scholarly journals High nutrient uptake efficiency and high water use efficiency facilitate the spread of Stellera chamaejasme L. in degraded grasslands

BMC Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizhu Guo ◽  
Jiahuan Li ◽  
Wei He ◽  
Li Liu ◽  
Ding Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Ecological Stoichiometry ◽  
Uptake Efficiency ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Coexisting Species ◽  
Stellera Chamaejasme ◽  
Nutrient Uptake Efficiency

Abstract Background Stellera chamaejasme L. is a poisonous plant widely distributes in degraded grasslands in China. The mechanism underlying its spread remains unknown. In some degraded grasslands, S. chamaejasme has gradually replaced previous dominant species, such as Leymus chinensis, Stipa krylovii, Artemisia eriopoda on typical steppes. Apart from its unpalatability by livestock, we hypothesized that the survival strategy (nutrient uptake and water use efficiency) of S. chamaejasme in degraded grasslands could be distinct from other coexisting species in the community. Recently, ecological stoichiometry has been suggested as a new approach for studying the demand for natural resources of plants in a changing world, and the leaf carbon isotopic composition (δ13C leaf) as a rapid and effective high throughput phenotyping method for water use efficiency (WUE), both of which can reveal the survival and adaptive strategies of plants. Therefore, in this study we aimed to fill the knowledge gap concerning ecological stoichiometry in the leaf, stem, and root of S. chamaejasme and its surrounding soil on grasslands with different degrees of degradation, and comparing the leaf nutrient content and δ13C of S. chamaejasme with the coexisting species (L. chinensis, S. krylovii, A. eriopoda) in the communities. Toward this goal, we conducted a field survey in which plants and soils were sampled from four different degraded grasslands on typical steppes in China. Results Our results showed that there is no significant difference of carbon content (C%) and nitrogen content (N%) in leaves of S. chamaejasme in different degraded grasslands, and all element contents and element ratios in stems did not differ significantly. Meanwhile, ecological stoichiometry of S. chamaejasme is distinct from the coexisting species, with low C%, high N% and phosphorus content (P%) in the leaf, indicating high nutrient uptake efficiency of S. chamaejasme in nutrient-poor environments like degraded grasslands. Additionally, S. chamaejasme showed significant higher WUE than other species. Conclusions Our results indicated that high nutrient uptake efficiency and high WUE of S. chamaejasme might together contribute to the spread of S. chamaejasme in degraded grasslands.

scholarly journals Effects of Temperature and Grafting on Yield, Nutrient Uptake, and Water Use Efficiency of a Hydroponic Sweet Pepper Crop

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Ropokis ◽  
Georgia Ntatsi ◽  
Constantinos Kittas ◽  
Nikolaos Katsoulas ◽  
Dimitrios Savvas
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Sweet Pepper ◽  
Winter Climate ◽  
Mild Winter ◽  
Yield Increase ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

In areas characterized by mild winter climate, pepper is frequently cultivated in unheated greenhouses in which the temperature during the winter may drop to suboptimal levels. Under low temperature (LT) conditions, the uptake of nutrients may be altered in a different manner than that of the water and thus their uptake ratio, known as uptake concentration, may be different than in greenhouses with standard temperature (ST) conditions. In the present study, pepper plants of the cultivars “Sammy” and “Orangery”, self-grafted or grafted onto two commercial rootstocks (“Robusto” and “Terrano”), were cultivated in a greenhouse under either ST or LT temperature conditions. The aim of the study was to test the impact of grafting and greenhouse temperature on total yield, water use efficiency, and nutrient uptake. The LT regime reduced the yield by about 50% in “Sammy” and 33% in “Orangery”, irrespective of the grafting combination. Grafting of “Sammy” onto both “Robusto” and “Terrano” increased the total fruit yield by 39% and 34% compared with the self-grafted control, while grafting of “Orangery” increased the yield only when the rootstock was “Terrano”. The yield increase resulted exclusively from enhancement of the fruit number per plant. Both the water consumption and the water use efficiency were negatively affected by the LT regime, however the temperature effect interacted with the rootstock/scion combination. The LT increased the uptake concentrations (UC) of K, Ca, Mg, N, and Mn, while it decreased strongly that of P and slightly the UC of Fe and Zn. The UC of K and Mg were influenced by the rootstock/scion combination, however this effect interacted with the temperature regime. In contrast, the Ca, N, and P concentrations were not influenced by the grafting combination. The results of the present study show that the impact of grafting on yield and nutrient uptake in pepper depend not merely on the rootstock genotype, however on the rootstock/scion combination.

