scholarly journals Use of hydrogel in the irrigation management of white pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) seedlings: Biometrics and accumulation of organic and inorganic solutes

2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-508
Author(s):  
Maria Fgênia Saldanha Diógenes ◽  
◽  
Vander Mendonça ◽  
Luciana Freitas de Medeiros Mendonça ◽  
Elias Ariel de Moura ◽  
...  

The initial development of pitayas may be limited by a few factors, among them, water deficit. Agricultural hydrogels can be used as an alternative to enhance the retention and availability of water and nutrients in the soil. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of irrigation frequency and hydrogel doses on the development of white pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) seedlings to establish a time interval in days between irrigations that provides better seedling development and determine the hydrogel dose that provides a reduction of water consumption without damaging seedling development. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks in a 4 x 4 factorial arrangement, in which the treatments corresponded to 4 hydrogel doses (0, 2, 4, and 6 g/plant of Biogel Hidro Plus) incorporated into the substrate and four irrigation frequencies (1, 3, 5, and 7 days of interval). The biometric characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, and organic and inorganic solutes of the plants were evaluated after 120 days. The use of daily irrigation negatively influenced the growth and biomass accumulation of the aerial part of the seedlings and, consequently, provided the lowest values of cladodes of the pitaya seedlings. Pitaya seedlings had greater development when using an irrigation frequency of around 3 days. The application of 6 g/plant of hydrogel provided the highest averages for accumulation of dry biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and organic and inorganic solutes at irrigation levels of 3.6, 4, and about 3.8 days of intervals, respectively. Hydrogel incorporation allowed increasing the interval between irrigations by 1 day without damages to the seedling development.

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 659-669
Author(s):  
SAULO SOARES DA SILVA ◽  
GEOVANI SOARES DE LIMA ◽  
VERA LÚCIA ANTUNES DE LIMA ◽  
LAURIANE ALMEIDA DOS ANJOS SOARES ◽  
HANS RAJ GHEYI ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the quantum yield, photosynthetic pigments and biomass accumulation of mini watermelon cv. Sugar Baby, under strategies of irrigation with saline water and potassium fertilization. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, in a 8 × 3 factorial scheme, with three replicates, corresponding to eight strategies of irrigation with saline water applied at different phenological stages of the crop (control - irrigation with low-salinity water throughout the crop cycle, and salt stress in the vegetative, vegetative/flowering, flowering, flowering/fruiting, fruiting, fruiting/ fruit maturation and fruit maturation stage) and three potassium doses (50, 100 and 150% of the recommendation). The dose of 100% corresponded to 150 mg of K2O kg-1 of soil. Two levels of electrical conductivity of water were used: 0.8 and 4.0 dS m-1. Irrigation with water of 4.0 dS m-1 continuously in the vegetative and flowering stages increased the initial fluorescence and decreased the quantum efficiency of photosystem II of mini watermelon fertilized with 100 and 150% of K recommendation. Fertilization with 50% recommendation did not interfere in the fluorescence parameters of the mini watermelon, regardless of the irrigation management strategy. Chlorophyll a synthesis is inhibited by salt stress in the vegetative/flowering, flowering, flowering/fruiting, fruiting/maturation stages, as well as for total chlorophyll, except for the flowering stage. Application of 4.0 dS m-1 water in the flowering, fruiting/maturation and maturation stages promoted greater biomass accumulation in mini watermelon.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1733
Author(s):  
Amir Haghverdi ◽  
Maggie Reiter ◽  
Amninder Singh ◽  
Anish Sapkota

