Super Absorbent Polymer and Irrigation Regime Effects on Growth and Water Use Efficiency of Container-Grown Cherry Tomatoes

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 523-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Suresh ◽  
Shiv O. Prasher ◽  
Ramanbhai M. Patel ◽  
Zhiming Qi ◽  
Eman Elsayed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Residue Analysis ◽  
Soil Toxicity ◽  
Super Absorbent Polymer ◽  
Growing Medium ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Absorbent Polymer ◽  
Cherry Tomatoes

Abstract. There is a need to develop innovative techniques to effectively use water in agriculture to meet the growing demands for food. Super absorbent polymers (SAPs), or hydrogels, can absorb and retain large amounts of water against gravitational forces and release it on demand to meet plant water requirements. Being an artificially synthesized compound, it is imperative that SAPs should not introduce toxicity to the growing medium or produce. The objectives of this study were to determine whether SAPs can improve water use efficiency (WUE) and the physiological growth of cherry tomatoes ( var. ) without causing soil toxicity. A pot-trial experiment was carried out in 2014 at the Research Greenhouse of McGill University’s Macdonald Campus (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada) in a completely randomized design, with three concentrations of SAP (0%, 0.1%, and 0.5%) and three irrigation intervals (daily, each alternate day, and every third day). The mean yield of the experimental cherry tomatoes was statistically significantly higher where 0.5% SAP was applied, compared to where SAP was not applied (p = 0.0056). The mean WUE was also higher where 0.5% SAP was applied when compared to where SAP was not applied (p = 0.05). To ascertain food safety, the presence of free acrylamide monomer in tomatoes was checked. The acrylamide concentrations were below the detection limit of 5 µg kg-1 in all tomato samples. To assess environmental toxicity, a Microtox toxicology analysis was also conducted on the growing medium, which revealed that the SAP used in the study was not toxic. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of SAP could increase yield and WUE of greenhouse-grown cherry tomatoes. It also appears that SAP did not introduce toxic side-effects in the soil nor in the tomatoes, as determined by Microtox acute toxicity test and acrylamide residue analysis with LC-MS. Keywords: Acrylamide, Cherry tomatoes, Greenhouse, Microtox, Monomer, Super absorbent polymer, Toxicity, Water use efficiency, Yield.

scholarly journals Effect of Super Absorbent Polymer and Irrigation Deficit on Water Use Efficiency, Growth and Yield of Cotton

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid-Reza FALLAHI ◽  
Reza TAHERPOUR KALANTARI ◽  
Mahsa AGHHAVANI-SHAJARI ◽  
Mohammad-Ghasem SOLTANZADEH
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Super Absorbent Polymer ◽  
Irrigation Deficit ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Absorbent Polymer ◽  
Water Holding

Sustainable use of water resources in agriculture is a necessity for many arid countries. In order to investigate the effect of water deficit, irrigation after 120 (control), 155 (moderate water stress) and 190 mm (sever water stress) pan evaporation and super absorbent polymer rates (SAP) (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha-1) on growth, yield and water use efficiency of cotton, an experiment was conducted as split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Moreover, the effect of water quality (distilled water and solutions of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.25% NaCl) was investigated on water holding capacity by SAP. Results revealed that moderate water stress (irrigation intervals of aprox. 15 days) along with 60 kg ha-1 SAP application was the best treatment in terms of growth and yield indices of cotton. The results for plant height, plant dry weight, boll number per plant and fiber yield in this treatment were 16, 28, 42 and 10% higher than control treatment, respectively. Water deficit and SAP application improved the water use efficiency (WUE) of cotton. The amount of WUE in moderate water stress treatment along with consumption of 60 or 90 kg ha-1 SAP was 26% higher than for control treatment. In addition, water holding capacity by SAP in distilled water treatment was 7 times higher than in the case of 1.25% NaCl solution. The overall results showed that irrigation deficit and SAP application are two appropriate strategies for crop production in areas affected by drought stress, especially if low saline water sources are used.

