Intensified Interspecific Competition for Water after Afforestation with Robinia pseudoacacia into a Native Shrubland in the Taihang Mountains, Northern China

Understanding how soil water source is used spatiotemporally by tree species and if native species can successfully coexist with introduced species is crucial for selecting species for afforestation. In the rocky mountainous areas of the Taihang Mountains, alien Robinia pseudoacacia L. has been widely afforested into the native shrublands dominated by Ziziphus jujuba Mill var. spinosa and Vitex negundo L. var. heterophylla to improve forest coverage and soil nutrients. However, little is known about the water relation among species, especially seasonal water use sources in different microsites. We selected the soil and plant xylem samples of two opposite microtopographic sites (ridge and valley) monthly in the growth season to analyze isotope composition. The proportions of water sources were quantified by the MixSIAR model and compared pairwise between species, microsites and seasons. We found that deep subsoil water at a depth of 40–50 cm contributed up to 50% of the total water uptake for R. pseudoacacia and Z. jujuba in the growing season, indicating that they stably used deeper soil water and had intense water competition. However, V. negundo had a more flexible water use strategy, which derived more than 50% of the total water uptake from the soil layer of 0–10 cm in the rainy season, but majorly captured soil water at a depth of 30–50 cm in the dry season. Therefore, high niche overlaps were shown in V. negundo with the other two species in the dry season, but niche segregation was seen in the rainy season. The microtopographic sites did not shift the seasonal dynamic of the water source use patterns of the three studied species, but the water use niche overlap was higher in the valley than in the ridge. Taken together, the introduced species R. pseudoacacia intensified water competition with the native semi-arbor species Z. jujuba, but it could commonly coexist with the native shrub species V. negundo. Therefore, our study on seasonal water use sources in different microsites provides insight into species interaction and site selection for R. pseudoacacia afforestation in the native shrub community in rocky mountainous areas. It is better to plant R. pseudoacacia in the shrubland in the valley so as to avoid intense water competition and control soil erosion.

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Water use strategy of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus community in a drought year on the Mongolian Plateau

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtaa064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 793-800

Author(s):

Ya-Juan Zhu ◽

Guo-Jie Wang ◽

Zhi-Ming Xin

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Source ◽

Water Sources ◽

Desert Ecosystem ◽

Total Water ◽

Mongolian Plateau ◽

Ammopiptanthus Mongolicus ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Water Use Strategy

Abstract Aims In desert ecosystems, water is a restricting factor for plant growth and vegetation dynamics. The relatively stable water source from deep soil profile or groundwater is important for plant survival during drought. Understanding water use strategy of endangered species, in desert ecosystem is essential for their conservation and restoration such as Ammopiptanthus mongolicus on the Mongolian Plateau. Methods The stable isotope method of δD and δ 18O was used to examine the main water sources of A. mongolicus and two companion shrubs, e.g. Artemisia ordosica and Artemisia xerophytica. The contribution of different water sources to each species was calculated by IsoSource model. Leaf δ 13C was used to compare long-term water use efficiency of three shrubs. Soil moisture and root distribution of three shrubs was measured to explain plant water use strategy. Important Findings The results showed that A. mongolicus relied on groundwater and 150–200 cm deep soil water, with the former contributing to almost half of its total water source. Artemisia ordosica mainly used 150–200 cm deep soil water, but also used shallow soil water within 100 cm in summer and autumn. Artemisia xerophytica mainly used 150–200 cm deep soil water and groundwater, with the latter contributing to about 30%–60% of its total water source. The three shrubs had dimorphic or deep root systems, which are in accord with their water sources. The WUE in the evergreen shrub A. mongolicus was higher than in two deciduous Artemisia shrubs, which may be an adaptive advantage in desert ecosystem. Therefore, groundwater is an important water source for the endangered shrub A. mongolicus in a drought year on Mongolian Plateau. Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and two Artemisia shrubs competed for deep soil water and groundwater.

