scholarly journals Generating Plants with Improved Water Use Efficiency

Agronomy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Blankenagel ◽  
Zhenyu Yang ◽  
Viktoriya Avramova ◽  
Chris-Carolin Schön ◽  
Erwin Grill
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Co2 Uptake ◽  
Crop Varieties ◽  
Leaf Level ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Plant Level

To improve sustainability of agriculture, high yielding crop varieties with improved water use efficiency (WUE) are needed. Despite the feasibility of assessing WUE using different measurement techniques, breeding for WUE and high yield is a major challenge. Factors influencing the trait under field conditions are complex, including different scenarios of water availability. Plants with C3 photosynthesis are able to moderately increase WUE by restricting transpiration, resulting in higher intrinsic WUE (iWUE) at the leaf level. However, reduced CO2 uptake negatively influences photosynthesis and possibly growth and yield as well. The negative correlation of growth and WUE could be partly disconnected in model plant species with implications for crops. In this paper, we discuss recent insights obtained for Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) and the potential to translate the findings to C3 and C4 crops. Our data on Zea mays (L.) lines subjected to progressive drought show that there is potential for improvements in WUE of the maize line B73 at the whole plant level (WUEplant). However, changes in iWUE of B73 and Arabidopsis reduced the assimilation rate relatively more in maize. The trade-off observed in the C4 crop possibly limits the effectiveness of approaches aimed at improving iWUE but not necessarily efforts to improve WUEplant.

scholarly journals Effect of Deficit Irrigation and Reduced N Fertilization on Plant Growth, Root Morphology and Water Use Efficiency of Tomato Grown in Soilless Culture

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Ikram Ullah ◽  
Hanping Mao ◽  
Ghulam Rasool ◽  
Hongyan Gao ◽  
Qaiser Javed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Root Surface Area ◽  
Irrigation Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Irrigation Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of various irrigation water (W) and nitrogen (N) levels on growth, root-shoot morphology, yield, and irrigation water use efficiency of greenhouse tomatoes in spring–summer and fall–winter. The experiment consisted of three irrigation water levels (W: 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), 80%, and 60% of full irrigation) and three N application levels (N: 100%, 75%, and 50% of the standard nitrogen concentration in Hoagland’s solution treatments equivalent to 15, 11.25, 7.5 mM). All the growth parameters of tomato significantly decreased (p < 0.05) with the decrease in the amount of irrigation and nitrogen application. Results depicted that a slight decrease in irrigation and an increase in N supply improved average root diameter, total root length, and root surface area, while the interaction was observed non-significant at average diameter of roots. Compared to the control, W80 N100 was statistically non-significant in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. The W80 N100 resulted in a yield decrease of 2.90% and 8.75% but increased irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) by 21.40% and 14.06%. Among interactions, the reduction in a single factor at W80 N100 and W100 N75 compensated the growth and yield. Hence, W80 N100 was found to be optimal regarding yield and IWUE, with 80% of irrigation water and 15 mM of N fertilization for soilless tomato production in greenhouses.

scholarly journals WATER USE EFFICIENCY, GROWTH AND YIELD OF WHEAT CULTIVATED UNDER COMPETITION WITH Setaria

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.Z. IHSAN ◽  
F.S. EL-NAKHLAWY ◽  
S.M. ISMAIL
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Harvest Index ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
Wheat Production ◽  
Use Efficiency

ABSTRACT Understanding the critical period of weed competition is indispensable in the development of an effective weed management program in field crops. Current experiment was planned to evaluate the critical growth period ofSetaria and level of yield losses associated with delay in weeding in rain-fed drip irrigated wheat production system of Saudi Arabia. Field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of weeding interval (07-21, 14-28, 21-35, 28-42 and 35-49 days after sowing) and drought stress (75% and 50% of field capacity) on Setaria growth, wheat yield and water use efficiency. Season long weedy check and wellwatered (100% FC) plots were also maintained for comparison. Weeding interval and drought stress significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected the growth and yield of Setaria and wheat. Drought stress from 75% to 50% FC resulted in reductions of 29-40% in Setaria height, 14-27% in Setaria density and 11-26% in Setaria dry biomass. All weeding intervals except 35-49 DAS significantly suppressedSetaria growth as compared with control. Delay in weeding increased weed-crop competition interval and reduced wheat yield and yield contributors. Therefore, the lowest yield of 1836 kg ha-1 was attained for weeding interval of 35-49 DAS at 50% FC. Water use efficiency and harvest index increased with decreasing FC levels but reduced with delay in weeding. Correlation analysis predicted negative association ofSetariadensity with wheat yield and yield contributors and the highest negative association was for harvest index (-0.913) and water use efficiency (-0.614). Early management of Setaria is imperative for successful wheat production otherwise yield losses are beyond economical limits.

scholarly journals Water Deficit Modulates the CO2 Fertilization Effect on Plant Gas Exchange and Leaf-Level Water Use Efficiency: A Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Li ◽  
Dagang Guo ◽  
Xiaodong Gao ◽  
Xining Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Deficit ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Leaf Level ◽  
Fertilization Effect ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Stimulation Of

