scholarly journals Effects of Deficit Irrigation Scheduling on Water Use, Gas Exchange, Yield, and Fruit Quality of Date Palm

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2256
Author(s):  
Maged Mohammed ◽  
Abdelkader Sallam ◽  
Muhammad Munir ◽  
Hassan Ali-Dinar
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Irrigation Treatments ◽  
And Control

Water scarcity is very common in the arid region due to the low yearly rainfall. The cost of water for agricultural usage is extremely high in dry locations. Date palm is a high water-demanding tree throughout the year in arid regions. Therefore, the application of deficit irrigation strategies for date palm cultivation may significantly contribute to conserving irrigation water. The present study aimed to assess the effects of controlled deficit irrigation using two modern micro-irrigation systems on water use efficiency (WUE), gas exchange, fruit yield, and quality of date palm (Khalas cv.). The irrigation systems included drip irrigation (DI) and subsurface irrigation (SI) systems. The study was conducted during the 2020 and 2021 seasons at the Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. The meteorological variables of the study area were real-time monitored using cloud-based IoT (Internet of Things) to calculate the evapotranspiration reference (ETo) and control the irrigation scheduling. Three irrigation treatments (50, 75, and 100% ETc) were applied using DI and SI systems compared with the traditional surface bubbler irrigation (Control). The actual applied water at the deficit irrigation treatments of 50, 75, and 100% ETc were 27.28 ± 0.06, 44.14 ± 1.07, and 55.55 ± 0.37 m3 palm−1, respectively. At all deficit irrigation treatments, the leaf chlorophyll and gas exchange were significantly higher in the SI compared to the DI system. The yield of date palms did not differ significantly between the control and SI systems at both the level of 100 and 75% ETc. The WUE under the SI (1.09 kg m−3) was significantly higher than the DI system (0.52 kg m−3) at the 50% level. There was no significant difference regarding the fruit quality parameters between SI at 50% ETc and control at 100% ETc. Therefore, adopting deficit irrigation strategies using the SI system at 50% ETc level throughout the year could be suggested for date palm irrigation to save water, improve WUE, and maintain fruit quality.

scholarly journals Effects of Various Quantities of Three Irrigation Water Types on Yield and Fruit Quality of ‘Succary’ Date Palm

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 796
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Mattar ◽  
Said S. Soliman ◽  
Rashid S. Al-Obeed
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Irrigation Level ◽  
Water Types ◽  
Palm Trees

A field experiment was conducted on date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera ‘Succary’) cultivated on sandy loam soil from 2017 to 2018. This study investigated the effects of providing water of three different qualities, namely freshwater (FR) and two saline water sources: reclaimed wastewater (RW) and well-water (WE) applied through three irrigation levels representing 50% (I50), 100% (I100), and 150% (I150) of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), on the soil water and salt distribution patterns, yield, water productivity (WP), and fruit quality of the ′Succary′ date palm. The electrical conductivity (ECw) of FR, RW, and WE were 0.18, 2.06, and 3.94 dS m−1, respectively. Results showed that WE applied by the I150 treatment had the highest soil water content, followed by RW used in the I100 irrigation level and FR with I50, whereas the soil salt content was high for WE applied in the I50 level and low for FR applied by the I150 treatment. Deficit irrigation (I50) of date palms with either RW or WE reduced date yields on average 86 kg per tree, whereas the yield increased under over-irrigation (I150) with FR to 123.25 kg per tree. High WP values were observed in the I50 treatments with FR, RW, or WE (on average 1.82, 1.68, and 1.67 kg m−3, respectively), whereas the I150 treatment with each of the three water types showed the lowest WP values. Fruit weight and size were the lowest in the full irrigation (I100) with WE, whereas the I150 treatment with RW showed the highest values. There were no significant differences in either total soluble solids (TSS) or acidity values when the irrigation level decreased from 100% to 50% ETc. Compared with both I50 and I100 treatments, reduced values of both TSS and acidity were observed in the I150 treatment when ECw decreased from 3.94 to 0.18 dS m−1,. Fruit moisture content decreased with the application of saline irrigation water (i.e., RW or WE). Total sugar and non-reducing sugar contents in fruits were found to be decreased in the combination of RW and I150, whereas the 50% ETc irrigation level caused an increment in both parameters. These results suggest that the application of deficit irrigation to date palm trees grown in arid regions, either with FR or without it, can sufficiently maximize WP and improve the quality of fruits but negatively affects yield, especially when saline water is applied. The use of saline water for irrigation may negatively affect plants because of salt accumulation in the soil in the long run.

scholarly journals Impact of a Novel Water-Saving Subsurface Irrigation System on Water Productivity, Photosynthetic Characteristics, Yield, and Fruit Quality of Date Palm under Arid Conditions

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1265
Author(s):  
Maged Elsayed Ahmed Mohammed ◽  
Mohammed Refdan Alhajhoj ◽  
Hassan Muzzamil Ali-Dinar ◽  
Muhammad Munir
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Impact