scholarly journals Effect of Super Absorbent Polymer and Irrigation Deficit on Water Use Efficiency, Growth and Yield of Cotton

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid-Reza FALLAHI ◽  
Reza TAHERPOUR KALANTARI ◽  
Mahsa AGHHAVANI-SHAJARI ◽  
Mohammad-Ghasem SOLTANZADEH
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Super Absorbent Polymer ◽  
Irrigation Deficit ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Absorbent Polymer

scholarly journals Yield, water use efficiency, and yield response factor in carrot crop under different irrigation depths

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 1145-1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Fonseca de Carvalho ◽  
Dionizio Honório de Oliveira Neto ◽  
Luiz Fernando Felix ◽  
José Guilherme Marinho Guerra ◽  
Conan Ayade Salvador
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Response Factor ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Yield Response Factor

ABSTRACT: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation depths on the yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and yield response factor (Ky) of carrot (cv. 'Brasília') in the edaphoclimatic conditions of Baixada Fluminense, RJ, Brazil. Field trials were conducted in a Red-Yellow Argisol in the 2010-2011period. A randomized block design was used, with 5 treatments (depths) and 4 replicates. Depths were applied by drippers with different flow rates, and the irrigation was managed by time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique. The reference (ETo) and crop (ETc) evapotranspiration depths reached 286.3 and 264.1mm in 2010, and 336.0 and 329.9mm in 2011, respectively. The root yield varied from 30.4 to 68.9t ha-1 as a response to treatments without irrigation and 100% replacement of the soil water depth, respectively. Values for WUE in the carrot crop varied from 15 to 31kg m-3 and the mean Ky value was 0.82. The mean values for Kc were obtained in the initial (0.76), intermediate (1.02), and final (0.96) stages. Carrot crop was influenced by different water depths (treatments) applied, and the highest value for WUE was obtained for 63.4% of soil water replacement.

scholarly journals Assessing the Response of Ecosystem Water Use Efficiency to Drought During and after Drought Events across Central Asia

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Zou ◽  
Jianli Ding ◽  
Martin Welp ◽  
Shuai Huang ◽  
Bohua Liu
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Drought Period ◽  
Legacy Effect ◽  
Ecosystem Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Mean

The frequency and intensity of drought are expected to increase worldwide in the future. However, it is still unclear how ecosystems respond to drought. Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is an essential ecological index used to measure the global carbon–water cycles, and is defined as the carbon absorbed per unit of water lost by the ecosystem. In this study, we applied gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), land surface temperature (LST), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data to calculate the WUE and drought index (temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI)), all of which were retrieved from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. We compared the mean WUE across different vegetation types, drought classifications, and countries. The temporal and spatial changes in WUE and drought were analyzed. The correlation between drought and WUE was calculated and compared across different vegetation types, and the differences in WUE between drought and post-drought periods were compared. The results showed that (1) ecosystems with a low (high) productivity had a high (low) WUE, and the mean ecosystem WUE of Central Asia showed vast differences across various drought levels, countries, and vegetation types. (2) The WUE in Central Asia exhibited an increasing trend from 2000 to 2014, and Central Asia experienced both drought (from 2000 to 2010) and post-drought (from 2011 to 2014) periods. (3) The WUE showed a negative correlation with drought during the drought period, and an obvious drought legacy effect was found, in which severe drought affected the ecosystem WUE over the following two years, while a positive correlation between WUE and drought was found in the post-drought period. (4) A significant increase in ecosystem WUE was found after drought, which revealed that arid ecosystems exhibit high resilience to drought stress. Our results can provide a specific reference for understanding how ecosystems will respond to climate change.

scholarly journals Evaluation and Drivers of Green Agricultural Water Use Efficiency in Yangtze River Economic Zone

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1333-1339
Author(s):  
Lelai Shi ◽  
Jing Zhou ◽  
Suhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Tobit Model ◽  
Agricultural Water ◽  
Agricultural Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Economic Zone

