Effect of irrigation regimes on water use efficiency and tomato yield (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) grown in an arid environment

Fertigation with surface drip has been introduced and broadly applied for vegetable cultivation in the Eastern China, which presents high precipitation and always has shallow groundwater. To estimate the influence of high groundwater level on the tomato nitrogen (N) and water use efficiency and develop new sensor-based fertigation technology, experiments were executed in plastic greenhouse in the experimental farm of Yangzhou University located in the suburban of Yangzhou city during 2016-2017 growing seasons using a block randomization with three replications. Three N dosages and 4 watering treatments were carried out in this experiment. The data indicated that irrigation threshold of -35 kPa was optimum to get the maximum production of tomato. In this treatment, the value of estimated plant evapotranspiration (ETc) was much higher than total applied water volume, suggesting high groundwater table had a significant contribution on the tomato ETc and a sensor-based irrigation strategy should be more accurate than the simulated ETc irrigation method to calculate the water demand under this condition. In addition, our results indicated that high groundwater level had a positive effect to alleviating N leaching. Finally, we can conclude that fertigation technology enhanced the N use efficiency (NUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) and three fourths of the calculated N dosage (according to a traditional nutrient equation) was sufficient to optimize tomato yield.

Download Full-text

RELATIVE PRODUCTIVITY, PROFITABILITY AND WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF CROPPING SYSTEMS IN HOT ARID INDIA

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479714000052 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 549-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

V. S. RATHORE ◽

N. S. NATHAWAT ◽

B. MEEL ◽

B. M. YADAV ◽

J. P. SINGH

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Mung Bean ◽

Crop Production ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Arid Environment ◽

Application Rate ◽

Cluster Bean ◽

Use Efficiency

SUMMARYThe choice of an appropriate cropping system is critical to maintaining or enhancing agricultural sustainability. Yield, profitability and water use efficiency are important factors for determining suitability of cropping systems in hot arid region. In a two-year field experiment (2009/10–2010/11) on loam sandy soils of Bikaner, India, the production potential, profitability and water use efficiency (WUE) of five cropping systems (groundnut–wheat, groundnut–isabgol, groundnut–chickpea, cluster bean–wheat and mung bean–wheat) each at six nutrient application rate (NAR) i.e. 0, 25, 50, 75, 100% recommended dose of N and P (NP) and 100% NP + S were evaluated. The cropping systems varied significantly in terms of productivity, profitability and WUEs. Averaged across nutrient application regimes, groundnut–wheat rotation gave 300–1620 kg ha−1 and 957–3365 kg ha−1 higher grain and biomass yields, respectively, than other cropping systems. The mean annual net returns were highest for the mung bean–wheat system, which returned 32–57% higher net return than other cropping systems. The mung bean–wheat and cluster bean–wheat systems had higher WUE in terms of yields than other cropping systems. The mung bean–wheat system recorded 35–63% higher WUE in monetary terms compared with other systems. Nutrients application improved yields, profit and WUEs of cropping systems. Averaged across years and cropping systems, the application of 100% NP improved grain yields, returns and WUE by 1.7, 3.9 and 1.6 times than no application of nutrients. The results suggest that the profitability and WUEs of crop production in this hot arid environment can be improved, compared with groundnut–wheat cropping, by substituting groundnut by mung bean and nutrients application.

Download Full-text