As the drought conditions persist in California and water continues to become less available, the development of methods to reduce water inputs is extremely important. Therefore, improving irrigation water use efficiency and developing water conservation strategies is crucial for maintaining urban green infrastructure. This two-year field irrigation project (2018–2019) focused on the application of optical and thermal remote sensing for turfgrass irrigation management in central California. We monitored the response of hybrid bermudagrass and tall fescue to varying irrigation treatments, including irrigation levels (percentages of reference evapotranspiration, ETo) and irrigation frequency. The ground-based remote sensing data included NDVI and canopy temperature, which was subsequently used to calculate the crop water stress index (CWSI). The measurements were done within two hours of solar noon under cloud-free conditions. The NDVI and canopy temperature data were collected 21 times in 2018 and 10 times in 2019. For the tall fescue, a strong relationship was observed between NDVI and visual rating (VR) values in both 2018 (r = 0.92) and 2019 (r = 0.83). For the hybrid bermudagrass, there was no correlation in 2018 and a moderate correlation (r = 0.72) in 2019. There was a moderate correlation of 0.64 and 0.88 in 2018 and 2019 between tall fescue canopy minus air temperature difference (dt) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) for the lower CWSI baseline. The correlation between hybrid bermudagrass dt and VPD for the lower baseline was 0.69 in 2018 and 0.64 in 2019. Irrigation levels significantly impacted tall fescue canopy temperature but showed no significant effect on hybrid bermudagrass canopy temperature. For the same irrigation levels, increasing irrigation frequency slightly but consistently decreased canopy temperature without compromising the turfgrass quality. The empirical CWSI values violated the minimum expected value (of 0) 38% of the time. Our results suggest NDVI thresholds of 0.6–0.65 for tall fescue and 0.5 for hybrid bermudagrass to maintain acceptable quality in the central California region. Further investigation is needed to verify the thresholds obtained in this study, particularly for hybrid bermudagrass, as the recommendation is only based on 2019 data. No CWSI threshold was determined to maintain turf quality in the acceptable range because of the high variability of CWSI values over time and their low correlation with VR values.


EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davie Mayeso Kadyampakeni ◽  
Kelly T. Morgan ◽  
Mongi Zekri ◽  
Rhuanito Ferrarezi ◽  
Arnold Schumann ◽  
...  

Water is a limiting factor in Florida citrus production during the majority of the year because of the low water holding capacity of sandy soils resulting from low clay and the non-uniform distribution of the rainfall. In Florida, the major portion of rainfall comes in June through September. However, rainfall is scarce during the dry period from February through May, which coincides with the critical stages of bloom, leaf expansion, fruit set, and fruit enlargement. Irrigation is practiced to provide water when rainfall is not sufficient or timely to meet water needs. Proper irrigation scheduling is the application of water to crops only when needed and only in the amounts needed; that is, determining when to irrigate and how much water to apply. With proper irrigation scheduling, yield will not be limited by water stress. With citrus greening (HLB), irrigation scheduling is becoming more important and critical and growers cannot afford water stress or water excess. Any degree of water stress or imbalance can produce a deleterious change in physiological activity of growth and production of citrus trees.  The number of fruit, fruit size, and tree canopy are reduced and premature fruit drop is increased with water stress.  Extension growth in shoots and roots and leaf expansion are all negatively impacted by water stress. Other benefits of proper irrigation scheduling include reduced loss of nutrients from leaching as a result of excess water applications and reduced pollution of groundwater or surface waters from the leaching of nutrients. Recent studies have shown that for HLB-affected trees, irrigation frequency should increase and irrigation amounts should decrease to minimize water stress from drought stress or water excess, while ensuring optimal water availability in the rootzone at all times.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Camille Rousset ◽  
Timothy J. Clough ◽  
Peter R. Grace ◽  
David W. Rowlings ◽  
Clemens Scheer