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Contrasting Water Use Strategies of Tamarix ramosissima in Different Habitats in the Northwest of Loess Plateau, China

Water ◽

10.3390/w12102791 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 2791

Author(s):

Pengyan Su ◽

Mingjun Zhang ◽

Deye Qu ◽

Jiaxin Wang ◽

Yu Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Loess Plateau ◽

Meteoric Water ◽

Water Source ◽

Water Sources ◽

Tamarix Ramosissima ◽

Water Line ◽

Meteoric Water Line ◽

Utilization Ratio

As a species for ecological restoration in northern China, Tamarix ramosissima plays an important role in river protection, flood control, regional climate regulation, and landscape construction with vegetation. Two sampling sites were selected in the hillside and floodplain habitats along the Lanzhou City, and the xylems of T. ramosissima and potential water sources were collected, respectively. The Bayesian mixture model (MixSIAR) and soil water excess (SW-excess) were applied to analyze the relationship on different water pools and the utilization ratios of T. ramosissima to potential water sources in two habitats. The results showed that the slope and intercept of local meteoric water line (LMWL) in two habitats were smaller compared with the global meteoric water line (GMWL), which indicated the existence of drier climate and strong evaporation in the study area, especially in the hillside habitat. Except for the three months in hillside, the SW-excess of T. ramosissima were negative, which indicated that xylems of T. ramosissima are more depleted in δ2H than the soil water line. In growing seasons, the main water source in hillside habitat was deep soil water (80~150 cm) and the utilization ratio was 63 ± 17% for T. ramosissima, while the main water source in floodplain habitat was shallow soil water (0~30 cm), with a utilization ratio of 42.6 ± 19.2%, and the water sources were different in diverse months. T. ramosissima has a certain adaptation mechanism and water-use strategies in two habitats, and also an altered water uptake pattern in acquiring the more stable water. This study will provide a theoretical basis for plant water management in ecological environment protection in the Loess Plateau.

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Blue Water Footprints of Ontario Dairy Farms

Water ◽

10.3390/w13162230 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 2230

Author(s):

Mariam Al-Bahouh ◽

Vern Osborne ◽

Tom Wright ◽

Mike Dixon ◽

Andrew VanderZaag ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Water Footprint ◽

Wash Water ◽

Conservation Practices ◽

Blue Water ◽

Total Water ◽

Plate Cooler ◽

The Impact ◽

Seasonal Water Use

The blue water footprint (WF) is an indicator of freshwater required to produce a given end product. Determining the blue WF for milk production, the seasonal water use and the impact of water conservation are important sustainability considerations for the dairy industry in Ontario (Canada). In this study, a water footprint network (WFN) method was used to calculate the seasonal blue WF’s from in-barn water use data and the fat–protein-corrected milk (FPCM) production. Various water conservation options were estimated using the AgriSuite software. Results showed that the total water use (L of water·cow−1·d−1) and the average blue WF (L of water·kg−1 of FPCM) were 246.3 ± 6.8 L·cow−1·d−1 and 7.4 ± 0.2 L·kg−1, respectively. The total water use and the blue WF could be reduced to 182.7 ± 5.1 L·cow−1·d−1 (25.8% reduction) and 5.8 ± 0.1 L·kg−1 (21.6% reduction), respectively, through adaptive water conservation measures as the reuse of the plate cooler and milk house water. For example, conservation practices could reduce the milk house wash water use from 74.3 ± 8.8 L·cow−1·d−1 to 16.6 ± 0.1 L·cow−1·d−1 (77.7% overall reduction).

