Water Use Characteristics of Two Dominant Species in the Mega-Dunes of the Badain Jaran Desert

The sparse natural vegetation develops special water use characteristics to adapt to inhospitable desert areas. The water use characteristics of such plants in desert areas are not yet completely understood. In this study, we compare the differences in water use characteristics between two dominant species of the Badain Jaran Desert mega-dunes—Zygophyllum xanthoxylum and Artemisia ordosica—by investigating δ2H and δ18O in plant xylem (the organization that transports water and inorganic salts in plant stems) and soil water, and δ13C in plant leaves. The results indicate that Z. xanthoxylum absorbed 86.5% of its water from soil layers below 90 cm during growing seasons, while A. ordosica derived 79.90% of its water from the 0–120 cm soil layers during growing seasons. Furthermore, the long-term leaf-level water use efficiency of A. ordosica (123.17 ± 2.13 μmol/mol) was higher than that of Z. xanthoxylum (97.36 ± 1.16 μmol/mol). The differences in water use between the two studied species were mainly found to relate to their root distribution characteristics. A better understanding of the water use characteristics of plants in desert habitats can provide a theoretical basis to assist in the selection of species for artificial vegetation restoration in arid areas.

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Leaf Temperature Impacts Canopy Water Use Efficiency Independent of Changes in Leaf Level Water Use Efficiency

Journal of Plant Physiology ◽

10.1016/j.jplph.2020.153357 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 153357

Author(s):

Thomas Sexton ◽

Camille Steber ◽

Asaph Cousins

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Leaf Temperature ◽

Leaf Level ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Temperature Impacts ◽

Canopy Water

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

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.775477 ◽

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.

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Yield, Nitrogen Uptake and Nitrogen Leaching of Sensor-Based Fertigation-Cultured Tomato in a Shallow Groundwater Region: Effect of Shallow Groundwater on Tomato Irrigation

Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.5539/jas.v12n1p10 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 10

Author(s):

Jinji Zhang ◽

Zhuangzhuang Cao ◽

Haibo Dai ◽

Zhiping Zhang ◽

Minmin Miao

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Groundwater Level ◽

Eastern China ◽

Shallow Groundwater ◽

Water Volume ◽

N Leaching ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Tomato Yield ◽

Use Efficiency

Fertigation with surface drip has been introduced and broadly applied for vegetable cultivation in the Eastern China, which presents high precipitation and always has shallow groundwater. To estimate the influence of high groundwater level on the tomato nitrogen (N) and water use efficiency and develop new sensor-based fertigation technology, experiments were executed in plastic greenhouse in the experimental farm of Yangzhou University located in the suburban of Yangzhou city during 2016-2017 growing seasons using a block randomization with three replications. Three N dosages and 4 watering treatments were carried out in this experiment. The data indicated that irrigation threshold of -35 kPa was optimum to get the maximum production of tomato. In this treatment, the value of estimated plant evapotranspiration (ETc) was much higher than total applied water volume, suggesting high groundwater table had a significant contribution on the tomato ETc and a sensor-based irrigation strategy should be more accurate than the simulated ETc irrigation method to calculate the water demand under this condition. In addition, our results indicated that high groundwater level had a positive effect to alleviating N leaching. Finally, we can conclude that fertigation technology enhanced the N use efficiency (NUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) and three fourths of the calculated N dosage (according to a traditional nutrient equation) was sufficient to optimize tomato yield.

