scholarly journals Effects of Biochar on Irrigation Management and Water Use Efficiency for Three Different Crops in a Desert Sandy Soil

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7678
Author(s):  
Giorgio Baiamonte ◽  
Mario Minacapilli ◽  
Giuseppina Crescimanno
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Desert Sand ◽  
Use Efficiency

This paper aimed at investigating if the application of biochar (BC) to desert sand (DS) from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), characterized by a very poor soil-water retention (SWR) and by a very low value of the maximum water available for crops (AWmax), could positively affect soil water balance, by reducing the irrigation needs (VIRR) and improving the irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and the water use efficiency (WUE). The analysis was performed for three crops, i.e., wheat (Triticum aestivum), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). BC was applied to the DS at different fractions, fBC (fBC = 0, 0.091, 0.23 and 0.33). Drip irrigation was adopted as a highly efficient water saving method, which is particularly relevant in arid, water-scarce countries. Soil water balance and irrigation scheduling were simulated by application of the AQUACROP model, using as input the SWR measured without and with BC addition. The effect of BC was investigated under either a no-water stress (NWS) condition for the crops or deficit irrigation (DI). The results showed that the application of BC made it possible to reduce the predicted VIRR and to increase the IWUE under the NWS scenario, especially for wheat and sorghum, with less evident benefits for tomato. When a deficit irrigation (DI) was considered, even at the lowest considered fBC (0.091), BC counterbalanced the lower VIRR provided under DI, thus mitigating the yield reduction due to water stress, and improved the WUE. The influence of BC was more pronounced in wheat and tomato than in sorghum. The results evidenced that the application of BC could be a potential strategy for saving irrigation water and/or reducing the effects of drought stress in desert sand. This means that biochar could be used a management option to promote local production and reduce the dependency on food import, not only in the UAE, but also in other countries with extremely arid climatic conditions and large extensions of sandy soils similar to the considered DS.

scholarly journals High-Throughput Phenotyping of Crop Water Use Efficiency via Multispectral Drone Imagery and a Daily Soil Water Balance Model

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Thorp ◽  
Alison Thompson ◽  
Sara Harders ◽  
Andrew French ◽  
Richard Ward
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Crop Water ◽  
Crop Water Use ◽  
Use Efficiency

Improvement of crop water use efficiency (CWUE), defined as crop yield per volume of water used, is an important goal for both crop management and breeding. While many technologies have been developed for measuring crop water use in crop management studies, rarely have these techniques been applied at the scale of breeding plots. The objective was to develop a high-throughput methodology for quantifying water use in a cotton breeding trial at Maricopa, AZ, USA in 2016 and 2017, using evapotranspiration (ET) measurements from a co-located irrigation management trial to evaluate the approach. Approximately weekly overflights with an unmanned aerial system provided multispectral imagery from which plot-level fractional vegetation cover ( f c ) was computed. The f c data were used to drive a daily ET-based soil water balance model for seasonal crop water use quantification. A mixed model statistical analysis demonstrated that differences in ET and CWUE could be discriminated among eight cotton varieties ( p < 0 . 05 ), which were sown at two planting dates and managed with four irrigation levels. The results permitted breeders to identify cotton varieties with more favorable water use characteristics and higher CWUE, indicating that the methodology could become a useful tool for breeding selection.

scholarly journals Test of a microlysimeter for measurement of soil evaporation

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilton L. Flumignan ◽  
Rogério T. de Faria ◽  
Bruno P. Lena
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Inner Diameter

Quantifying soil evaporation is required on studies of soil water balance and applications aiming to improve water use efficiency by crops. The performance of a microlysimeter (ML) to measure soil evaporation under irrigation and non-irrigation was evaluated. The MLs were constructed using PVC tubes, with dimensions of 100 mm inner diameter, 150 mm depth and 2.5 mm wall thickness. Four MLs were uniformly distributed on the soil surface of two weighing lysimeters conducted under bare soil, previously installed at Iapar, in Londrina, PR, Brazil. The lysimeters had 1.4 m width, 1.9 m length and 1.3 m depth and were conducted with and without irrigation. Evaporation measurements by MLs (E ML) were compared with measurements by lysimeters (E L) during four different periods in the year. Differences between E ML and E L were small either for low or high atmospheric demand and also for either irrigated or non-irrigated conditions, which indicates that the ML tested here is suitable for measurement of soil evaporation.

