scholarly journals Dry-Season Fog Water Utilization by Epiphytes in a Subtropical Montane Cloud Forest of Southwest China

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 3237
Author(s):  
Lu-Lu Liu ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
Hua-Zheng Lu ◽  
Yi Wu ◽  
Xian-Jing Meng ◽  
...  

Fog water is generally considered to be an important water source for epiphytes in cloud forests because they cannot directly access ground-level water sources. However, the water use proportions of potential water sources and water use efficiency of epiphytes in the subtropical montane cloud forests (MCF) remain to be further explored. In this study, we investigated the water use pattern in the dry season and the intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) of four epiphyte groups (i.e., epiphytic lichens, epiphytic bryophytes, epiphytic ferns, and epiphytic seed plants) using stable isotope (δ2H, δ18O, and δ13C) techniques. Our results indicated that the water sources of epiphytes were significantly different among groups and species. The contribution proportions of fog water to epiphytic lichens, epiphytic bryophytes, epiphytic ferns, and epiphytic seed plants were 83.2%, 32.7%, 38.8% and 63.7%, respectively. Epiphytic lichens and epiphytic seed plants mainly depended on fog water whereas the epiphytic bryophytes and epiphytic ferns relied on both fog water and humus. This may be due to their differences in morphological and structural traits (e.g., thallus or leaves, rhizoid or roots). Additionally, the difference in was also significant among epiphyte groups and species, which could be related to their different water acquisition patterns. In conclusion, our study reveals the differentiation of water utilization in epiphytes and confirms the importance of fog water for epiphytes during the dry season.

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Qin Cui ◽  
Jian-Ying Ma ◽  
Qi Feng ◽  
Jia-Huan Sun ◽  
Wei Sun

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Laksmita Prima Santi ◽  
Didiek Hadjar Goenadi ◽  
Junita Barus ◽  
Ai Dariah ◽  
Donny Nugroho Kalbuadi

<p><strong>Abstarct.</strong> Rice-field, during the dry season, offers promising potential as food crop production area particularly for secondary crops such as black soybean. However, rice-field have some limitations to support crop productivity economically, due to low fertilizer efficiency and/or water usage. Silicate (Si) fertilizer in the form of bio-nano ortho silicic acid (OSA) has been proven to improve yield and water use efficiency of black soybean on the upland, but not on rice field. This study aimed to determine the effects of bio-nano OSA application on yield, fertilizer and water use efficiencies of Detam-1 black soybean grown at a Bantarwaru rice-field, Indramayu, West Java. Experiment was undertaken from August to November 2018 with treatments consisting of : (i) control (P0), (ii) farmers’ standard practice (P1), (iii) P1 + 2 ton organic fertilizer ha-1 (P2), (iv) 50% P1 + 4 L bio-nano OSA ha-1 (P3), (v) 75% P1 + 4 L bio-nano OSA ha-1 (P4), and (vi) P1 + 4 L bio-nano OSA ha-1 (P5), in a randomized block design with three replications. The soil belongs to Alfisols with vertic property, i.e. cracking during the dry season. The results show that the application of bio-nano OSA was capable of improving yield of Detam-1 black soybean up to 26%, increasing water use efficiency up to 37%, and reducing NPK fertilizer dosages up to 50%. The highest yields of Detam-1 black soybean was 2.4-2.5-ton bean ha-1, achieved from the treatment of combination of 50-75% NPK fertilizer dosages and application of bio-nano OSA at 4 L ha-1 rate with optimum level of NPK dosage at 39.2%. By using bio-nano OSA and optimum dosage of NPK fertilizer, the farmer’s profit increased IDR 4,152,340 ha-1 per season compared to standard practice.</p><p><strong>Abstrak. </strong>Sawah tadah hujan pada musim kemarau menawarkan peluang yang prospektif untuk dimanfaatkan sebagai areal produksi tanaman pangan khususnya palawija seperti kedelai hitam. Namun, sawah tadah hujan secara umum memiliki masalah khusus untuk mendukung produktivitas tanaman di musim kemarau yaitu rendahnya efisiensi serapan hara dan/atau penggunaan air. Teknologi pupuk silika dalam formulasi bio-nano ortho-silicic acid (OSA) telah terbukti mampu meningkatkan hasil kedelai hitam dan efisiensi penggunaan air pada lahan tegalan tetapi tidak pada lahan sawah tadah hujan. Penelitian ini ditujukan untuk mempelajari pengaruh aplikasi pupuk Si (bio-nano OSA) terhadap produksi tanaman kedelai hitam Detam-1, efisiensi penggunaan pupuk, dan air pada sawah tadah hujan di Bantarwaru, Indramayu, Jawa Barat. Percobaan dilaksanakan di lahan petani pada bulan Agustus hingga Nopember 2018 dengan menguji perlakuan : (i) kontrol (P0), (ii) pemupukan standar petani (P1), (iii) P1 + 2 ton pupuk organik ha-1 (P2), (iv) 50% P1 + 4 L bio-nano OSA ha-1 (P3), (v) 75% P1 + 4 L bio-nano OSA ha-1 (P4), dan (vi) 100% P1 + 4 L bio-nano OSA ha-1 (P5), dalam rancangan acak kelompok dengan ulangan tiga kali. Tanah di lokasi percobaan tergolong ordo Alfisol dengan sifat vertik seperti timbulnya retakan saat musim kemarau. Hasil percobaan menunjukkan bahwa aplikasi bio-nano OSA mampu meningkatkan produksi kedelai hitam varietas Detam-1 hingga 26%, meningkatkan efisiensi penggunaan air hingga 37%, dan menghemat dosis pupuk NPK hingga 50%. Produktivitas kedelai hitam tertinggi sebesar 2,4–2,5 ton biji kering ha-1 diperoleh pada perlakuan kombinasi pupuk NPK 50-75% dari standar petani dan aplikasi bio-nano OSA 4 L ha-1 dengan dosis optimum pupuk NPK pada 39,2%. Tambahan keuntungan usaha tani kedelai hitam Detam-1 di Bantarwaru dengan aplikasi bio-nano OSA dan pemupukan NPK yang optimum dapat mencapai IDR. 4.152.340 ha-1 per musim jika dibandingkan perlakuan dosis pupuk standar.</p>