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Effects of soil water and nitrogen availability on photosynthesis and water use efficiency of Robinia pseudoacacia seedlings

Journal of Environmental Sciences ◽

10.1016/s1001-0742(12)60081-3 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 585-595 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Xiping Liu ◽

Yangyang Fan ◽

Junxia Long ◽

Ruifeng Wei ◽

Roger Kjelgren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Nitrogen Availability ◽

Robinia Pseudoacacia ◽

Use Efficiency

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Water Use, Grain Yield, and Osmoregulation in Wheat

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/pp9860523 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 523 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

JM Morgan ◽

AG Condon

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Harvest Index ◽

High Water ◽

Total Water ◽

Water Deficits ◽

Turgor Maintenance ◽

Use Efficiency

Genotypic differences in turgor maintenance in wheat were shown to be associated with differences in grain yield in the field at both high and Low water deficits. High water deficits were produced by growing plants in field plots using water stored in the soil at sowing, and excluding rain with a rain cover. At low water deficits plants received rainfall, and irrigation was supplied before and immediately after sowing, at tillering, at jointing, at ear emergence, and during grain filling. Yield differences were analysed in terms of harvest index, water use, and water use efficiency. Water use was calculated from changes in soil water contents. At high water deficits all three factors were associated with differences in turgor maintenance. However, only the variations in water use and harvest index could be logically associated with differences in turgor maintenance. Analysis of the soil water extraction data showed that the differences in water use efficiency were due solely to differences in water use at depth while surface water losses were the same, i.e. the ratio of transpiration to soil evaporation would have been higher in low-osmoregulating genotypes. At low water deficits, no differences were observed in harvest index, though there were non-significant correlations between turgor maintenance and total water use efficiency or total water use. A similar result was obtained when the water use and yield data were related to osmoregulation measurements made in the glasshouse. It is therefore concluded that effects of turgor maintenance or osmoregulation on grain yield were primarily associated with differences in water use which were, in turn, due to differences in water extraction at soil depths between 25 and 150 cm.

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Effect of Limited Irrigation on Water Consumption and Grain Yield of Spring Maize (Zea Mays)

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.404.415 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 404 ◽

pp. 415-419

Author(s):

Heng Jia Zhang ◽

Jun Hui Li

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Soil Water ◽

Leaf Area ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Consumption ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Grain Filling ◽

Total Water ◽

Area Index ◽

Spring Maize

The soil water contents in spring maize field were monitored continuously using soil neutron probe combined with drying-weighing method. Meanwhile, the effect of limited irrigation on crop periodic water consumption and its percentage in total water use, leaf area index, and grain yield of spring maize were explored. The results indicated that both the periodic water consumption and its percentage in total water use varied from low to high then to low within maize growing season, with the maximum valued both at silking to middle grain filling. In addition, leaf area indexes were greatly improved by full irrigation before maize filling, and grain yield was not reduced by efficient limited irrigation management, contrarily, yield increase and 31.1% of significant irrigation water saving were achieved, which was beneficial to the optimization of soil water ecological processing and limited irrigation management.

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Genotypic variation in soil water use and root distribution and their implications for drought tolerance in chickpea

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp16154 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 235 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ramamoorthy Purushothaman ◽

Lakshmanan Krishnamurthy ◽

Hari D. Upadhyaya ◽

Vincent Vadez ◽

Rajeev K. Varshney

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Uptake ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Root Length Density ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Genotypic Variation ◽

Yield Losses ◽

Total Water ◽

Deep Soil

Chickpeas are often grown under receding soil moisture and suffer ~50% yield losses due to drought stress. The timing of soil water use is considered critical for the efficient use of water under drought and to reduce yield losses. Therefore the root growth and the soil water uptake of 12 chickpea genotypes known for contrasts in drought and rooting response were monitored throughout the growth period both under drought and optimal irrigation. Root distribution reduced in the surface and increased in the deep soil layers below 30 cm in response to drought. Soil water uptake was the maximum at 45–60 cm soil depth under drought whereas it was the maximum at shallower (15–30 and 30–45 cm) soil depths when irrigated. The total water uptake under drought was 1-fold less than optimal irrigation. The amount of water left unused remained the same across watering regimes. All the drought sensitive chickpea genotypes were inferior in root distribution and soil water uptake but the timing of water uptake varied among drought tolerant genotypes. Superiority in water uptake in most stages and the total water use determined the best adaptation. The water use at 15–30 cm soil depth ensured greater uptake from lower depths and the soil water use from 90–120 cm soil was critical for best drought adaptation. Root length density and the soil water uptake across soil depths were closely associated except at the surface or the ultimate soil depths of root presence.