Pastures require year-round access to water and in some locations rely on irrigation during dry periods. Currently, there is a dearth of knowledge about the potential for using irrigation to mitigate N2O emissions. This study aimed to mitigate N2O losses from intensely managed pastures by adjusting irrigation frequency using soil gas diffusivity (Dp/Do) thresholds. Two irrigation regimes were compared; a standard irrigation treatment based on farmer practice (15 mm applied every 3 days) versus an optimised irrigation treatment where irrigation was applied when soil Dp/Do was ≈0.033 (equivalent to 50% of plant available water). Cow urine was applied at a rate of 700 kg N ha−1 to simulate a ruminant urine deposition event. In addition to N2O fluxes, soil moisture content was monitored hourly, Dp/Do was modelled, and pasture dry matter production was measured. Standard irrigation practices resulted in higher (p = 0.09) cumulative N2O emissions than the optimised irrigation treatment. Pasture growth rates under treatments did not differ. Denitrification during re-wetting events (irrigation and rain) contributed to soil N2O emissions. These results warrant further modelling of irrigation management as a mitigation option for N2O emissions from pasture soils, based on Dp/Do thresholds, rainfall, plant water demands and evapotranspiration.


2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kênia Almeida Diniz ◽  
Paulo de Albuquerque Silva ◽  
João Almir Oliveira ◽  
José Renato Emiliorelli Evangelista

Small sized seeds, such as the horticultural species, have limited quantities of reserves that can be balanced by coating then with essential nutrients for their initial development. In addition, inoculation of the seeds with microorganisms may protect the plants against phytopathogens, thus enhancing their growth. The present work had the objective of evaluate the physiological quality and seedling development of sweet pepper seeds and seedlings coated with several kind of films. Seeds were first coated with polymers and then with antagonistic microorganisms (Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma polysporhum, Trichoderma stromaticum, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae), mycorrhizas, aminoacids, micronutrients and plant growth regulators. Evaluation was performed for percentage of germination and for seedling emergence, speed of emergence index, number of plants, dry mass of the aerial and root parts and height of the seedlings. Inoculation with Trichoderma viride increased the percentage and rate of the seedlings emergence Inoculation with Trichoderma viride, Metarhizium anisopliae and mycorrhizas promote better seedling development; seed microbiolization with microorganisms Trichoderma viride, T. polysporhum, T. stromaticum, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae. Mycorrhizas mixture negatively affected seeds and seedling quality. Seed covering with plant growht regulator, at a 5 mL kg-1 dose increased the roots dry matter.


2013 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 106-113
Author(s):  
M.H. Ali ◽  
I. Abustan

Many regions of the world face the challenge to ensure high yield with limited water supply. This calls for utilization of available water in an efficient and sustainable manner. Quantitative models can assist in management decision and planning purposes. The FAO’s newly developed crop-water model, AquaCrop, which simulates yield in response to water, has been calibrated for winter wheat and subsequently used to simulate yield under different sowing dates, irrigation frequencies, and irrigation sequences using 10 years daily weather data. The simulation results suggest that “2 irrigation frequency” is the most water-efficient schedule for wheat under the prevailing climatic and soil conditions. The results also indicate decreasing yield trend under late sowing. The normal/recommended sequence of irrigation performed better than the seven-days shifting from the normal. The results will help to formulate irrigation management plan based on the resource availability (water, and land availability from previous crop).


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-305
Author(s):  
Cícero J Silva ◽  
Nadson C Pontes ◽  
Adelmo Golynski ◽  
Marcos B Braga ◽  
Alice M Quezado-Duval ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Irrigation management is essential to promote appropriate plant growth and guarantee production and quality of the tomatoes for processing, increases the efficiency of nutrients use and contributes to ensure the sustainability of the production chain. This study was installed to evaluate productive performance of two processing tomato hybrids submitted to five water depths under drip irrigation system. Five levels of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) replacement (60%, 100%, 140%, 180% and 220%) and two tomato hybrids (BRS Sena and H 9992) were tested. The experimental design was a 5×2 factorial arranged in randomized complete block design with four replications. During the crop cycle, hybrids BRS Sena and H 9992 needed 692.20 and 418.43 mm of water, yielding 80 and 44.06 t ha-1, respectively. For both hybrids, the higher water productivity was observed when lower levels of irrigation were applied. Higher productivities and pulp yields of ‘BRS Sena’ and ‘H 9992’ were noticed when replacing 150-166% and 99-101% ETc, respectively. We observed that improving the performance of processing hybrid tomatoes is possible by adjusting irrigation levels for each hybrid according to growing conditions.


