scholarly journals Water-Use Efficiency of Forage Crops in the Southeastern United States

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1377
Author(s):  
Christine H. Gelley ◽  
Amanda J. Ashworth ◽  
Patrick D. Keyser ◽  
Renata L. G. Nave ◽  
Justin D. Rhinehart
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Standardized Precipitation Index ◽  
Big Bluestem ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Eastern Gamagrass ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Sorghum Sudangrass

Preparing agricultural producers to cope with volatile weather changes, specifically drought, requires a better understanding of forage water-use efficiency (WUE) potentials. Options to improve farm resiliency to drought may include the use of C4 annual and perennial forages, which have greater production efficiency during drought than commonly used C3 forages. Our objective was to measure WUE through real-time gas exchange measurements of photosynthesis and transpiration in (1) a greenhouse study and (2) under field-grazing conditions. Growth parameters, instantaneous water use efficiency (iWUE), and mass-based WUE (mWUE) data were collected under greenhouse conditions in Study 1 for the following species: crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis cv. ‘Red River’), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum cv. ‘Alamo’), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii cv. ‘OZ-70’), indiangrass (Sorghastum nutans cv. ‘Rumsey’), eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides cv. ‘Pete’), bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon cv. ‘Vaughn’s #1’), sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor (L.) × Sorghum sudanese (P.) cv. ‘Greengrazer’), and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort). Study 2 occurred from 2014 to 2016, and evaluated iWUE of crabgrass, switchgrass, bermudagrass, eastern gamagrass, and a big bluestem/indiangrass mix under field conditions. Overall, in situ iWUE of crabgrass, switchgrass, eastern gamagrass, and bermudagrass did not differ, while iWUE of the big bluestem/indiangrass was less than switchgrass and crabgrass, an advantage for these species if the standardized precipitation index drops below zero. Bermudagrass, switchgrass, sorghum-sudangrass, pearl millet, and indiangrass had comparable mWUE values under greenhouse-simulated drought. These results will aid in the development of forage species recommendations for mitigating drought and improving resiliency.

scholarly journals Evapotranspiration, crop coefficient and water use efficiency of coriander grown in tropical environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente de PR da Silva ◽  
Inajá Francisco de Sousa ◽  
Alexandra L Tavares ◽  
Thieres George F da Silva ◽  
Bernardo B da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Crop Coefficient ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Tropical Environment ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Use Efficiency

ABSTRACT The water scarcity is expected to intensify in the future and irrigation becomes an essential component of crop production, especially in arid and semiarid regions, where the available water resources are limited. Four field experiments were carried out at tropical environment in Brazil in 2013 and 2014, in order to evaluate the effect of planting date on crop evapotranspiration (ETc), crop coefficient (Kc), growth parameters and water use efficiency (WUE) of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants. The planting dates occurred during winter, spring, summer and autumn growing seasons. ETc was obtained through the soil water balance method and the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) through the Penman-Monteith method, using data collected from an automatic weather station located close to the experimental area. The results of the research showed that the mean values of coriander ETc and Kc were 139.8 mm and 0.87, respectively. Coriander water demand is higher in the summer growing season and lower in the winter; however, its yield is higher in the autumn and lower in the winter. Coriander has higher yield and development of its growth variables in the autumn growing season. The results also indicated that the interannual climate variations had significant effects on most growth variables, as yield, ETc and Kc of coriander grown in tropical environment.

Comparative forage yield, water use, and water use efficiency of alfalfa, crested wheatgrass and spring wheat in a semiarid climate in southern Saskatchewan

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Jefferson ◽  
Herb W. Cutforth
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Potential ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Forage Yield ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Use Efficiency

Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum L. Gaertn.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) are introduced forage species used for hay and grazing by cattle across western Canada. These species are well adapted to the semiarid region but their long-term responses to water stress have not been previously compared. Two alfalfa cultivars with contrasting root morphology (tap-rooted vs. creeping-rooted) and two crested wheatgrass (CWG) cultivars with different ploidy level (diploid vs. tetraploid) were compared with continuously cropped spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) for 6 yr at a semiarid location in western Canada. Soil water depletion, forage yield, water use efficiency, leaf water potential, osmotic potential and turgor were compared. There were no consistent differences between cultivars within alfalfa or CWG for variables measured. However, these two species exhibit different water stress response strategies. Leaf water potential of CWG was lower during midday stress period than that of alfalfa or wheat. Alfalfa apparently had greater capacity to osmotically adjust to avoid midday water stress and maintain higher turgor. Soil water use patterns changed as the stands aged. In the initial years of the trial, forage crops used soil water from upper layers of the profile. In later years, soil water was depleted down to 3 m by alfalfa and to 2 m by crested wheatgrass. Alfalfa was able to deplete soil water to lower concentrations than crested wheatgrass or wheat. Soil water depletion by wheat during the non-active growth season (after harvest to fall freeze-up) was much less than for CWG or alfalfa as expected for annual vs. perennial crops. As a result, more soil water was available to wheat during its active growth period. In the last 3 yr, the three species depleted all available soil water. Forage yield responses also changed over time. In the initial 3 yr, crested wheatgrass yielded as much as or more than alfalfa. For the last 3 yr of the experiment, alfalfa yielded more forage than crested wheatgrass. Forage crops deplete much more soil water during periods of aboveground growth dormancy than wheat. Water use efficiency of crested wheatgrass declined with stand age compared with fertilized continuous spring wheat. Alfalfa exhibited deep soil water extraction and apparent osmotic adjustment in response to water stress while CWG exhibited tolerance of low water potential during stress. Key words: forage yield, soil water, water potential, water use, water use efficiency, drought

scholarly journals Fertigation Strategies for Improving Water Use Efficiency and Limiting Nutrient Loss in Soilless Hippeastrum Production