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Nitrogen use and crop type affect the water use of annual crops in south-eastern Australia

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar05056 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 257 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

R. M. Norton ◽

N. G. Wachsmann

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Soil Evaporation ◽

The Other ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Total Water ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Series Of Experiments ◽

Seed Yields ◽

Applied Nitrogen

The effect of management and crop selection on water use and profile drying was investigated using 2 series of experiments conducted in the Victorian Wimmera. The effect of applied nitrogen on growth and water use of canola was assessed from 3 field experiments on a Vertosol soil. Across these sites, 140 kg N/ha increased crop water use by a mean of 30 mm, and the biological response averaged 3.68 t/ha of shoot dry matter and seed yield increased by 73% from 1.46 to 2.52 t/ha. The additional nitrogen enabled roots to go deeper into the soil and also to extract water to higher tensions, but the increases in water use were far less than the growth and yield responses. Estimated average soil evaporation was 120 mm across these experiments, but ranged from 26 to 57% of total water use. It was concluded that increased crop vigour in response to applied nitrogen does increase total water use, but the main way that water-use efficiency increases is through reduced soil evaporation. In a second series of experiments, the growth, yield, and water use of wheat, canola, linseed, mustard, and safflower were compared across 4 sites with differing soil moisture contents. Wheat was the highest yielding crop at all sites. Mustard and canola produced similar amounts of biomass and seed yields, whereas linseed produced seed yields that were generally less than the brassica oilseeds. Safflower grew well and produced large amounts of biomass at all sites, but this increased growth did not necessarily translate into increased seed yields. Safflower yielded less seed than all other crops at the 2 dry sites, but yields were similar to canola at the wetter sites. On 2 drier sites, soil water extraction occurred to approximately 1 m for all crops, and all available water was used within that zone by all crops. Where the soil was wet beyond 1 m, safflower was able to extract water from deeper in the profile than the other crops and generated a soil water deficit of about 100 mm more than the other crops at maturity. This deficit persisted into the subsequent autumn–winter period. The potential of using safflower as a management option to extract water from deep in the profile, and so create a soil buffer, is discussed.

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Evapotranspiration Measurement and Irrigation Scheduling for Several Tropical Fruit Crops Using the EnviroScan System

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.549f ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 549f-550

Author(s):

Mongi Zekri ◽

Bruce Schaffer ◽

Stephen K. O'Hair ◽

Roberto Nunez-Elisea ◽

Jonathan H. Crane

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Water Use ◽

National Parks ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Management Tool ◽

Fruit Crops ◽

Tropical Fruit

In southern Florida, most tropical fruit crops between Biscayne and Everglades National Parks are irrigated at rates and frequencies based on experience and observations of tree growth and fruit yield rather than on reliable quantitative information of actual water use. This approach suggests that irrigation rates may be excessive and could lead to leaching of agricultural chemicals into the groundwater in this environmentally sensitive area. Therefore, a study is being conducted to increase water use efficiency and optimize irrigation by accurately scheduling irrigation using a very effective management tool (EnviroScan, Sentek Environmental Innovations, Pty., Kent, Australia) that continuously monitors soil water content with highly accurate capacitance multi-sensor probes installed at several depths within the soil profile. The system measures crop water use by monitoring soil water depletion rates and allows the maintenance of soil water content within the optimum range (below field capacity and well above the onset of plant water stress). The study is being conducted in growers' orchards with three tropical fruit crops (avocado, carambola, and `Tahiti' lime) to facilitate rapid adoption and utilization of research results.

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