Water scarcity is a major constraint in arid and semi-arid regions. Crops that require less irrigation water and those, which are considered drought-tolerant such as date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), are dominant in these regions. Despite the tolerance of these crops, the development of technologies that ensure efficient use of irrigation water is imperative. Taking these issues into consideration, the study was conducted to investigate the impact of limited irrigation water using a new subsurface irrigation system (SSI) on gas exchange, chlorophyll content, water use efficiency, water productivity, fruit physicochemical characteristics, and yield of date palm (cv. Sheshi). The impact of the SSI system was compared with two surface irrigation systems, namely, surface drip irrigation (SDI) and surface bubbler irrigation (SBI). The field experiment was carried out during 2018 and 2019 at the Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The annual crop evapotranspiration (ETc) was 2544 mm. The applied irrigation water was set at 50%, 75%, and 125% of ETc for SSI, SDI, and SBI, respectively, which were based on the higher crop water productivity recorded in an initial field study. The total annual volume of water applied for SSI, SDI, and SBI was 22.89, 34.34, and 57.24 m3 palm−1, respectively. The crop water productivity (CWP) at the SSI system was significantly higher, with a value of 1.15 kg m−3, compared to the SDI (0.51 kg m−3) and SBI systems (0.37 kg m−3). The photosynthetic water use efficiency (WUE) was 10.09, 9.96, and 9.56 μmol CO2 mmol−1 H2O for SSI, SBI, and SDI, respectively. The maximum chlorophyll content (62.4 SPAD) was observed in SBI, followed by SSI (58.9 SPAD) and SDI (56.9 SPAD). Similarly, net photosynthesis and the transpiration rate were significantly higher in SBI and lowest in SSI. However, the SSI system substantially increased palm yield and enhanced fruit quality. The new SSI system, through its positive impact on the efficiency of irrigation water use and enhancement on fruit yield and fruit quality of date palm, seems quite suitable for the irrigation of palm trees in arid and semi-arid regions.

scholarly journals Strand thinning of Khadrawi date palm cultivar in relation to yield and fruit quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Moustafa ◽  
N. Abdel-Hamid ◽  
A. Abd El-Hamid ◽  
M. R. El-Sonbaty ◽  
S. K. M. Abd El-Naby
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Total Sugars ◽  
Palm Fruits ◽  
And Control ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
And Chemical Properties

Abstract Background This experiment was carried out during 2015 and 2016 seasons to investigate the effect of strand thinning treatments by removing 15 and 30% of the total number of strands from the bunch center after 8 weeks from pollination (kimri stage) on productivity and fruit quality of Khadrawi date palm cultivar compared to the control (without thinning). Results The present results indicated that strand thinning by removing 30% of the total number of strands gave the lowest bunch weight and yield per palm compared to thinning 15% and control treatments during the two seasons of study. Also, removing 30% of the total number of strands improved some physical properties, i.e., fruit weight, flesh weight, fruit length, and fruit diameter than control in both seasons. All strand thinning treatments improved some chemical properties such as TSS %, total sugars %, and reducing sugars % than control (without thinning). However, both 15 and 30% strand thinning treatments had no significant effect on nonreducing sugars %, total acidity %, and tannins content in the two studied seasons. Conclusion From the obtained results, it was revealed that application of thinning treatment by removing 15 or 30% of the total number of strands from bunch center improved some physical and chemical properties of Khadrawi date palm fruits although there are no significant differences found between strand thinning at 15% and control during the second season.

scholarly journals Partial Root-Zone Drying and Deficit Irrigation Effect on Growth, Yield, Water Use and Quality of Greenhouse Grown Grafted Tomato

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Branimir Urlić ◽  
Marko Runjić ◽  
Marija Mandušić ◽  
Katja Žanić ◽  
Gabriela Vuletin Selak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Leaf Gas Exchange ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Shoot Biomass ◽  
Yield Reduction ◽  
Irrigation Treatments

The tomato is an important horticultural crop, the cultivation of which is often under influence of abiotic and biotic stressors. Grafting is a technique used to alleviate these problems. Shortage of water has stimulated the introduction of new irrigation methods: deficit irrigation (DI) and partial root-zone drying (PRD). This study was conducted in two spring–summer season experiments to evaluate the effects of three irrigation regimes: full irrigation (FI), PRD and DI on vegetative growth, leaf gas-exchange parameters, yield, water-use efficiency (WUE), nutrients profile and fruit quality of grafted tomatoes. In both years, the commercial rootstocks Emperador and Maxifort were used. In the first year, the scion cultivar Clarabella was grown on one stem and in the second year the cultivar Attiya was grown on two stems. Self-grafted cultivars were grown as a control. In both experiments, higher vegetative traits (leaf area and number, height, shoot biomass) were recorded in tthe plants grafted on commercial rootstocks. The stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were higher under FI. Under DI, transpiration was lowest and photosynthetic WUE was highest. Photosynthetic rate changed between irrigation treatments depending on plant type. In both years, the total yield was highest in grafted plants as result of more and bigger fruits per plant. In the 2nd year, grafted plants under FI had higher yield compared to PRD, but not to DI, while self-grafted plants did not differ between irrigation treatments. WUE was highest in DI and PRD treatments and in grafted plants. Leaf N, P, K and Ca was highest in tthe plants grafted on Emperador and Maxifort, while more Mg was measured in self-grafted plants. More Ca and Mg were recorded in tthe plants under DI and PRD. Fruit mineral concentrations were higher in tthe plants grafted on commercial rootstocks. Total soluble solids differed between irrigation regarding plant types, while fruit total acidity was higher in Emperador and Maxifort. In conclusion, our study showed that grafted plants could be grown under DI with minor yield reduction with 30–40% less water used for irrigation. Moderate DI could be used before PRD for cultivation of grafted tomato and double stemmed plants did not show negative effect on tomato yield so it can be used as standard under reduced irrigation.

Water use efficiency and fruit quality of table grape under alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation

2008 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 659-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taisheng Du ◽  
Shaozhong Kang ◽  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Fusheng Li ◽  
Boyuan Yan
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Table Grape ◽  
Use Efficiency
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