Plant Biology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Alessio ◽  
M. Lillis ◽  
E. Brugnoli ◽  
M. Lauteri

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunbo Zhang ◽  
Qiyuan Tang ◽  
Shaobing Peng ◽  
Danying Xing ◽  
Jianquan Qin ◽  
...  

One of the technology options that can help farmers cope with water scarcity at the field level is alternate wetting and drying (AWD). Limited information is available on the varietal responses to nitrogen, AWD, and their interactions. Field experiments were conducted at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) farm in 2009 dry season (DS), 2009 wet season (WS), and 2010 DS to determine genotypic responses and water use efficiency of rice under two N rates and two water management treatments. Grain yield was not significantly different between AWD and continuous flooding (CF) across the three seasons. Interactive effects among variety, water management, and N rate were not significant. The high yield was attributed to the significantly higher grain weight, which in turn was due to slower grain filling and high leaf N at the later stage of grain filling of CF. AWD treatments accelerated the grain filling rate, shortened grain filling period, and enhanced whole plant senescence. Under normal dry-season conditions, such as 2010 DS, AWD reduced water input by 24.5% than CF; however, it decreased grain yield by 6.9% due to accelerated leaf senescence. The study indicates that proper water management greatly contributes to grain yield in the late stage of grain filling, and it is critical for safe AWD technology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6603
Author(s):  
Duyen Nhat Lam Tran ◽  
Tien Dinh Nguyen ◽  
Thuy Thu Pham ◽  
Roberto F. Rañola ◽  
Thinh An Nguyen

Recent prolonged dry periods and lack of irrigation water have severely affected the productivity of coffee farms in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. This paper analyzes the efficiency of irrigation water use for Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) in the Lam Dong province. A Cobb–Douglas production function was used to determine coffee productivity’s response to the application of irrigation water and other production factors using data collected from 194 farmers, while the technical efficiency (TE) and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) were analyzed using a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model. The correlation of different factors to IWUE was determined using the Tobit model. The production function analysis using Cobb–Douglas shows that the volume of irrigation water, amount of working capital, labor, and farm size significantly influence coffee productivity. Indigenous farmers are more efficient in utilizing irrigation water than migrant farmers. The Tobit result indicates that farmers’ experience, education level, the distance of farm to water sources, security of access to water sources, extension contact, and credit access significantly affect IWUE. The study findings further suggest that mitigating water shortages in coffee farms require subregional and national policy support such as better access to credit and extension services, training, land management, and household-level efforts to improve farming practices through the application of appropriate technologies and traditional knowledge.