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Soil water cycle and crop water use efficiency after long-term nitrogen fertilization in Loess Plateau

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/207/2012-pse ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 59 (No. 1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

B. Wang ◽

W. Liu ◽

Q. Xue ◽

T. Dang ◽

C. Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Cycle ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Water Recharge ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

N Management

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of nitrogen (N) management on soil water recharge, available soil water at sowing (ASWS), soil water depletion, and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield and water use efficiency (WUE) after long-term fertilization. We collected data from 2 experiments in 2 growing seasons. Treatments varied from no fertilization (CK), single N or phosphorus (P), N and P (NP), to NP plus manure (NPM). Comparing to CK and single N or P treatments, NP and NPM reduced rainfall infiltration depth by 20–60 cm, increased water recharge by 16–21 mm, and decreased ASWS by 89–133 mm in 0–300 cm profile. However, crop yield and WUE continuously increased in NP and NPM treatments after 22 years of fertilization. Yield ranged from 3458 to 3782 kg/ha in NP or NPM but was 1246–1531 kg/ha in CK and single N or P. WUE in CK and single N or P treatments was < 6 kg/ha/mm but increased to 12.1 kg/ha/mm in a NP treatment. The NP and NPM fertilization provided benefits for increased yield and WUE but resulted in lower ASWS. Increasing ASWS may be important for sustainable yield after long-term fertilization.

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Generating Plants with Improved Water Use Efficiency

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy8090194 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 194 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

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.

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Daily dynamics of photosynthetic parameters in beech population under periodical drought conditions

Open Life Sciences ◽

10.1515/biol-2015-0022 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Milan Borišev ◽

Rita Horak ◽

Slobodanka Pajević ◽

Saša Orlović ◽

Nataša Nikolić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Soil Drought ◽

Physiological Status ◽

Photosynthetic Parameters ◽

Soil Layers ◽

Photosynthetic Productivity ◽

Early Afternoon ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

The Impact

AbstractThe paper presents the impact of periodic soil drought on physiological parameters important for bioproductivity of mountain beech populations. The investigated forest population was located near Fruška gora mountain peak, where water runs off quickly, and consequently lack of soil humidity develops very often. Decreasing trends of photosynthesis, transpiration, water use efficiency and stomatal conductance (gs) during the growing season were evident, in correlation with a shortage of precipitation. Diurnally, photosynthesis of beech leaves showed rhythmical changes. It was the most intensive in the morning, then decreased between noon and 1 pm, and increased again during early afternoon. High leaf temperature and water deficit in the deeper soil layers caused a decreasing trend in photosynthesis and daily rhythmic changes of the transpiration rate and water use efficiency. Although surface soil water capacity did not show a significant decreasing trend from July to September, a lack of precipitation was observed, which probably caused a lack of moisture in deeper soil layers, resulting in a decline in photosynthesis and transpiration. Physiological status, linked to primary photosynthetic productivity of forests, could be a significant indicator of environmental conditions and trends in climate changes.

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Irrigated sugarbeet yield, water use and water use efficiency responses to tillage practices

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-1259 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jay Jabro ◽

Bart Stevens ◽

bill Iversen ◽

brett Allen ◽

Upendra Sainju

Keyword(s):

Water Use Efficiency ◽

Water Use ◽

Management Practices ◽

Block Design ◽

Soil Water Storage ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Use Efficiency

<p>Better management practices have been used to increase soil water storage and reduce evaporation from the soil surface to optimize crop water use efficiency (WUE) in irrigated agriculture. A field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of &#160;conventional tillage (CT), No-till (NT) and strip tillage (ST) practices on yield, water use (WU) and WUE of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) on a clay loam soil under over-head sprinkler irrigation system in the northern Great Plains. Tillage treatments were replicated five times in a randomized block design. Seasonal WU and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose yield were determined for the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons according to the water balance and WUE equations under three tillage practices. Results showed that no significant differences due to tillage treatment were found for crop WU, root yield, sucrose yield, and WUE for sugarbeet root and sucrose in 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. In 2019, the average value of WU across three tillage systems (616 mm) was significantly greater relative to 2018 (468 mm) due to atypical large rainfalls (218mm) occurred in September of 2019. Consequently, WUE values for both root and sucrose yield in 2019 under CT, NT, and ST were significantly greater than those in 2018. While NT and ST practices are promising alternative to CT for agricultural production in this region, further research is needed prior to making any recommendation.</p>

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