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Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant–Soil Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 15722

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shicheng Yan

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Guest Editor

College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China
Interests: forage crops; fertigation; plant–water relations; irrigation science; grazing management; intercropping; sustainable agricultural; soil health; water use
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Junliang Fan

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Guest Editor

College of Water Recourses and Architectural Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: drip irrigation; evapotranspiration; water balance; crop–water relations; water resources management; soil fertility
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Dr. Zhou Zhang

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Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 230 Agricultural Engineering Building, 460 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Interests: crop yield prediction and phenotyping
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Chao Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Interests: deficit irrigation; irrigation scheduling; crop water model; monitoring in agriculture; remote sensing in agriculture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We encourage you to submit papers for an important Special Issue on “Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops”. Due to the global rise in population and climate change, food security and production have been major concerns for the world. The integrated management of water and fertilizer can affect soil water and nutrient distributions, thereby altering the water- and nutrient-use patterns, which can further affect the grain and forage yield and economic benefits of field crops. Due to the different cropping systems in the world, the distribution and movement of water and nutrients are complex. However, there have been few studies on water and fertilizer movement mechanisms in different cropping systems and on water–fertilizer coupling effects on plant–soil relationships, crop growth monitoring and yield prediction. Therefore, a well-coordinated water and fertilizer supply promotes the growth, leaf photosynthetic capacity, grain and forage yield, quality, water and fertilizer use efficiency as well as production benefits.

This Special Issue invites original research, technology reports, modelling approaches and methods, opinion articles, perspectives, invited reviews, and minireviews on water and fertilizer management in plant–soil systems. Topics include—but are not limited to—the following: (1) the effects of different water and fertilizer management practices on plant growth, dry matter accumulation and translocation, nutrient uptake, forage quality, yield, and water- and fertilizer-use efficiencies; (2) nutrients’ stoichiometry and allocation patterns in different plant organs; (3) optimized irrigation and fertilizer practices, cropping systems, and agronomic strategies for improving water-/fertilizer-use efficiency and crop productivity; (4) innovative and novel N fertilizer application technologies, modern fertigation technologies for field crops; (5) sensing techniques and multiple scales of phenotyping platforms (e.g., ground vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and satellites) for vegetation health monitoring and yield prediction.

Dr. Shicheng Yan
Prof. Dr. Junliang Fan
Dr. Zhou Zhang
Dr. Chao Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

precision agriculture
grain and forage crops
crop yield
irrigation scheduling
fertilization management
nutritional diagnosis
plant–soil relationships
plant phenotypes
plant growth
forage quality

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Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops II in Plants (6 articles)

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2014 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Response of Soil Microenvironment and Crop Growth to Cyclic Irrigation Using Reclaimed Water and Brackish Water

by Chuncheng Liu, Juan Wang, Pengfei Huang, Chao Hu, Feng Gao, Yuan Liu, Zhongyang Li and Bingjian Cui

Plants 2023, 12(12), 2285; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122285 - 12 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 982

Abstract

The scarcity of freshwater resources has increased the use of nonconventional water resources such as brackish water, reclaimed water, etc., especially in water-scarce areas. Whether an irrigation cycle using reclaimed water and brackish water (RBCI) poses a risk of secondary soil salinization to crop yields needs to be studied. Aiming to find an appropriate use for different nonconventional water resources, pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of RBCI on soil microenvironments, growth, physiological characteristics and antioxidation properties of crops. The results showed the following: (1) compared to FBCI, the soil moisture content was slightly higher, without a significant difference, while the soil EC, sodium and chloride ions contents increased significantly under the RBCI treatment. With an increase in the reclaimed water irrigation frequency (Tri), the contents of EC, Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in the soil decreased gradually, and the difference was significant; the soil moisture content also decreased gradually. (2) There were different effects of the RBCI regime on the soil’s enzyme activities. With an increase in the Tri, the soil urease activity indicated a significant upward trend as a whole. (3) RBCI can alleviate the risk of soil salinization to some extent. The soil pH values were all below 8.5, and were without a risk of secondary soil alkalization. The ESP did not exceed 15 percent, and there was no possible risk of soil alkalization except that the ESP in soil irrigated by brackish water irrigation went beyond the limit of 15 percent. (4) Compared with FBCI, no obvious changes appeared to the aboveground and underground biomasses under the RBCI treatment. The RBCI treatment was conducive to increasing the aboveground biomass compared with pure brackish water irrigation. Therefore, short-term RBCI helps to reduce the risk of soil salinization without significantly affecting crop yield, and the irrigation cycle using reclaimed-reclaimed-brackish water at 3 g·L⁻¹ was recommended, according to the experimental results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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11 pages, 1099 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zinc and Potassium Fertilizer Synergizes Plant Nutrient Availability and Affects Growth, Yield, and Quality of Wheat Genotypes