DYNA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (211) ◽  
pp. 42-48
Author(s):  
Leandro Candido Gordin ◽  
Ceres Duarte Guedes Cabral de Almeida ◽  
José Amilton Santos Júnior ◽  
Ênio Farias de França e Silva ◽  
Alexsandro Claudio Dos Santos Almeida ◽  
...  

The present study aimed to evaluate different irrigation scheduling strategies on capsicum growth and yield inprotected environment. The experiment was carried out at the Northeastern of Brazil. Five irrigation scheduling techniques to define water depth (weighing lysimeter, Hargreaves-Samani equation, Piché evaporimeter, tensiometer and soil moisture sensor) andtwo application frequencies (F1-once a day and F2-alternating frequency) were tested. A completely randomized factorial design experiment was installed in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, with eight replicates. It was observed that the variables stem diameter and leaf area index were influenced by the irrigation scheduling techniques, and treatments based on Hargreaves-Samani and lysimeter scheduling methods led to the lowest values. Fruit biometric parameters were significantly affected only by the Hargreaves-Samani treatment. It can be concluded that both irrigation scheduling techniques and frequencies influenced capsicum growth and yield. Furthermore, irrigation management techniques based on soil sensors caused the highest yields.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Débora Najara de SOUZA FERREIRA ◽  
José Luís Campana CAMARGO ◽  
Isolde Dorothea Kossmann FERRAZ

ABSTRACT Polyembryony is the differentiation and development of multiple embryos in a single seed. This characteristic can provide advantages, as more than one embryo is produced with the same amount of resources, and the probability of establishment of at least one seedling increases. However, sibling seedlings may also increase competition, affecting development and survival. In the present study, the possible advantages and disadvantages of polyembryony were analyzed in the initial establishment of seedlings of Carapa surinamensis (Meliaceae), a tree species that produces monoembryonic or polyembryonic seeds. In this regard, the development of single seedlings was compared with a pair of seedlings emerging from polyembryonic seeds. We compared the development of seedlings attached to or detached from each other and to the seed resources. We observed two levels of competition: (a) for the seed reserves during germination and initial development, as multiple embryos of C. surinamensis share the same reserves, and (b) for external factors, mostly space for root and shoot development, and also for light. Reducing the competition for external factors by separating the siblings was not enough to reduce the effects of competition for seed reserves in the first six months of development. Nevertheless, viable seedlings were produced in all treatments. Thus, depending on sprout management in the nursery, the number of seedlings per seed can be significantly increased by detaching the seedlings, or more vigorous seedlings can be obtained when only one seedling is maintained.


Author(s):  
Daniel F. de Carvalho ◽  
Daniela P. Gomes ◽  
Dionizio H. de Oliveira Neto ◽  
José G. M. Guerra ◽  
Janaína R. C. Rouws ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT This study was carried out to evaluate the contributions to the optimization of water use in a carrot crop under different forms of mulch using Gliricidia sepium, fertilization with castor bean cakes and irrigation water depths. The experiment was conducted in Seropédica, RJ, Brazil (22º 46’ S and 43º 41’ W), from June to September 2010. The experiment was conducted using a split-split-plot scheme (5 x 3 x 2), with four replicates. The five plots had irrigation depths corresponding to 0, 43, 72, 100 and 120% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc); the three subplots contained the different forms of mulch (whole leaves (WL) and chopped leaves and branches (CLB)) and the absence of mulch (AM); and the two sub-subplots contained either the presence (PF) or absence of fertilization (AF). Using time domain reflectometry (TDR) in the irrigation management, water depths ranging from 67.8 to 285.5 mm were applied. The use of mulch in association with fertilization led to higher yields and water-use efficiency (WUE) of the carrot plants, and the mulch composed of WL performed best. The application of irrigation depths corresponding to 97% of ETc promoted the highest carrot yields, although the highest values of WUE were observed, with irrigation depths corresponding to a range from 51 to 68% of ETc.


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