scholarly journals Spring maize yield, soil water use and water use efficiency under plastic film and straw mulches in the Loess Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Lin ◽  
Wenzhao Liu ◽  
Qingwu Xue
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Plastic Film ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Spring Maize ◽  
Use Efficiency

Abstract To compare the soil water balance, yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of spring maize under different mulching types in the Loess Plateau, a 7-year field experiment was conducted in the Changwu region of the Loess Plateau. Three treatments were used in this experiment: straw mulch (SM), plastic film mulch (PM) and conventional covering without mulch (CK). Results show that the soil water change of dryland spring maize was as deep as 300 cm depth and hence 300 cm is recommended as the minimum depth when measure the soil water in this region. Water use (ET) did not differ significantly among the treatments. However, grain yield was significantly higher in PM compared with CK. WUE was significantly higher in PM than in CK for most years of the experiment. Although ET tended to be higher in PM than in the other treatments (without significance), the evaporation of water in the fallow period also decreased. Thus, PM is sustainable with respect to soil water balance. The 7-year experiment and the supplemental experiment thus confirmed that straw mulching at the seedling stage may lead to yield reduction and this effect can be mitigated by delaying the straw application to three-leaf stage.

scholarly journals Yield, Economic Benefit, Soil Water Balance, and Water Use Efficiency of Intercropped Maize/Potato in Responses to Mulching Practices on the Semiarid Loess Plateau

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1100
Author(s):  
Junhong Xie ◽  
Linlin Wang ◽  
Lingling Li ◽  
Sumera Anwar ◽  
Zhuzhu Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Plastic Film ◽  
Economic Return ◽  
Flat Field ◽  
Use Efficiency

Increasing agricultural productivity without undermining further the integrity of the Earth’s environmental systems such as soil water balance are important tasks to ensure food security for an increasing global population in rainfed agriculture. The impact of intercropping maize (Zea mays L.) with potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) on yield, land equivalent ratios (LER), water equivalent ratio (WER), water use, energy output, and net economic return were examined under seven planting systems: potato grown solely or intercropped on the flat field without mulching, maize grown solely or intercropped with potato on ridges or flat field with or without plastic film mulched. The three intercropping systems had 3–13% less water use than the monocropping. Among the intercropped systems, flat field caused more depletion of soil water than ridged field for both years. Compared to monocultures, intercropping with plastic film mulching and ridging significantly increased LER and WER. Meanwhile, intercropping with mulching and ridging significantly increased net economic return and energy output by 8% and 24%, respectively, when compared to monocropping. These results suggest that maize under plastic film mulched ridge-furrow plot intercropped with potato under flat plot without mulching increased energy output, net economic return, and water use efficiency without increasing soil water depletion, which could be an optimal intercropping system for the semiarid farmland on the western Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals Enhancing Water use Efficiency of Maize under Deficit Irrigation: the Case of Moisture Deficit Areas of Tigray, Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Kiflom Degef Kahsay ◽  
Kidane Welde Reda
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Deficit Irrigation ◽  
Growth Stage ◽  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Late Growth

Maize (Zea Mays L.) is one of the most important food crops worldwide. In Ethiopia, it is one of the leading food grains selected to assume a national commodity crop to support the food self-sufficiency program of the country. Maize is fairly sensitive to water stress and excessive moisture stress. This is due to variation in sensitivity of different growth stages to water stress. The study was conducted to determine the water use efficiency of maize under deficit irrigation practice without significant reduction in yield and to identify crop growth stages which can withstand water stress. The experiment was conducted at the Alamata Agricultural Research center experimental site Kara Adishabo Kebele, Raya Azebo district. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications and six levels of irrigation water applications as possible treatments. Analysis was done to yield and water use efficiency of maize using R statistical software and the mean difference was estimated using the least significant difference (LSD) comparison. The highest grain (33.72qt/ha) and biomass yield (148.4qt/ha) was obtained from the 50% deficit irrigation at late growth. The maximum irrigation water use efficiency was obtained from both 50% deficit at all the four growth stages (0.5418 kg/ha) and at 50% deficit at late growth stage (0.446 kg/m3). And by comparing the grain yield obtained at the 50% deficit at late growth stage (33.72 qt/ha) and grain yield obtained at 50% deficit at all growth stages (23.34 qt/ha), the 50% deficit at late growth stage shows better result. The 50% deficit of crop water requirement did not affect the yield components (plant height & number of cobs per plant) of maze. Therefore applying irrigation water by reducing the crop water requirement by 50% at the late growth stage has a significant contribution for sustainable and efficient irrigation water utilization at moisture deficient areas without a significant loss on grain and biomass yield.

