scholarly journals Evaluation of Water Uptake and Root Distribution of Cherry Trees Under Different Irrigation Methods

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pingfeng Li ◽  
Huang Tan ◽  
Jiahang Wang ◽  
Xiaoqing Cao ◽  
Peiling Yang

Although water-saving measures are increasingly being adopted in orchards, little is known about how different irrigation methods enhance water use efficiency at the root system level. To study the allocation of water sources of water absorption by cherry roots under two irrigation methods, surface irrigation and drip irrigation, oxygen isotope tracing and root excavation were used in this study. We found that different irrigation methods have different effects on the average δ18O content of soil water in the soil profile. The IsoSource model was applied to calculate the contribution rate of water absorption by cherry roots under these irrigation methods. During the drought period in spring (also a key period of water consumption for cherry trees), irrigation water was the main source of water absorbed by cherry roots. In summer, cherry roots exhibited a wide range of water absorption sources. In this case, relative to the surface irrigation mode, the drip irrigation mode demonstrated higher irrigation water use efficiency. After two years of the above experiment, root excavation was used to analyze the effects of these irrigation methods on the distribution pattern of roots. We found that root distribution is mainly affected by soil depth. The root system indexes in 10–30 cm soil layer differ significantly from those in other soil layers. Drip irrigation increased the root length density (RLD) and root surface area (RSA) in the shallow soil. There was no significant difference in root biomass density (RBD) and root volume ratio (RVR) between the two irrigation treatments. The effects of these irrigation methods on the 2D distribution of cherry RBD, RLD, RSA and RVR, which indicated that the cherry roots were mainly concentrated in the horizontal depths of 20 to 100 cm, which was related to the irrigation wet zone. In the current experiment, more than 85% of cherry roots were distributed in the space with horizontal radius of 0 to 100 cm and vertical depth of 0 to 80 cm; above 95% of cherry roots were distributed in the space with the horizontal radius of 0 to 150 cm and the vertical depth of 0 to 80 cm. Compared with surface irrigation, drip irrigation makes RLD and RSA more concentrated in the horizontal range of 30–100 cm and vertical range of 0–70 cm.

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yahya & Abdul-Razaq

This experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of Field Crop Department, College of Agriculture, university of Baghdad, during two spring seasons of 2012 and 2013 to study the response of quality characteristics of sunflower cultivar Akmar to the irrigation methods and water of magnetization technology and water use efficiency. The experiment was laid out as a split plot in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Four irrigation methods were used as main plots, [Farrow irrigation (I1), unfixed alternate furrow irrigation (I2), fixed alternate furrow irrigation (I3) and basin irrigation (I4)], while four levels of magnetized water (0, 1000, 2000 and 3000) Gauss were used as sub plot treatments. The results revealed that unfixed alternate furrow irrigation method could reduce irrigation water by 40 %, and it was irrigation water reduced from 425 to 255 mm per season in 2012th season and reduced from 364 to 234mm per season in 2013 season were an increment of water use efficiency (WUE) by 63.5% and 61.4% were accrued during growing seasons respectively in comparison with full irrigation treatment (I1). The Leaves potassium content decreased by14.4 to 5.8% for both seasons respectively. No significant effect was detected between I1 and I2 in qualitative traits except reduction in oil percentage as it reaches 6.3 to 8.8% in both seasons respectively. Results displayed a positive effect of using magnetized irrigation water on all measured traits. WUE increased by 45.1 to 56 %, nitrogen leaf content by 19.6 and 4.8% , phosphor leaves content by 35.1 and 41.7%, potassium leaves content by 20.7 and 10.8%, chlorophyll content by 4.5 to 7.6%, seed oil content by 5.0 to 5.6%. Interaction relations between experiment treatments were significant in some of studded traits.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Vimalendran ◽  
K. R. Latha