The efficient use of agricultural water is the key for Yangtze River Economic Zone (YREZ) to realize ecological green development. Taking the panel data on 11 YREZ regions in 2011-2018 as the object, this paper establishes an evaluation indicator system for green agricultural water use efficiency (GAWUE) containing undesired output, and adopts the epsilon-based measure (EBM) model to evaluate YREZ’s GAWUE. After analyzing the regional differences in YREZ’s GAWUE, the Tobit model was introduced to verify the drivers of GAWUE. The results show that: In the study period, YREZ’s GAWUE exhibits some regional differences. The mean GAWUEs of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Sichuan were optimized; those of Guizhou, Yunnan, Chongqing, and Hubei were relatively desirable, leaving a small room for improvement, the mean GAWUEs of Hunan, Jiangxi, and Anhui were undesirable, waiting for major improvement in future. Overall, the lower reaches had the highest GAWUE, followed by the upper reaches, while the middle reaches had the minimum GAWUE. The Tobit model shows that agricultural technological growth (ATG) and agricultural water intensity (AWI) greatly promote GAWUE, while farmer income level (FIL), water resources endowment (WRE), agricultural planting structure (APS), and farmland irrigation area (FIA) significantly suppress GAWUE.

Analysis of Microclimate and Cucumber Fruit Yield in a Screenhouse and an Evaporatively Cooled Greenhouse in a Semi-Arid Location

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 619-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaseen A. Al-Mulla ◽  
Mohammed I. Al-Balushi ◽  
Hamad A. Al-Busaidi ◽  
Adil A. Al-Mahdouri ◽  
Constantinos Kittas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Evaporative Cooling ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Summer Period ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. The microclimate and cucumber crop response in a screenhouse and in an evaporatively cooled greenhouse were studied in Oman during winter/spring and spring/summer cultivation periods. Measurements were carried out in two similarly shaped structures: (1) a greenhouse equipped with a pad-and-fan system for evaporative cooling of the greenhouse environment and (2) a screenhouse with no cooling system. Analysis of the spring/summer period climate data showed that the evaporative cooling in the greenhouse reduced the mean air temperature by about 4.5°C compared to outside and maintained the leaf temperature close to the greenhouse air temperature. The 24 h mean leaf and air temperatures in the greenhouse reached 25.8°C ±1.3°C and 25.9°C ±0.8°C, respectively. On the other hand, the 24 h mean leaf and air temperatures in the screenhouse were higher by 1.0°C and 1.3°C, respectively, compared to outside. The 24 h mean leaf and air temperatures in the screenhouse reached 32.8°C ±1.2°C and 31.8°C ±1.5°C, respectively. Furthermore, the evaporative cooling in the greenhouse maintained the 24 h mean air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) values at levels lower than 1.1 kPa, while the 24 h mean air VPD in the screenhouse reached values up to 4.5 kPa. These differences resulted in a 50% decrease in crop fruit yield during the spring/summer period. The radiation and water use efficiency (WUE) values observed in the two structures were similar during the winter/spring period but were higher in the greenhouse during the spring/summer period. However, for the greenhouse, when the water evaporated in the wet pad was also considered, the overall WUE was at the same level in both structures during summer. Furthermore, the evaporative cooling applied in the greenhouse enhanced the mean values of fruit quality characteristics measured during the spring/summer, such as fruit dry matter content (5.6%), fruit firmness (5.0 kg cm-2), and chroma (18.6), compared to that of the screenhouse (5.0%, 4.9 kg cm-2 and 16.3, respectively), but did not significantly affect other fruit quality characteristics, such as mean fruit weight (128 g for greenhouse and 123 g for screenhouse), total soluble solids content (3.9 °Brix for both structures), and juice pH (5.7 for greenhouse and 5.6 for screenhouse). Overall, it can be concluded that under the weather conditions of Oman, although greenhouses are still needed during spring/summer, screenhouses can be used during winter without jeopardizing crop production quantity and quality. Keywords: Evaporative cooling, Evapotranspiration, Radiation use efficiency, Water user efficiency. Total water use efficiency, Climate.

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