Short Communication: Comparative soil water use by annual crops at a semiarid site in Montana

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 803-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Miller ◽  
J. A. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Annual Crops

Miller, P. R. and Holmes, J. A. 2012. Short Communication: Comparative soil water use by annual crops at a semiarid site in Montana. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 803–807. Results for soil water use in the semiarid northern Great Plains are presented in detailed tabular format for 15 crops in an ideal environment for comparative water use assessment. The effective rooting depth of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varied relative to spring wheat; it was often similar and never less. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) averaged 43 mm greater soil water use below 0.9 m compared with spring wheat. Conversely, lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.) averaged 27 mm and 48 mm less soil water than spring wheat to a 1.2-m soil depth, respectively. Observed differences in effective rooting depth for alternative crops carry important implications for wheat-based cropping systems.

Yield, water use, and protein content of spring wheat grown after six years of alfalfa, crested wheatgrass, or spring wheat in semiarid southwestern Saskatchewan

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
H W Cutforth ◽  
P G Jefferson ◽  
C A Campbell ◽  
R H Ljunggren
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Grain Protein ◽  
Crested Wheatgrass ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Use Efficiency

In the semiarid prairie of western Canada, there is renewed interest for including short durations (≤3 yr) of perennial forage in rotations with annual crops. However, there are producers who want to grow longer durations (≥4 yr) of perennial forages in rotational systems. Therefore, we assessed spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield, grain protein, and water use efficiency following 6 yr of either crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.], or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), or wheat, and then 1 yr of fallow. Yield, water use, and water use efficiency were significantly lower in the first year of spring wheat production (2000) when the prior crop was crested wheatgrass or alfalfa than when it was wheat. In the second year (2001), which was a near record drought year, wheat yield and water use were significantly lower when the prior crop was alfalfa than when it was grass or wheat. From 2002 to 2005, there were no consistent differences in water use, water use efficiency, or yield of wheat due to the prior perennial crop. Wheat grain protein concentration was significantly higher following alfalfa compared with following crested wheatgrass or continuous spring wheat from 2000 to 2005. This effect was attributed to the higher N-supplying power of the soil following alfalfa. Soil water content below the rooting depth of most annual crops (≥120 cm depth) was reduced by the prior alfalfa crop, and there was no evidence from 2000 to 2005 that soil water recharge was occurring below the 150-cm depth. Key words: Semiarid prairie, alfalfa, grass, spring wheat, yield, protein, water use

Water use of wheat, barley, canola, and lucerne in the high rainfall zone of south-western Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heping Zhang ◽  
Neil C. Turner ◽  
Michael L. Poole
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Grain Filling ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Dry Matter Accumulation ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Significant Difference

Water use of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), canola (Brassica napus L.), and lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) was measured on a duplex soil in the high rainfall zone (HRZ) of south-western Australia from 2001 to 2003. Rainfall exceeded evapotranspiration in all years, resulting in transient perched watertables, subsurface waterlogging in 2002 and 2003, and loss of water by deep drainage and lateral flow in all years. There was no significant difference in water use among wheat, barley, and canola. Lucerne used water at a similar rate to annual crops during the winter and spring, but continued to extract 80−100 mm more water than the annual crops over the summer and autumn fallow period. This resulted in about 50 mm less drainage past the root-zone than for annual crops in the second and third years after the establishment of the lucerne. Crop water use was fully met by rainfall from sowing to anthesis and a significant amount of water (120−220 mm) was used during the post-anthesis period, resulting in a ratio of pre- to post-anthesis water use (ETa : ETpa) of 1 : 1 to 2 : 1. These ratios were lower than the indicative value of 2 : 1 for limited water supply for grain filling. High water use during the post-anthesis period was attributed to high available soil water at anthesis, a large rooting depth (≥1.4 m), a high proportion (15%) of roots in the clay subsoil, and regular rainfall during grain filling. The pattern of seasonal water use by crops suggested that high dry matter at anthesis did not prematurely exhaust soil water for grain filling and that it is unlikely to affect dry matter accumulation during grain filling and final grain yield under these conditions.