Field experiments were carried out during two seasons (August-February) of 2011-12 and 2012-13 at Millet Breeding Station, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, to study the effect of drip fertigation on productivity, water use and water use efficiency of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) cv. LRG 41. The treatments included three irrigation regimes (50 %, 75 %, 100 % computed water requirement of crop) and surface irrigation along with three fertilizer levels with water soluble fertilizer (WSF) and conventional fertilizers (CF). The treatments were laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. The results revealed that drip irrigation at 100 % WRc with fertigation at 125 % RDF through WSF registered significantly highest grain yield of 2812 and 2586 kg ha-1 during 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively. Surface irrigation with conventional method of fertilizer application recorded lower water use efficiency of 3.70 and 3.38 kg ha-1 mm-1 whereas it was reverse with drip irrigation of 100 % WRc + 125 % RDF through WSF with a WUE of 6.97 kg ha-1 mm-1 during 2011-12 and during second season (2012-13), the highest WUE of 6.72 kg ha-1 mm-1 was recorded in drip irrigation at 50 % WRc along with fertigation at 125 % RDF through WSF. The increase in grain yield with drip irrigation at 100 % WRc + fertigation with 125 % RDF through WSF was mainly attributed by greater and consistent availability of soil moisture and nutrients which resulted in better crop growth, yield components and ultimately reflected on water use efficiency and yield of pigeonpea Cajanus cajan.


2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Pendergast ◽  
S. P. Bhattarai ◽  
D. J. Midmore

Australian cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is predominantly grown on heavy clay soils (Vertosols). Cotton grown on Vertosols often experiences episodes of low oxygen concentration in the root-zone, particularly after irrigation events. In subsurface drip-irrigation (SDI), cotton receives frequent irrigation and sustained wetting fronts are developed in the rhizosphere. This can lead to poor soil diffusion of oxygen, causing temporal and spatial hypoxia. As cotton is sensitive to waterlogging, exposure to this condition can result in a significant yield penalty. Use of aerated water for drip irrigation (‘oxygation’) can ameliorate hypoxia in the wetting front and, therefore, overcome the negative effects of poor soil aeration. The efficacy of oxygation, delivered via SDI to broadacre cotton, was evaluated over seven seasons (2005–06 to 2012–13). Oxygation of irrigation water by Mazzei air-injector produced significantly (P < 0.001) higher yields (200.3 v. 182.7 g m–2) and water-use efficiencies. Averaged over seven years, the yield and gross production water-use index of oxygated cotton exceeded that of the control by 10% and 7%, respectively. The improvements in yields and water-use efficiency in response to oxygation could be ascribed to greater root development and increased light interception by the crop canopies, contributing to enhanced crop physiological performance by ameliorating exposure to hypoxia. Oxygation of SDI contributed to improvements in both yields and water-use efficiency, which may contribute to greater economic feasibility of SDI for broadacre cotton production in Vertosols.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Mubarak ◽  
Mussaddak Janat ◽  
Mohsen Makhlouf

Abstract Due to water scarcity and dry Mediterranean conditions, improving water use efficiency is a major challenge for sustainable crop production and environment protection. Field experiments were conducted for two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) to assess the effects of variety and irrigation method on potato crop, following a 2 × 4 factorial experiment type arranged in a split plot design with two spring potato varieties (Spunta and Marfona), and four irrigation methods (drip irrigation with two modes of dripper spacing/dripper flow: 30 cm at 4 l/h and 60 cm at 8 l/h, sprinkle irrigation, and furrow irrigation), with three replicates. Potato was irrigated when soil moisture in the active root depth was within the range of 75-80% of field capacity as determined by the neutron probe technique. Results did not show any differences between both varieties. Moreover, no differences in marketable yield, total dry matter, and harvest index were found between irrigation methods. However, results showed that sprinkle irrigation significantly enhanced nitrogen use efficiency. Furthermore, both water productivity and irrigation water use efficiency were significantly increased under drip irrigation compared with the other irrigation methods. They were about twice those under furrow irrigation, indicating that the employment of drip irrigation method can effectively address water shortage and sustainable potato production, in the dry Mediterranean region.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
赵志成 ZHAO Zhicheng ◽  
杨显贺 YANG Xianhe ◽  
李清明 LI Qingming ◽  
刘彬彬 LIU Binbin ◽  
杨振超 YANG Zhenchao

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