by Aneela Bashir, Qudrat Ullah Khan, Ahmad Alem, Awatif A. Hendi, Umber Zaman, Shahid Ullah Khan, Khalil ur Rehman, Asghar Ali Khan, Ihsan Ullah, Yasir Anwar and Ehab A. Abdelrahman

Plants 2023, 12(12), 2241; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122241 - 07 Jun 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1487

Abstract

The growth and productivity of wheat crops depend on the availability of essential nutrients such as zinc (Zn) and potassium (K₂O), which play critical roles in the plant’s physiological and biochemical processes. This study aimed to investigate the synergizing effect of zinc and potassium fertilizers on uptake of both the nutrients, growth, yield, and quality of the Hashim-08 cultivar and local landrace, during the 2019–2020 growing season in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. The experiment was designed using a split plot pattern in a randomized complete pattern, with main plots for the wheat cultivars and subplots for the fertilizer treatments. Results indicated that both cultivars responded positively to the fertilizer treatments, with the local landrace exhibiting maximum plant height and biological yield, and improved Hashim-08, showing increased agronomic parameters, including the number of tillers and grains and spike length. Application of Zn and K₂O fertilizers significantly enhanced agronomic parameters, such as the number of grains per plant, spike length, thousand-grain weight, grain yield, harvest index, Zn uptake of grain, dry gluten content, and grain moisture content, while crude protein and grain potassium remained relatively unchanged. The soil’s Zn and K content dynamics were found to vary among treatments. In conclusion, the combined application of Zn and K₂O fertilizers proved beneficial in improving the growth, yield, and quality of wheat crops, with the local landrace exhibiting lower grain yield but greater Zn uptake through fertilizer application. The study’s findings highlight that the local landrace showed good response to the growth and qualitative parameter when compared with the Hashim-08 cultivar. Additionally, the combined application of Zn and K showed a positive relation in terms of nutrient uptake and soil Zn and K content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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14 pages, 2286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hormonal Balance, Photosynthesis, and Redox Reactions in the Leaves of Caragana korshinskii Kom. under Water Deficit

by Hui Yan, Xiaoli Liu, Hao Ding, Zhiguang Dai, Xiaoli Niu and Long Zhao

Plants 2023, 12(11), 2076; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112076 - 23 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 877

Abstract

To evaluate the physiological responses of Korshinsk peashrub (Caragana korshinskii Kom.) to water deficit, photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and the levels of superoxide anion (O₂^•−), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidant enzymes, and endogenous hormones in its leaves were investigated under different irrigation strategies during the entire growth period. The results showed that leaf growth-promoting hormones were maintained at a higher level during the stages of leaf expansion and vigorous growth, and zeatin riboside (ZR) and gibberellic acid (GA) gradually decreased with an increase in water deficit. At the leaf-shedding stage, the concentration of abscisic acid (ABA) dramatically increased, and the ratio of ABA to growth-promoting hormones increased to a high level, which indicated that the rate of leaf senescence and shedding was accelerated. At the stages of leaf expansion and vigorous growth, the actual efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (Φ_PSii) was downregulated with an increment in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) under moderate water deficit. Excess excitation energy was dissipated, and the maximal efficiency of PSII (F_v/F_m) was maintained. However, with progressive water stress, the photo-protective mechanism was inadequate to avoid photo-damage; F_v/F_m was decreased and photosynthesis was subject to non-stomatal inhibition under severe water deficit. At the leaf-shedding stage, non-stomatal factors became the major factors in limiting photosynthesis under moderate and severe water deficits. In addition, the generation of O₂^•− and H₂O₂ in the leaves of Caragana was accelerated under moderate and severe water deficits, which caused an enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activities to maintain the oxidation–reduction balance. However, when the protective enzymes were insufficient in eliminating excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), the activity of catalase (CAT) was reduced at the leaf-shedding stage. Taken all together, Caragana has strong drought resistance at the leaf expansion and vigorous growth stages, but weak drought resistance at the leaf-shedding stage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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15 pages, 23191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Monitoring of Nutrition Inputs and Fertility Evaluation during a Decade in the Main Peach-Producing Areas of Shandong Province, China