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([eCO2]) and soil water deficits significantly influence gas exchange in plant leaves, affecting the carbon-water cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how the soil water deficit modulates the plant CO2 fertilization effect, especially for gas exchange and leaf-level water use efficiency (WUE). Here, we synthesized a comprehensive dataset including 554 observations from 54 individual studies and quantified the responses for leaf gas exchange induced by e[CO2] under water deficit. Moreover, we investigated the contribution of plant net photosynthesis rate (Pn) and transpiration rates (Tr) toward WUE in water deficit conditions and e[CO2] using graphical vector analysis (GVA). In summary, e[CO2] significantly increased Pn and WUE by 11.9 and 29.3% under well-watered conditions, respectively, whereas the interaction of water deficit and e[CO2] slightly decreased Pn by 8.3%. Plants grown under light in an open environment were stimulated to a greater degree compared with plants grown under a lamp in a closed environment. Meanwhile, water deficit reduced Pn by 40.5 and 37.8%, while increasing WUE by 24.5 and 21.5% under ambient CO2 concentration (a[CO2]) and e[CO2], respectively. The e[CO2]-induced stimulation of WUE was attributed to the common effect of Pn and Tr, whereas a water deficit induced increase in WUE was linked to the decrease in Tr. These results suggested that water deficit lowered the stimulation of e[CO2] induced in plants. Therefore, fumigation conditions that closely mimic field conditions and multi-factorial experiments such as water availability are needed to predict the response of plants to future climate change.

scholarly journals Effect of year and fertilizer on water-use efficiency of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in Niger

1999 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. K. SIVAKUMAR ◽  
S. A. SALAAM
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Pearl Millet ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Pennisetum Glaucum ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Soluble Phosphate ◽  
Average Rainfall ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Yield Responses

A comprehensive study was conducted over a 4-year period (1984–87) to evaluate the water use, growth and yield responses of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) cv. CIVT grown with and without fertilizer (30 kg P2O5 and 45 kg N ha−1) at the ICRISAT Sahelian Centre, Sadoré, Niger. Our study showed significant year and fertilizer effects on the growth and yield of millet at the study site. Observed year effects were primarily due to the variations in the amount and distribution of rainfall in relation to the potential demand for water. During 1984, 1985 and 1987, total rainfall was below the long term average, while in 1986 it was above average. While the onset of rains (relative to the average date of onset) was early from 1984 to 1986, in 1987 the sowings were delayed by as much as 33 days. Of all the four years, the separation between the treatments in the cumulative evaporation is most evident for 1984, which was a drought year with below-average rainfall in all the months from June to September. Cumulative evaporation patterns in 1985 and 1986 were similar because of regular rains and high average rainfall per rainy day from June to October. In 1987, sowings were delayed until 15 July and only 6·9 mm of rainfall was received per rainy day in July. Hence cumulative evaporation was initially low and showed a significant increase only after two significant rain events in early August. There was a large response to fertilizer in all the years as small additions of fertilizer phosphate increased the soluble phosphate in the soil. Fertilizer application resulted in a small increase in water use (7–14%) in all years except 1987. Increased yield due to the application of fertilizer was accompanied by an increase in the water-use efficiency (WUE) in all the four years with the largest increase in 1985. The beneficial effect of fertilizers could be attributed to the rapid early growth of leaves which can contribute to reduction of soil evaporative losses and increased WUE. Over the four seasons, average increase in the WUE due to the addition of fertilizer was 84%.

scholarly journals Spacing between rows: effects on water-use efficiency of double-cropped wheat and soybean

2013 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. B. Zhou ◽  
Y. H. Chen ◽  
Z. Ouyang
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Plant Population ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Net Return ◽  
Use Efficiency

SUMMARYProductivity and water resource usage efficiency are crucial issues in sustainable agriculture. The aims of the present research were to compare and evaluate the soil moisture content (SMC), evapotranspiration (ETa), yield, water-use efficiency (WUE), and net return of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] under different plant population distribution patterns and to identify the possible ways to improve water utilization. Using the same plant population for a given crop, the experiments consisted of four spacings between rows (row spacings) for winter wheat (cvar Shannong 919) under both rainfed and irrigated conditions and five row spacings for summer soybean (cvar Ludou 4) under rainfed conditions. For winter wheat, the stem number with row spacing of 49 cm was the lowest in all treatments. The SMC was enhanced by irrigation, particularly at the 10–40 cm depth. The yield and WUE were negatively correlated with row spacing and were greater with narrower row spacing than with wider rows. For soybean, SMC in uniform distribution (spacing between plants) treatments was greater at lower depths than at shallower depths for each row spacing treatment. A high yield, WUE and net return of winter wheat and soybean can be achieved with narrower row spacing. Combining winter wheat row spacing of 14 cm with soybean row spacing of 18 cm and soybean row spacing of 27 cm is a highly suitable planting system for the plains of Northern China.

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