scholarly journals Effects of nitrogen addition and mowing on nitrogen- and water-use efficiency of Artemisia frigida in a grassland restored from an abandoned cropland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huajie Diao ◽  
Paul Kardol ◽  
Kuanhu Dong ◽  
Changhui Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
N Addition ◽  
Artemisia Frigida ◽  
Δ 13C ◽  
Abandoned Cropland ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
Δ 15N ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Grass Patch

Abstract Aims Competition among plants in a community usually depends on their nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) in arid and semi-arid regions. Artemisia frigida is an indicator species in heavily degraded grassland, however, how its NUE and WUE respond to N addition in different successional stages is still unclear, especially with mowing, a common management practice in semi-arid grasslands. Methods Based on a long term controlled experiment with N addition and mowing in an abandoned cropland from 2006 to 2013, we investigated the NUE and WUE of A. frigida in two patches (i.e., grass and herb patches) in 2013 which represented two potential successional stages from herb to grass communities. The coverage of A. frigida was higher (about 50%) in the herb patch than in the grass patch (about 10%). Stable isotopic C (δ 13C) and N (δ 15N) as well as C and N pools were measured in plants and soils. NUE was calculated as leaf C/N, and leaf δ 13C values were used as a proxy for WUE. Important findings N addition did not affect WUE of A. frigida, but significantly decreased NUE by 42.9% and 26.6% in grass and herb patches, respectively. The response of NUE to N addition was related to altering utilization of different N sources (NH4  +vs NO3  -) by A. frigida according to the changed relationship between leaf δ 15N/soil δ 15N and NUE. Mowing had no effect on NUE regardless of N addition, but significantly increased WUE by 2.3% for A. frigida without N addition in the grass patch. The addition of N reduced the positive effect of mowing on its WUE in grass patch. Our results suggested that decreased NUE and/or WUE of A. frigida under mowing and N addition could reduce its competition, and further accelerate restoration succession from the abandoned cropland to natural grassland in the semi-arid region.

scholarly journals Spatial–Temporal Evolution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Agricultural Water Use Efficiency in Northwest China—Based on a Super-DEA Model and a Spatial Panel Econometric Model

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 632
Author(s):  
Weinan Lu ◽  
Wenxin Liu ◽  
Mengyang Hou ◽  
Yuanjie Deng ◽  
Yue Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Econometric Model ◽  
Northwest China ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Agricultural Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Semi Arid

Improving agricultural water use efficiency (AWUE) is an important way to solve the shortage of water resources in arid and semi-arid regions. This study used the Super-DEA (data envelopment analysis) to measure the AWUE of 52 cities in Northwest China from 2000 to 2018. Based on spatial and temporal perspectives, it applied Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) to explore the dynamic evolution and regional differences of AWUE. A spatial econometric model was then used to analyze the main factors that influence the AWUE in Northwest China. The results showed firstly that the overall AWUE in Northwest China from 2000 to 2018 presented a steady upward trend. However, only a few cities achieved effective agricultural water usage by 2018, and the differences among cities were obvious. Secondly, AWUE showed an obvious spatial autocorrelation in Northwest China and showed significant high–high and low–low agglomeration characteristics. Thirdly, economic growth, urbanization development, and effective irrigation have significant, positive effects on AWUE, while per capita water resource has a significant, negative influence. Finally, when improving the AWUE in arid and semi-arid regions, plans should be formulated according to local conditions. The results of this study can provide new ideas on the study of AWUE in arid and semi-arid regions and provide references for the formulation of regional agricultural water resource utilization policies as well.

Nutrient and tillage strategies to increase grain yield and water use efficiency in semi-arid areas

2016 ◽  
Vol 178 ◽  
pp. 137-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanhao Lian ◽  
Shahzad Ali ◽  
Xudong Zhang ◽  
Tianlu Wang ◽  
Qi Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Semi Arid

Water use efficiency of spring wheat in the semi-arid Canadian prairies: Effect of legume green manure, type of spring wheat, and cropping frequency

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kröbel ◽  
R. Lemke ◽  
C. A. Campbell ◽  
R. Zentner ◽  
B. McConkey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Green Manure ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
Cropping Frequency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Legume Green Manure

Kröbel, R., Lemke, R., Campbell, C. A., Zentner, R., McConkey, B., Steppuhn, H., De Jong, R. and Wang, H. 2014. Water use efficiency of spring wheat in the semi-arid Canadian prairies: Effect of legume green manure, type of spring wheat, and cropping frequency. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 223–235. In the semi-arid Canadian prairie, water is the main determinant of crop production; thus its efficient use is of major agronomic interest. Previous research in this region has demonstrated that the most meaningful way to measure water use efficiency (WUE) is to use either precipitation use efficiency (PUE) or a modified WUE that accounts for the inefficient use of water in cropping systems that include summer fallow. In this paper, we use these efficiency measures to determine how cropping frequency, inclusion of a legume green manure, and the type of spring wheat [high-yielding Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) vs. Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS)] influence WUE using 25 yr of data (1987–2011) from the “New Rotation” experiment conducted at Swift Current, Saskatchewan. This is a well-fertilized study that uses minimum and no-tillage techniques and snow management to enhance soil water capture. We compare these results to those from a 39-yr “Old Rotation” experiment, also at Swift Current, which uses conventional tillage management. Our results confirmed the positive effect on WUE of cropping intensity, and of CPS wheat compared with CWRS wheat, while demonstrating the negative effect on WUE of a green manure crop in wheat-based rotations in semiarid conditions. Furthermore, we identified a likely advantage of using reduced tillage coupled with water conserving snow management techniques for enhancing the efficiency of water use.

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