scholarly journals Water use efficiency and yield of cowpea and nutrient loss in lysimeter experiment under varying water table depth, irrigation schedules and irrigation method

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binny Dasila ◽  
Veer Singh ◽  
HS Kushwaha ◽  
Ajaya Srivastava ◽  
Shri Ram
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Water Table Depth ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Lysimeter Experiment ◽  
Use Efficiency

Lysimeter experiment was conducted at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar during summer season 2013 to study the effect of irrigation schedules and methods on yield, nutrient uptake and water use efficiency of cowpea as well as nutrient loss from silty clay loam soil under fluctuating water table conditions. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design having three irrigation schedules at IW/CPE ratio of 0.3. 0.2 and 0.15 with two irrigation methods (flood and sprinkler) and at 30±1.5, 60±1.5 and 90±1.5 cm water tables replicated thrice. Maximum root length (129.4 cm) and root length density (0.395 cm/cm3) were obtained when irrigation was scheduled at IW: CPE 0.3 associated with 30±1.5 cm water table depth using sprinkler method. Increase in water table depth and IW: CPE ratio decreased water use efficiency where IW: CPE 0.3 produced highest grain yield (1411.6 kg ha-1) with the WUE of 1.15 kg ha mm-1. Significant nutrients uptake response was observed owing to variation in water table depth, irrigation schedules and methods. Analysis of lysimeter leached water showed that with deep drainage and more IW:CPE, leaching losses of N,P and K were more however water applied through sprinkler saved 20.1, 53.7 and 24.4% N, P and K, respectively, over flooded method. Irrigation given at IW: CPE 0.3 through sprinkler form at 60±1.5 cm water table depth favours the higher grain yield and nutrient uptake by crop whereas flooded irrigation with deep water table condition accelerated nutrient leaching.SAARC J. Agri., 14(2): 46-55 (2016)

scholarly journals Moderate Grazing Increases Water Use Efficiency for Environmental Health in Alpine Meadows of the Tibetan Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunying Wang ◽  
Weiwei Pei ◽  
Guangmin Cao ◽  
Xiaowei Guo ◽  
Huakun Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Alpine Meadows ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Coexisting Species

Water use efficiency is an important indicator of drought tolerance in plants. The response of the water use efficiency to different grazing intensities and adaptive mechanisms in alpine meadows remains unclear. To understand the changes in water use in alpine meadow ecosystems under different grazing gradients, grazing systems have to be optimized, and severely receding grasslands should be effectively restored. This study analyzed the response of water use efficiency of plant dominant species, coexisting species, and functional group-level plants to grazing intensity using the δ13C index in an alpine meadow. We found that grazing increased the leaf carbon isotope composition in plants (δ13C) of Gramineae by 3.37% and grazing at a moderate level significantly increased it by 4.84% (P < 0.05). In addition, an increase in δ13C was observed in the functional groups of Cyperaceae (3.45%), Leguminosae (0.81%), and Forb (1.40%). However, some dominant species and coexisting species showed the highest δ13C values under moderate grazing. These results indicate that moderate grazing may significantly improve the water use efficiency of species in alpine meadows. The path analysis showed that water use efficiency was negatively correlated with evapotranspiration (P < 0.05), soil water content, soil organic carbon, and soil bulk density. Nevertheless, there was a positive correlation between water use efficiency and the available nitrogen. This study concluded that moderate grazing could improve the efficiency of grassland water use to a certain extent. Additionally, soil evapotranspiration was the main driving factor affecting the water use efficiency of alpine meadows.

scholarly journals Effect of greenhouse microclimate and water quality on nutrient uptake in pepper hydroponic crop

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ανδρέας Ροπόκης
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Nutrient Uptake ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Sweet Pepper ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Fruit Yield ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