by Tingting Li, Binbin Zhang, Anqi Du, Sankui Yang, Kexin Huang, Futian Peng and Yuansong Xiao

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081725 - 20 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1089

Abstract

The main peach-producing area in Shandong is an important peach fruit-producing area in China. Understanding the nutritional properties of the soil in peach orchards helps us to understand the evolution of soil properties and adjust management methods in a timely manner. This study focuses on 52 peach orchards in the main peach-producing area in Shandong as the research object. The spatiotemporal changes in soil traits and their influential factors were studied in depth, and the changes in soil fertility were effectively evaluated. The results showed that the input of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from organic fertilizer in 2021 was significantly higher than that in 2011, while the input of fertilizer in 2011 was significantly higher than that in 2021. Compared with traditional parks, both organic fertilizer inputs and chemical fertilizer inputs in demonstration parks showed a significant downwards trend. There was no significant change in pH values between 2011 and 2021. In 2021, the soil organic matter (SOM) contents of the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm layers were 24.17 g·kg⁻¹ and 23.38 g·kg⁻¹, respectively, an increase of 29.3% and 78.47% over the values measured in 2011. Compared with 2011, the content of soil alkaloid nitrogen (AN) decreased significantly in 2021, and the contents of available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK) in the soil increased significantly. According to the calculation results of the comprehensive fertility index (IFI) value, we found that in 2021, compared with 2011, the quality of soil fertility improved, most of which was at the medium and high levels. The research results show that the fertilizer-saving and synergistic approach in peach orchards in China significantly improved the soil nutrition. In the future, research on suitable comprehensive technologies should be strengthened in the management of peach orchards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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14 pages, 2720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photosynthetic Physiological Basis of No Tillage with Wheat Straw Returning to Improve Maize Yield with Plastic Film Mulching in Arid Irrigated Areas

by Yao Guo, Hong Fan, Pan Li, Jingui Wei and Hailong Qiu

Plants 2023, 12(6), 1358; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061358 - 17 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1116

Abstract

Surface mulch is an efficient plant production technique widely used in arid and water-scarce areas. In this study, a field experiment was conducted to determine whether plastic film combined with wheat straw returning could boost grain yield of maize via optimizing photosynthetic physiological characteristics and coordinating yield components. The results showed that no tillage with wheat straw mulching and straw standing treatments had better regulation on photosynthetic physiological characteristics and had a greater impact on the increase in grain yield than conventional tillage with wheat straw incorporation and without wheat straw returning (the control treatment) in plastic film-mulched maize. Meanwhile, no tillage with wheat straw mulching had a relatively higher yield than no tillage with wheat straw standing through better regulation of photosynthetic physiological characteristics. No tillage with wheat straw mulching decreased the leaf area index (LAI) and leaf area duration (LAD) of maize before the VT stage and maintained higher LAI and LAD after the VT stage, which effectively regulated the growth and development of maize at early and late stages of development. From VT to R4 stage of maize, no tillage with wheat straw mulching had greater chlorophyll relative content, net photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate by 7.9–17.5%, 7.7–19.2%, and 5.5–12.1% than the control, respectively. In addition, leaf water use efficiency was increased by 6.2–6.7% from the R2 to R4 stage of no tillage with wheat straw mulching in comparison to the control treatment. Thus, no tillage with wheat straw mulching had a greater grain yield of maize by 15.6% than the control, and the high yield was attributed to the synchronous increase and cooperative development of ear number, grain number per ear, and 100-grain weight. Collectively, no tillage with wheat straw mulching had a positive effect on regulating the photosynthetic physiological traits and can be recommended to enhance the grain yield of maize in arid conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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19 pages, 9194 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Moisture Regulation under Mulched Drip Irrigation Influences the Soil Salt Distribution and Growth of Cotton in Southern Xinjiang, China

by Pingru He, Jingang Li, Shuang’en Yu, Tao Ma, Jihui Ding, Fucang Zhang, Kaiwen Chen, Shuaishuai Guo and Suhan Peng