scholarly journals Water use efficiency of flooded rice fields I. Validation of the soil-water balance model SAWAH

1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 277-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.C.S. Wopereis ◽  
B.A.M. Bouman ◽  
M.J. Kropff ◽  
H.F.M. ten Berge ◽  
A.R. Maligaya
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Balance Model ◽  
Rice Fields ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Flooded Rice ◽  
Use Efficiency

scholarly journals Soil Water Balance and Water Use Efficiency of Rain-fed Maize under a Cool Temperate Climate as Modeled by the AquaCrop

2018 ◽  
Vol 246 ◽  
pp. 01059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weimin Wang ◽  
Xue Dong ◽  
Yanyun Lu ◽  
Xunliang Liu ◽  
Ruining Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Soil Water Balance ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
The Sanjiang Plain ◽  
Aquacrop Model ◽  
Cool Temperate ◽  
Use Efficiency

The AquaCrop model has been widely studied and examined for its feasibility and applic ability in simulating the crop growth – water relationship under tropical and warm temperate. How ever, the model is rarely tested under cool temperate climates. As the second largest agricultural ar ea of China, the Sanjiang Plain is characterized with relatively lower accumulative temperature and higher annual precipitation, showing typical features of a sub-humid and cool temperate climate. Th is study employed the AquaCrop model to compute soil water balance and water use efficiency of rain-fed maize in the Sanjiang Plain using a 5-year monitoring dataset (2011 – 2015). The results demonstrated an acceptable performance of AquaCrop in depicting soil water content, biomass accu mulation and grain yield. Soil water balance including soil water content, evapotranspiration and pr ecipitation was described throughout the growing period. The hysteresis of the daily soil water cont ent as responses to daily precipitation was revealed. Water use efficiency for the observed rain-fed maize increased with rising accumulative temperature and decreased with rising atmospheric CO2 c oncentration. This study provided a perspective for the extensive application of the AquaCrop mode l and the precise simulation in water dynamics under sub-humid and cool temperate climates.

Response of greenhouse-grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to variable irrigation

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olanike Aladenola ◽  
Chandra Madramootoo
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Capsicum Annuum ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Bell Pepper ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Capsicum Annuum L ◽  
Use Efficiency

Aladenola, O. and Madramootoo, C. 2014. Response of greenhouse-grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to variable irrigation. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 303–310. In order to optimize water use in bell pepper production information about the appropriate irrigation water applications and agronomic and physiological response to mild and severe water stress is necessary. Different water applications were tested on yield, quality and water stress threshold of greenhouse-grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivar Red Knight in 2011 and 2012 on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University, Ste Anne De Bellevue, QC. The study was carried out on a soil substrate in the greenhouse. Irrigation was scheduled with four treatments:120% (T1), 100% (T2), 80% (T3), and 40% (T4) replenishment of crop evapotranspiration in a completely randomized design. The highest marketable yield, water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency were obtained with T1 in both years. T1 received 20% more water than T2 to produce 23% more marketable yield than T2. Fruit total soluble solids content was highest in T4, and smallest in T1. The mean crop water stress index (CWSI) of the irrigation treatments ranged between 0.08 and 1.18. Leaf stomatal conductance of bell pepper was 75 to 80% lower in T4 than in T1. Regression obtained between stomatal conductance and CWSI resulted in a polynomial curve with coefficients of determination of 0.88 and 0.97 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The result from this study indicate that the yield derived justifies the use of an extra quantity of water. Information from this study will help water regulators to make appropriate decision about water to be allocated for greenhouse production of bell pepper.

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