Soil water under conventional and alternative cropping systems in cryoboreal subhumid central Alberta

1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. C. Izaurralde ◽  
D. S. Chanasyk ◽  
N. G. Juma
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Faba Bean ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Field Pea ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Red Fescue ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Tillage Methods

Soil water limits plant growth in the Canadian Prairie Provinces. Efficient use of soil water is, therefore, paramount in crop production. Two 2-yr field studies were conducted (i) to determine the effects of crop selection and cropping practice on the temporal and spatial distribution of soil water and (ii) to quantify water use and water-use efficiencies (WUE) of alternative crop/cropping systems for a subhumid region of Alberta. The first study was at the Ellerslie Research Station on an Orthic Black Chernozemic and the second at the University of Alberta Breton Plots on an Orthic Gray Luvisol. At each site three annual crops/cropping systems [barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), barley intercropped with field pea (Pisum sativum L.), and faba bean (Vicia faba L.)] and a perennial forage [creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra)] were grown in 1987 and in 1988. At Ellerslie, tillage methods to grow annual crops were conventional and zero tillage. At Breton, the two tillage methods used were: (i) conventional and (ii) deep tillage (to enrich the surface horizon with clay from the subsoil). The experimental design used was a split plot with four replications. Soil water was measured by neutron attenuation. Evapotranspiration was calculated as the change in soil water to 0.80-m depth plus precipitation. Soil water changes were more closely associated with the kind of crop grown than with the method of tillage used. The barley/field pea intercrop exhibited a pattern of water use similar to barley. Greater water-use efficiency measured in the intercrop system was attributed to differences in canopy structure and plant biomass production. Faba bean and red fescue had lower WUE than barley and the intercrop. The water requirement by faba bean was close to that of red fescue and related to leaf area development. Small tillage effects on soil water were observed during 1988. Soil water under zero tillage was greater than under conventional tillage. Faba bean and red fescue are likely to succeed more in agro-ecological regions such as Breton. Further studies are required to improve our understanding of the effects of these cropping systems on water resources when they are used in rotational-production systems. Key words: Barley, field pea, faba bean, creeping red fescue, conventiional tillage, zero tillage, deep tillage, water-use efficiency

Using soil, climate, and agronomy to predict soil water use by lucerne compared with soil water use by annual crops or pastures

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 347 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Ward ◽  
S. F. Micin ◽  
F. X. Dunin
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Buffer Size ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Annual Crops ◽  
Matter Production

The incorporation of perennials in general, and lucerne in particular, into farming systems of southern Australia has been proposed as a possible means to slow or stop the spread of dryland salinity. In order to be effective, lucerne roots must remove substantially more water from the soil than roots produced by annual crops and pastures. The term ‘buffer’ is used here to denote the extra water storage created by lucerne in addition to that normally created by an annual crop or pasture. In trials across southern Australia, lucerne has proved variable in its ability to create a buffer. In this research, we established 3 new trials, and collated results from current and published trials across Australia, to determine the effect of various edaphic (soil pH, texture, depth, and density for A and B horizons), climatic (average and actual seasonal rainfall), and agronomic (lucerne age, plant density, dry matter production, and rooting depth) factors on buffer size created by lucerne. Data from 26 trials were analysed, representing 84 site × year comparisons. The mean lucerne buffer for all comparisons was 91 mm, and increased with lucerne age. Buffers were generally greater for heavier-textured soils, but standard deviations of the means were large. Within a broad soil type, regression equations were developed to predict buffer size from climatic, edaphic, and agronomic factors, with r2 values ranging between 0.96 and 0.84, and standard errors ranging between 40 and 44 mm. For all soil types, average summer rainfall (but not actual summer rainfall) was a significant component of the regression, suggesting that management of the lucerne stand, in terms of maintaining leaf area during summer, may have an important role in buffer development.