Horticulturae ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Pollard ◽  
James Ward ◽  
Philip Roetman

Water use and the cost of water are key factors when considering the net value of urban agriculture (UA). This systematic review critically evaluates past and recent UA yield research from the perspective of water use efficiency. A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases Scopus, ProQuest Agriculture and Environment, and Web of Science for references from 1975 to 2018, with 25 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Of these, only five articles had actively collected UA water use data, all on purpose-built experimental gardens. Considering the scarcity of UA water use efficiency and water measurement literature, South Australia is presented as a case study to demonstrate the considerable diversity of water pricing, water sources and irrigation methods available to urban food growers. The practical challenges of garden placement and the wide variety of cultivation techniques, water sources and irrigation methods are reviewed. Four equations to calculate the water use efficiency (WUE) of UA are proposed and demonstrated. Collection of additional UA water use data would support more robust evaluations of the water use efficiency and economic implications of different cultivation techniques. Further work in this field will enable a realistic understanding of the current and future contribution of UA to our society.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Mujawamariya ◽  
Aloysie Manishimwe ◽  
Bonaventure Ntirugulirwa ◽  
Etienne Zibera ◽  
Daniel Ganszky ◽  
...  

Elevation gradients offer excellent opportunities to explore the climate sensitivity of vegetation. Here, we investigated elevation patterns of structural, chemical, and physiological traits in tropical tree species along a 1700–2700 m elevation gradient in Rwanda, central Africa. Two early-successional (Polyscias fulva, Macaranga kilimandscharica) and two late-successional (Syzygium guineense, Carapa grandiflora) species that are abundant in the area and present along the entire gradient were investigated. We found that elevation patterns in leaf stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), net photosynthesis (An), and water-use efficiency were highly season-dependent. In the wet season, there was no clear variation in gs or An with elevation, while E was lower at cooler high-elevation sites. In the dry season, gs, An, and E were all lower at drier low elevation sites. The leaf-to-air temperature difference was smallest in P. fulva, which also had the highest gs and E. Water-use efficiency (An/E) increased with elevation in the wet season, but not in the dry season. Leaf nutrient ratios indicated that trees at all sites are mostly P limited and the N:P ratio did not decrease with increasing elevation. Our finding of strongly decreased gas exchange at lower sites in the dry season suggests that both transpiration and primary production would decline in a climate with more pronounced dry periods. Furthermore, we showed that N limitation does not increase with elevation in the forests studied, as otherwise most commonly reported for tropical montane forests.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Bruce R. Roberts ◽  
Chris Wolverton

Abstract Humectant treatment and substrate moisture content (SMC) were studied to determine their impact on post-transplant water utilization in ‘Thumbelina' zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.). Four-week-old seedlings were transplanted from plug trays into pots containing soilless substrate amended with an aqueous solution of 1.6% Hydretain® or an equal volume of water (0% humectant). Seedlings were placed in an automated, sensor-controlled irrigation system and grown for 30 days at SMC levels of 0.45 or 0.25 cm3·cm−3 (0.06 or 0.03 fl oz·oz−1). Plant-water potential (Ψw) was significantly higher (less negative) in transplants grown in humectant-treated substrate at both SMC levels, and water-use efficiency (WUE) was 2X greater for seedlings grown in treated substrate maintained at 0.25 cm3·cm−3 than it was for transplants grown in untreated substrate at the same SMC level. No significant differences in height, stem diameter or shoot dry weight were observed when comparing plants grown in treated and untreated substrate. Root dry weight was significantly greater for seedlings grown in untreated substrate. Flowering was not affected by humectant treatment or by SMC. The results show that transplanted zinnia ‘Thumbelina' seedlings require less irrigation when grown at a lower SMC threshold in soilless substrate amended with 1.6% Hydretain®. Index words: automated irrigation control, cultural practices, plant-water relations, transplant establishment, water management, water-use efficiency. Species used in this study: ‘Thumbelina' zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.). Chemicals used in this study: Hydretain® - a proprietary blend of sugar alcohols, polysaccharides, and neutral salts of alphahydroxyproprionic acid.


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