Plants 2023, 12(4), 791; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040791 - 09 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1288

Abstract

Water deficiency, together with soil salinization, has been seriously restricting sustainable agriculture around the globe for a long time. Optimal soil moisture regulation contributes to the amelioration of soil water and salinity for crops, which is favorable for plant production. A field experiment with five soil water lower limit levels (T1: 85% FC, T2: 75% FC, T3: 65% FC, T4: 55% FC, and T5: 45% FC, where FC is the field capacity) was conducted in southern Xinjiang in 2018 to investigate the responses of soil water–salt dynamics and cotton performance to soil moisture regulation strategies. The results indicated that in the horizontal direction, the farther away the drip irrigation belt, the lower the soil moisture content and the greater the soil salinity. In the vertical direction, the soil moisture and soil salinity increased first and then decreased with an increase in soil depth after irrigation, and the distribution was similar to an ellipse. Moreover, the humid perimeter of soil water and the leaching range of soil salt increased with a decrease in the soil moisture lower limit. Though more soil salt was leached out for the T5 treatment at the flowering stage due to the higher single irrigation amount, soil salinity increased again at the boll setting stage owing to the long irrigation interval. After the cotton was harvested, soil salt accumulated in the 0–100 cm layer and the accumulation amount followed T3 > T5 > T1 > T2 > T4. Moreover, with a decline of soil moisture lower limit, both plant height and nitrogen uptake decreased significantly while the shoot–root ratio increased. Compared with the yield (7233.2 kg·hm⁻²) and water use efficiency (WUE, 1.27 kg·m⁻³) of the T1 treatment, the yield for the T2 treatment only decreased by 1.21%, while the WUE increased by 10.24%. Synthetically, considering the cotton yield, water–nitrogen use efficiency, and soil salt accumulation, the soil moisture lower limit of 75% FC is recommended for cotton cultivation in southern Xinjiang, China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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11 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Crop Sequence and Fertilization on Potato Yield in a Long-Term Study

by Andrzej Blecharczyk, Przemysław Łukasz Kowalczewski, Zuzanna Sawinska, Piotr Rybacki and Dominika Radzikowska-Kujawska

Plants 2023, 12(3), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030495 - 21 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2271

Abstract

The research was conducted during the years 2007–2013, on the base of a long-term study established in 1958, at the Experimental Station Brody (52°26′ N; 16°18′ E), belonging to the Poznań University of Life Sciences. Varieties of potatoes resistant to cyst nematodes were grown in a seven-course crop rotation (potato—spring barley—alfalfa—alfalfa—spring oilseed rape—winter wheat—winter rye) and in continuous monoculture. The presented study from the years 2007–2013 covers the next 8th rotation of the 7-field crop rotation (since 1958). With regard to continuous cultivation, this is the period between the 50th and 56th year of the potato monoculture. The experiment included 11 fertilization variants, of which the following 7 were included in the study: 1—control object without fertilization, 2—manure, 3—manure + NPK, 4—NPKCa, 5—NPK, 6—NP, 7—NK and 8—PK. Every year, mineral and organic fertilization was applied in the following doses per 1 ha: N—90 kg, P—26 kg, K—100 kg, manure—30 t and Ca—0.7 t. Potato cultivation in monoculture resulted in a significant reduction in tuber yield compared to crop rotation and a reduction in the number of tubers per plant and the average weight of one tuber. Manure fertilization, especially in combination with NPK mineral fertilizer, had a more favorable effect on the level of potato yielding and the content of N, P, K and Mg in tubers compared to only mineral fertilization, but decreased the content of dry matter, starch and Ca. The results of long-term experiment indicate that the most effective in potato cultivation is the combined application of both manure and full mineral fertilization (NPK) with the proper sequence of plants (crop rotation). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