Impacts of Intensified Cropping Systems on Soil Water Use by Spring Wheat

2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 1188-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Halvorson ◽  
David W. Archer ◽  
Mark A. Liebig ◽  
Kathleen M. Yeater ◽  
Donald L. Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Cropping Systems

Lucerne in crop rotations on the Riverine Plains. 1. The soil water balance

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 263 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Ridley ◽  
B. Christy ◽  
F. X. Dunin ◽  
P. J. Haines ◽  
K. F. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Annual Species ◽  
Annual Crops

Dryland salinity, caused largely by insufficient water use of annual crops and pastures, is increasing in southern Australia. A field experiment in north-eastern Victoria (average annual rainfall 600 mm) assessed the potential for lucerne grown in rotation with crops to reduce the losses of deep drainage compared with annual crops and pasture. Soil under lucerne could store 228 mm of water to 1.8 m depth. This compared with 84 mm under continuous crop (to 1.8 m depth), except in 1997–98 where crop dried soil by 162 mm. Between 1.8 and 3.25 m depth lucerne was able to create a soil water deficit of 78 mm. The extra water storage capacity was due to both the increased rooting depth and increased drying abiliy of lucerne within the root-zone of the annual species. Large drainage losses occurred under annuals in 1996 and small losses were calculated in 1997 and 1999, with no loss in 1998. Averaged over 1996–1999, drainage under annual crops was 49 mm/year (maximum 143 mm) and under annual pastures 35 mm/year (maximum 108 mm). When the extra soil water storage under lucerne was accounted for, no drainage was measured under this treatment in any year. Following 2 years of lucerne, drainage under subsequent crops could occur in the second crop. However, with 3 or 4 years of lucerne, 3–4 crops were grown before drainage loss was likely. Our calculations suggest that in this environment drainage losses are likely to occur under annual species in 55% of years compared with 6% of years under lucerne. In wet years water use of lucerne was higher than for crops due to lucerne’s ability to use summer rainfall and dry soil over the summer–autumn period. During the autumn–winter period crop water use was generally higher than under lucerne. The major period of increased soil water extraction under lucerne was from late spring to midsummer, with additional drying from deeper layers until autumn. Under both lucerne and crops, soil dried progressively from upper to lower soil layers. Short rotations of crops and lucerne currently offer the most practical promise for farmers in cropping areas in southern Australia to restore the water balance to a level which reduces the risk of secondary salinity.

Cropping sequence affects wheat productivity on the semiarid northern Great Plains

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Miller ◽  
J. Waddington ◽  
C. L. McDonald ◽  
D. A. Derksen
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
Triticum Aestivum L ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Dry Bean ◽  
Wheat Stubble

Extension of the commonly used spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow rotation to include broadleaf crops requires information on their effects on a following wheat crop. We grew a spring wheat test crop on the stubbles of wheat and seven broadleaf crops: desi chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), dry pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris L.), mustard (Brassica juncea L.), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). This study was conducted near Swift Current, SK, from 1993 to 1997, and Congress, SK, from 1995 to 1997. After harvest, soil water differed among crop stubbles and by sampling depth. To the 60-cm depth, only soil under dry bean stubble held more water (8 mm), while soil under lentil, desi chickpea, sunflower and safflower stubbles held less water (6, 8, 9 and 17 mm, respectively) than wheat stubble (P < 0.05). From 60 to 120 cm, soil under dry pea and dry bean held more water (7 and 10 mm, respectively), and under sunflower and safflower stubbles less (7 and 14 mm, respectively), than under wheat stubble (P < 0.05). Lentil, dry bean and dry pea stubbles averaged 5, 6 and 9 kg ha-1 greater soil N in the 0- to 120-cm soil depth than wheat stubble (P < 0.05). The average yield of wheat grown on the four pulse crop stubbles was 21% greater than yields on wheat stubble, but did not differ from the oilseed stubbles (P < 0.01). Compared to wheat stubble, wheat grown on broadleaf crop stubbles had higher grain protein concentrations, increasing by 8 and 5%, for pulses and oilseeds, respectively (P < 0.01). Nitrogen removal in the wheat test crop grain yield averaged 15 kg ha-1 for pulse stubbles compared with wheat stubble. Soil N contribution by pulse stubbles was an important factor contributing to wheat growth under a dryland cropping system on the northern Great Plains. Key words: Crop sequence, spring wheat, pulse crops, N cycling, water use

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

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
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&ndash;60 cm, increased water recharge by 16&ndash;21 mm, and decreased ASWS by 89&ndash;133 mm in 0&ndash;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&ndash;1531 kg/ha in CK and single N or P. WUE in CK and single N or P treatments was &lt; 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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