SMDB). The soils at these sites were Vertosols (sites 1, 3, 4, and 5) and a Chromosol (site 2). At site 1, rapid transport and hydrolysis of urea occurred within the 0–90 cm soil layer of vegetable beds after a 6-mm fertigation of 30 kg urea-N/ha during cropping. Soil pH decreased by 0.2–0.4 units in individual 15-cm soil layers up to 90 cm within 12 days after the fertigation. A longer study at site 1 showed that there was severe acidification in topsoil and subsoil by the second consecutive year of SDI cropping. The rate of acidification was highest, at 52 kmol H+/ha.year, immediately beneath the dripline, in the 15–30 cm soil layer. Topsoil and subsoil acidification was also evident in vegetable beds at sites 2, 3, 4, and 5 after 2 consecutive years of tomato cropping using SDI. The results from the 5 sites indicated that acidification under SDI production may be widespread. A survey of 21 other sites in the SMDB under similar production showed that one-third of the sites had soil pH ≤6.0 in their 0–30 cm soil layer. Several soil types were individually represented at acid and alkaline pH levels, by 2 or more sites. This indicated that management practices influenced the change in soil pH for a given soil type. Altogether, the combined results of these studies strongly indicated that surface and subsoil acidification can occur in soils used for intensive SDI production. This may diminish their productivity in the long term.

Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Stork ◽  
P. H. Jerie ◽  
A. P. L. Callinan

The leaching of inorganic nitrogen and phosphate was studied at field sites that utilised subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for commercial production of processing tomatoes. Irrigation expended for the establishment of crops, at emergence, accounted for 34% of the seasonal total in a Rochester clay (site 1) and 25% in a Binabbin clay (site 2). In the period after emergence and up to crop harvests, irrigation and rainfall amounted to 88% and 105% of calculated crop evapotranspiration for site 1 and site 2, respectively. Drainage between the commencement of irrigation and crop harvests amounted to 66 mm below 2 m at site 1 and 60 mm below 0.9 m at site 2. Total irrigation caused a 2- and 5-fold depletion of soil chloride at site 1 (within 2 m) and site 2 (within 0.9 m), respectively. The drainage and chloride depletion showed that irrigation regimes at these sites were conducive to the leaching of fertiliser inputs. It was calculated that ~32 kg NO–3-N + NH+4-N/ha and 7 kg HPO2–4-P/ha was leached below 2 m during irrigation at site 1. At site 2, ~75 kg NO–3-N + NH+4-N/ha was leached below 0.9 m during irrigation.Post harvest amounts of inorganic nitrogen and phosphate at site 1 and site 2 indicated that fertiliser applications exceeded total crop uptake of both compounds. Post harvest quantities of inorganic nitrogen and phosphate at several other commercial locations (sites 3, 4, 5, 6) showed that excessive fertiliser use was not restricted to site 1 and site 2. At site 1, between an early autumn harvest and early spring, when vegetable beds were fallow, the leaching losses of post harvest amounts of both compounds below 2 m were 137 kg NO–3-N + NH+4-N/ha and 11 kg HPO2–4-P/ha. The irrigation and fertiliser management practices at all sites were similar to those reported for studies of SDI production of other vegetable and grain crops. Altogether, these results indicated that the effects of SDI combined with excessive fertiliser inputs in current commercial practice may cause the leaching of significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphate to groundwater depths.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2338
Author(s):  
Jingwei Wang ◽  
Yuan Li ◽  
Wenquan Niu

The objective of this study was to reveal the regulatory mechanisms underlying the soil bacterial community of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). The effect of different buried depths of drip tape (0, 10, 20, 30 cm) on the soil bacterial community in a tomato root-zone was investigated using high-throughput technology. Furthermore, the mutual effects of root growth, tomato yield and soil bacterial community were also analyzed to explore the response of root-soil interaction to the buried depth of drip tape. The results indicated that SDI (i.e., 10, 20 and 30 cm buried depths of drip tape) changed the soil bacterial community structure compared to surface drip irrigation (a 0 cm buried depth of drip tape). SDI with a 10 cm buried depth of drip tape significantly reduced the relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes and Planctomycetes, but significantly increased the relative abundances of Actinobacteria, Candidate_division_TM7 and Bacteroidetes. SDI of 20 and 30 cm buried depth significantly decreased the relative abundances of Roteobacteri, Actinobacteria and Planctomycetes, however, increased the relative abundances of Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Candidate_division_TM7 and especially some trace bacteria (for example Nitrospirae). Furthermore, under 20 cm or 30 cm of buried depth, the abundances of nitrogen metabolism and phosphonate and phosphinate metabolism based on the PICRUSt (Reconstruction of Unobserved States) method were significantly improved as well as soil porosity and root forks at 0-10 cm. These changes strengthened root-soil interaction and improved tomato yield per plant by 22.47% and 19.38% under 20 cm and 30 cm of buried depth, respectively, compared to surface drip irrigation. Therefore, the responses of bacterial community and root-soil interaction to drip tape buried depth of 20 cm and 30 cm are proven to be beneficial for the increasing of tomato production.


EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincoln Zotarelli ◽  
Libby Rens ◽  
Charles Barrett ◽  
Daniel J. Cantliffe ◽  
Michael D. Dukes ◽  
...  

In terms of water use efficiency, the traditional seepage irrigation systems commonly used in areas with high water tables are one of the most inefficient methods of irrigation, though some irrigation management practices can contribute to better soil moisture uniformity. Subsurface drip irrigation systems apply water below the soil surface by microirrigation, improving the water distribution and time required to raise the water table for seepage irrigation. This 6-page fact sheet was written by Lincoln Zotarelli, Libby Rens, Charles Barrett, Daniel J. Cantliffe, Michael D. Dukes, Mark Clark, and Steven Lands, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, March 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1217


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanuman S. Jat ◽  
Virender Kumar ◽  
Suresh K. Kakraliya ◽  
Ahmed M. Abdallah ◽  
Ashim Datta ◽  
...  

AbstractClimate-smart agriculture (CSA)-based management practices are getting popular across South-Asia as an alternative to the conventional system for particular weed suppression, resources conservation and environmental quality. An 8-year study (2012–2013 to 2019–2020) was conducted to understand the shift in weed density and diversity under different CSA-based management practices called scenarios (Sc). These Sc involved: Sc1, conventional tillage (CT)-based rice–wheat system with flood irrigation (farmers’ practice); Sc2, CT-rice, zero tillage (ZT)-wheat–mungbean with flood irrigation (partial CA-based); Sc3, ZT rice–wheat–mungbean with flood irrigation (partial CSA-based rice); Sc4, ZT maize–wheat–mungbean with flood irrigation (partial CSA-based maize); Sc5, ZT rice–wheat–mungbean with subsurface drip irrigation (full CSA-based rice); and Sc6, ZT maize–wheat–mungbean with subsurface drip irrigation (full CSA-based maize). The most abundant weed species were P. minor > A. arvensis > M. indicus > C. album and were favored by farmers’ practice. However, CSA-based management practices suppressed these species and favored S. nigrum and R. dentatus and the effect of CSAPs was more evident in the long-term. Maximum total weed density was observed for Sc1, while minimum value was recorded under full CSA-based maize systems, where seven weed-species vanished, and P. minor density declined to 0.33 instead of 25.93 plant m−2 after 8-years of continuous cultivation. Full CSA-based maize–wheat system could be a promising alternative for the conveniently managed rice–wheat system in weed suppression in north-west India.


2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1319-1343
Author(s):  
Freddie R. Lamm ◽  
Paul D. Colaizzi ◽  
Ronald B. Sorensen ◽  
James P. Bordovsky ◽  
Mark Dougherty ◽  
...  

HighlightsSubsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has continued to expand in irrigation area within the U.S. during the last 15 years.Research with SDI continues for multiple crop types (fiber, grain and oilseed, horticultural, forage, and turf).SDI usage on many crops has matured through research and development of appropriate strategies and technologiesDespite some persistent challenges to successful use of SDI, important opportunities exist for further adoption.Abstract. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) offers several advantages over alternative irrigation systems when it is designed and installed correctly and when best management practices are adopted. These advantages include the ability to apply water and nutrients directly and efficiently within the crop root zone. Disadvantages of SDI in commercial agriculture relative to alternative irrigation systems include greater capital cost per unit land area (except for small land parcels), unfamiliar management and maintenance protocols that can exacerbate the potential for emitter clogging, the visibility of system attributes (components and design characteristics) and performance, and the susceptibility to damage (i.e., rodents and tillage) of the subsurface driplines. Despite these disadvantages, SDI continues to be adopted in commercial agriculture in the U.S., and research efforts to evaluate and develop SDI systems continue as well. This article summarizes recent progress in research (2010 to 2020) and the status of commercial adoption of SDI, along with a discussion of current challenges and future opportunities. Keywords: Drip Irrigation, Irrigation, Irrigation systems, Microirrigation, SDI, Water management.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1300
Author(s):  
Koichi Noguchi ◽  
Hirotaka Saito ◽  
Reskiana Saefuddin ◽  
Jiří Šimůnek

Enhanced water use efficiency (WUE) is the key to sustainable agriculture in arid regions. The installation of capillary barriers (CB) has been suggested as one of the potential solutions. CB effects are observed between two soil layers with distinctly different soil hydraulic properties. A CB helps retain water in the upper, relatively fine-textured soil layer, suppressing water losses by deep drainage. However, retaining water in a shallow surface layer also intensifies water loss by evaporation. The use of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) with a CB may prevent such water loss. This study evaluated the performance of SDI in a soil profile with a CB using a pot experiment and numerical analysis with the HYDRUS (2D/3D) software package. The ring-shaped emitter was selected for the SDI system for its low capital expenditures (CapEx) and maintenance. Strawberry was selected as a model plant. The results indicated that the proposed SDI system with a CB was effective in terms of WUE. The numerical analysis revealed that the CB’s depth influences the system’s water balance more than the ring-shaped emitter’s installation depth. While the CB’s shallow installation led to more root water uptake by the strawberry and less water loss by deep drainage, it induced more water loss by evaporation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas L. Thompson ◽  
Thomas A. Doerge ◽  
Ronald E. Godin

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