16 pages, 3697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water and Nitrogen Coupling Increased the Water-Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Oilseed Flax

by Zhengjun Cui, Zechariah Effah, Bin Yan, Yuhong Gao, Bing Wu, Yifan Wang, Peng Xu, Haidi Wang, Bangqing Zhao and Yingze Wang

Plants 2023, 12(1), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010051 - 22 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1268

Abstract

Increasing water shortages and environmental pollution from excess chemical nitrogen fertilizer use necessitate the development of irrigation-nitrogen conservation technology in oilseed flax production. Therefore, a two-year split-plot design experiment (2017–2018) was conducted with three types of irrigation (I) levels (no irrigation (I0), irrigation of 1200 m³ ha⁻¹ (I1200), and 1800 m³ ha⁻¹ (I1800)) as the main plot and three nitrogen (N) application rates (0 (N0), 60 (N60) and 120 (N120) kg N ha⁻¹) as the subplot in Northwest China to determine the effects of irrigation and N rates on oilseed flax grain yield, yield components, water-use efficiency (WUE), and N partial factor productivity (NPFP). The results show that I1800 optimized the farmland water storage and water storage efficiency (WSE), which gave rise to greater above-ground biomass. Under I1800, the effective capsule (EC) number increased significantly with increasing irrigation amounts, which increased significantly with increasing nitrogen application rate (0–120 kg ha⁻¹). Both irrigation and nitrogen indirectly affect GY by affecting EC; the highest grain yield was observed at the I1800N60 treatment, which increased by 69.04% and 22.80% in 2017 and 2018 compared with the I0N0 treatment, respectively. As a result, both irrigation and N affect grain yield by affecting soil water status, improving above-ground biomass, and finally affecting yield components. In addition, I1800N60 also obtained a higher WUE and the highest NPFP due to a higher grain yield and a lower N application rate. Hence, our study recommends that irrigation with 1800 m³ ha⁻¹ coupled with 60 kg N ha⁻¹ could be a promising strategy for synergistically improving oilseed flax WUE, grain yield and yield components within this semi-arid region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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14 pages, 3053 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Different Land Use Patterns on Soil Water in Loess Hilly and Gully Regions of China

by Min Tang, Chao Zhang, Xiaodong Gao and Pute Wu

Plants 2023, 12(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010021 - 20 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1442

Abstract

Soil water is a major barrier to ecological restoration and sustainable land use in China’s Loess Hilly Region. For the restoration of local vegetation and the optimal use of the region’s land resources, both theoretically and practically, it is essential to comprehend the soil water regimes under various land use types. The soil water content in the 0–160 cm soil profile of slope cropland, terraced field, jujube orchard, and grassland was continuously measured using EC-5 soil moisture sensors during the growing season (May–October) in the Yuanzegou catchment in the Loess Hilly Region to characterize the changes in soil water in these four typical land use types. The results showed that in both years of normal precipitation and drought, land use patterns varied in seasonal variability, water storage characteristics, and vertical distribution of soil water. In the dry year of 2015, the terraced field effectively held water. During the growing season, the 0–60 cm soil layer’s average soil water content was 2.6%, 4.2%, and 1.8% higher than the slope cropland, jujube orchard, and grassland, respectively (p < 0.05), and the 0–160 cm soil layer’s water storage was 43.90, 32.08, and 18.69 mm higher than the slope cropland, jujube orchard, and grassland, respectively. The average soil water content of the 0–60 cm soil layer in the jujube orchard was 2.9%, 3.8%, and 4.5% lower than that of slope cropland, terraced field, and grassland, respectively, during the normal precipitation year (2014) (p < 0.05). Only 35.0% of the total soil water storage was effectively stored in the 0–160 cm soil layer of the jujube orchard during the drought year. There was a significant difference in the grey relational grade between the soil water in the top layer (0–20 cm) and the soil water in the middle layer (20–100 cm) under different land use types, with the terraced field having the highest similarity degree of soil water variation trend, followed by grassland, slope cropland, and jujube orchard. Slope croplands in the study region may be converted into terraced fields to enhance the effective use of rainfall resources and encourage the expansion of ecological agriculture. Proper water management practices must be employed to reduce jujube tree water consumption and other wasteful water usage in order to guarantee the jujube orchard’s ability to expand sustainably. This would address the issue of the acute water deficit in the rain-fed jujube orchards in the Loess Hilly Region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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16 pages, 2708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Living Mulch and Branches Mulching on Soil Moisture, Temperature and Growth of Rain-Fed Jujube Trees

by Min Tang, Xiaodong Gao, Pute Wu, Hongchen Li and Chao Zhang

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2654; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192654 - 09 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1452