HortScience ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youssef Rouphael ◽  
Giampaolo Raimondi ◽  
Rosanna Caputo ◽  
Stefania De Pascale
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Relations ◽  
Nutrient Solution ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Use Efficiency

Implementing nutrient management strategies in soilless culture, which improve water use efficiency (WUE) and limit the loss of eutrophying elements without affecting crop performance, is a priority for the floriculture industry. The aim of the current research was to assess the effect of two nutrient management strategies, based on electrical conductivity (EC) or nitrate-nitrogen (N-NO3−) concentration control on plant growth, ornamental quality, plant–water relations, mineral composition, and WUE of greenhouse Hippeastrum grown in semiclosed soilless system. The recirculating nutrient solution was discharged whenever a threshold EC value of 3.0 dS·m−1 was reached (EC-based strategy), or when N-NO3− concentration decreased below the limit of 1.0 mol·m−3 (nitrate-based strategy). There were no significant differences in terms of plant growth parameters, stomatal resistance, leaf water relations, and macronutrient composition in plant tissues between the two nutrient management strategies. In the EC- and the nitrate-based strategies, the recirculating nutrient solution was flushed 10 and 5 times, respectively. The water loss (WL) and the total water use (Wuse) in the EC-based strategy were significantly higher by 261.1% and 61.5%, respectively, compared with the N-NO3−-based strategy. In contrast with the EC-based strategy, the adoption of the N-NO3−-based strategy significantly minimized the nitrate, phosphate, and potassium emissions to the environment. The effective WUE of the system (WUES) recorded in the N-NO3−-based strategy was higher by 55.9% compared with the one recorded with the EC-based strategy.

scholarly journals Influence of Mulching on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Perennial Forage Crops

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 792-800
Author(s):  
Himangshu Das ◽  
Champak Kumar Kundu ◽  
Asis Mukherjee ◽  
Ratneswar Poddar ◽  
Pintoo Bandopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Use Efficiency

scholarly journals Clonal Behavior in Response to Soil Water Availability in Tempranillo Grapevine cv: From Plant Growth to Water Use Efficiency

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 862
Author(s):  
Ignacio Tortosa ◽  
Jose M. Escalona ◽  
Guillermo Toro ◽  
Cyril Douthe ◽  
Hipolito Medrano
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Biomass Accumulation ◽  
Net Photosynthesis ◽  
Soil Water Availability ◽  
Use Efficiency

Climate change threatens worldwide grapevine production, especially in Mediterranean areas. To assume this challenge, the replacement of plant material to choose one more adapted to the new environmental conditions has been proposed as one of the possible solutions. Thus, the study of genetic variability in water-use efficiency (WUE) is needed to guarantee the survival of viticulture in those critical areas. In this study, the variability of WUE in 23 Tempranillo clones growth in pots and submitted to well-watered conditions and moderate water stress was studied along two consecutive years. Leaf net photosynthesis (AN), stomatal conductance (gs), and plant growth parameters were measured, in addition the instrisic WUE (AN/gs), biomass production, and water consumed were calculated. Results show a clear genotype effect for most of the studied parameters, but, with an important year by year variability. We identified different clonal behavior in response to soil water availability, that permits to classify them as water-savers vs water-spenders. In general, there was no found relationship between leaf and plant WUE, even some genotypes as 232 or 1048 were coincident in higher leaf WUE showed highly productive in terms of biomass accumulation per unit of water applied.

scholarly journals Impact of Climate, Stand Growth Parameters, and Management on Isotopic Composition of Tree Rings in Chestnut Coppices

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Marini ◽  
Giovanna Battipaglia ◽  
Maria Chiara Manetti ◽  
Piermaria Corona ◽  
Manuela Romagnoli
Keyword(s):  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Rings ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Δ18o And Δ13c

Research Highlights: Chestnut trees’ (Castanea sativa Mill.) growth and their responses to climate are influenced by stand-characteristics and managements. This study highlighted that chestnut tree-ring growth is not particularly influenced by climate, while minimum temperature showed a positive relation with both intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) and δ¹8O. Background and Objectives: The aim is to check the responses of chestnut trees to climate conditions and the role of stand structure and management. Materials and Methods: Stands with 12–14-year-old shoots were studied using dendrochronological and isotopic (δ18O and δ13C) approaches. Correlations with climate parameters were investigated and principal component analysis was performed using site-characteristics and tree growth parameters as variables. Results: Correlations between tree-ring width (TRW), tree-ring δ18O, and δ13C-derived intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) revealed stand-dependent effects. The highest Correlations were found between climate and tree-rings’ isotopic composition. Chestnut was sensitive to high-minimum temperature in March and April, with a negative relationship with TRW and a positive relationship with WUEi. δ18O signals were not significantly different among stands. Stand thinning had a positive effect on WUEi after 1–2 years. Stand competition (indicated by shoots/stump and stumps/ha) positively influenced both WUEi and δ¹8O.

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