The nutrient to water uptake ratios, henceforth termed “uptake concentrations” (UC), remain relatively constant over time under similar climatic conditions for a particular plant species and developmental stage. Under greenhouses with low temperature (LT) conditions, the uptake of nutrients may be altered in a different manner than that of the water and thus their UC may be different than in greenhouses with standard temperature (ST) conditions. In the Mediterranean regions, sweet pepper is frequently cultivated in unheated greenhouses in which the temperature during the winter may drop to suboptimal or even lower levels. In these areas, the available irrigation water frequently contains sodium chloride but also calcium bicarbonate, which at excessively high concentrations in closed hydroponic crops can impose Ca accumulation in the recycled NS and concomitantly negatively affect fruit yield and quality of the produce.Taking the above into consideration there were established three studies:In the first study, pepper plants of the cultivars ‘Sammy’ and ‘Orangery’, self-grafted or grafted onto two commercial rootstocks ('Robusto' and 'Terrano'), were cultivated in a greenhouse under either ST or LT conditions. The aim of the study was to test the impact of grafting and greenhouse temperature on total yield, water use efficiency and nutrient uptake. The LT regime reduced yield by about 50% in ‘Sammy’ and 33% in ‘Orangery’, irrespective of the grafting combination. Grafting of ‘Sammy’ onto both 'Robusto' and 'Terrano' increased the total fruit yield by 39% and 34% compared with the self-grafted control, while grafting of ‘Orangery’ increased yield only when the rootstock was ‘Terrano’. The yield increase resulted exclusively from enhancement of the fruit number per plant. Both the water consumption and the water use efficiency were suppressed by the LT regime but the temperature effect interacted with the rootstock/scion combination. The LT increased the UC of K, Ca, Mg, N, and Mn, while it decreased strongly that of P and slightly the UC of Fe, and Zn. The UC of K and Mg were influenced by the rootstock/scion combination but this effect interacted with the temperature regime. In contrast, the Ca, N, and P concentrations were not influenced by the grafting combination. The results of the present study show that the impact of grafting on yield and nutrient uptake in pepper depend not merely on the rootstock genotype but on the rootstock/scion combination.In the second study, mean UC of macro- and micronutrients were determined during five developmental stages in different pepper cultivars grown in a closed hydroponic system by measuring the water uptake and the nutrient removal from the RNS. The experiment was conducted in a Mediterranean environment and the tested cultivars were ‘Orangery’, ‘Bellisa’, ‘Sondela’, ‘Sammy’ self-grafted and ‘Sammy’ grafted onto the commercial rootstock `RS10'. ‘Sondela’ exhibited significantly higher ΝΟ3, Μg, Ca and B UC in comparison with all other cultivars, while Bellisa exhibited higher K UC. The UC of all nutrients were similar in the grafted and the non-grafted ‘Sammy’ plants. The UC of macronutrients estimated in the second study (mmol L-1) ranged from 2.4 to 3.7 for Ca, 1.0 to 1.5 for Mg, 6.2 to 9.0 for K, 11.7 to 13.7 for N, and 0.7 to 1.1 for P. The UC of N, K, Ca and Mg were appreciably higher than the corresponding values found under Dutch climatic conditions, while that of P was similar in both environments during the vegetative stage and higher thereafter. The UC of Fe, Zn and B tended to decrease with time, while that of Mn increased initially and subsequently decreased slightly during the reproductive developmental stage.In the third study, irrigation water containing 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 mM was used to prepare NS in a closed hydroponic crop of sweet pepper cultivated in RNS. The aim of the study was to determine maximum Ca levels that do not harm the crop and to simulate the pattern of Ca accumulation when the Ca concentration in the irrigation water is excessive. At 1.5 mM Ca, no Ca accumulation was observed in the RNS, while at 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 mM the Ca concentration in the RNS, and concomitantly in the root environment, increased to 17, 28 and 37 mM, corresponding to 6.4, 9.0 and 10.8 dS m-1. The accumulation of Ca in the RNS affected both tissue nutrient concentrations and UC of Ca, S and Mg, but this was not the case for N and K. Growth, yield and plant water uptake were restricted at moderate and high external Ca levels. Our results showed that in soilless sweet pepper crops with zero discharge of fertigation effluents, the Ca concentration in the irrigation water should be lower than 3.0 mM to avoid yield restrictions due to salinity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document