Abstract

The influence of different mulching measures on soil moisture, soil temperature, and crop growth was investigated during the jujube growing season in rain-fed jujube orchards using micro-plot experiments. The mulching treatments included clean tillage (CT, control treatment), jujube branches mulching (JBM), and white clover planting (WCP). The results revealed that: (1) The average soil moisture content of JBM was greater than that of CT by 3.76% and 2.34%, respectively, during the 2013 and 2014 jujube growth periods, and its soil water deficit was minimal in each soil layer from 0 to 70 cm. WCP had the greatest soil water deficit. The average soil moisture content of the 0–70 cm soil layer in WCP was 3.88% and 5.55% lower than that in CT during the 2013 and 2014 jujube growth seasons, respectively (p < 0.05). (2) JBM had the highest annual average soil moisture content in each soil layer from 0 to 70 cm, followed by CT, while WCP had the lowest. White clover and jujube competed for water in the 20–40 cm soil layer, and JBM had the lowest variation in soil moisture. (3) Mulching with jujube branches and planting white clover could both control the temperature of the 0–25 cm soil layer and narrow the daily temperature range, with JBM being the least affected by air temperature. (4) Jujube’s leaf area index and stem diameter increase in JBM were both significantly greater than in CT and WCP. In conclusion, using pruned jujube branches as surface mulch is appropriate for rain-fed jujube orchards because it can preserve soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, and promote jujube growth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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19 pages, 1481 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Short-Term Combined Irrigation Using Brackish-Reclaimed Water Cause the Risk of Soil Secondary Salinization?

by Chuncheng Liu, Bingjian Cui, Juan Wang, Chao Hu, Pengfei Huang, Xiaojun Shen, Feng Gao and Zhongyang Li

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2552; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192552 - 28 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1217

Abstract

Brackish water has to be used to irrigate crops for harvest due to the scarcity of freshwater resources. However, brackish water irrigation may cause secondary soil salinization. Whether the combined utilization of different non-conventional water resources could relieve the risk of secondary soil salinization has not been reported. In order to explore the safe and rational utilization of brackish water in areas where freshwater resources are scarce, a pot experiment was conducted to study the risk of secondary soil mixed irrigation and rotational irrigation using brackish water and reclaimed water or freshwater. The results indicated that: (1) Short-term irrigation using reclaimed water did not cause secondary soil salinization, although increasing soil pH value, ESP, and SAR. The indices did not exceed the threshold of soil salinization. (2) Compared with mixed irrigation using brackish–freshwater, the contents of soil exchangeable Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺ increased, and the content of soil exchangeable Na⁺ decreased under rotational irrigation using brackish-reclaimed water. In addition, the contents of soil exchangeable Na⁺ and Mg²⁺ under mixed irrigation or rotational irrigation were significantly lower, and the exchangeable K⁺ content of the soil was higher compared with brackish water irrigation. The exchangeable Ca²⁺ content under rotational irrigation was higher than that of brackish water irrigation, while the reverse was seen under mixed irrigation. (3) For different combined utilization modes of brackish water and reclaimed water, the ESP and SAR were the lowest under rotational irrigation, followed by mixed irrigation and brackish water irrigation. The ESP under brackish water treatment exceeded 15%, indicating a certain risk of salinization, while ESPs under other treatments were below 15%. Under mixed irrigation or rational irrigation using reclaimed-brackish water, the higher the proportion or rotational times of reclaimed water, the lower the risk of secondary soil salinization. Therefore, short-term combined irrigation using brackish water and reclaimed water will not cause the risk of secondary soil salinization, but further experiments need to verify or cooperate with other agronomic measures in long-term utilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management and Efficient Utilization of Water and Fertilizer in Field Crops)

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