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Special Issue "Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production"

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Physiology and Crop Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 6158

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Prof. Dr. Aiwang Duan

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Guest Editor

Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: irrigation management; water-use efficiency; winter wheat; fertigation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Yang Gao

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Guest Editor

Institute of Farmland Irrigation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinxiang 453003, China
Interests: water-carbon coupling process based on optimal stomatal behavior theory; interaction mechanism between crop roots and soil; regulation mechanism of exogenous substances on crop water use process
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With climate change, extreme weather has become a key constraint for agricultural productivity. Securing global food production in a volatile climate for the ever-growing population is and will continue to be one of the greatest challenges facing countries all over the world in the 21st century. Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as frequent drought episodes, will have consequences for crops, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Therefore, efficient utilization of water resources is central to the challenge of balancing increasing drought events and crop production.

Various approaches have been conducted to reduce water input and enhance water-use efficiency (WUE) in agriculture, such as water-saving cultivations, efficient irrigation methods (drip and sprinkle irrigation), and precision fertigation. In the context of climate change, the mechanism and simulation of the crop–water physiological response to abiotic stresses and the regulation of agronomic practices on crop yield and WUE are current challenges.

This Special Issue addresses the recent advances in high-efficient water use in agriculture and aims to gather articles on the most recent scientific knowledge on this subject. In this broad context, we invite investigators to submit original research articles and reviews that explore different topics of strategies in relation to crop water physiology, crop water status monitoring, precision fertigation, irrigation efficiency, crop water productivity, water-saving cultivation, etc.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Aiwang Duan
Prof. Dr. Gao Yang
Guest Editors

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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 2400 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

water-use efficiency
crop productivity
irrigation method
fertigation
SPAC
evapotranspiration
irrigation decision
precision agriculture
crop water physiology
simulation

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Irrigation Management Strategies to Enhance Forage Yield, Feed Value, and Water-Use Efficiency of Sorghum Cultivars

Seyed Mohammad Nasir Mousavi

and

Adrienn Széles

Plants 2023, 12(11), 2154; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12112154 - 30 May 2023

Viewed by 307

Abstract

Water scarcity is a major obstacle to forage crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. In order to improve food security in these areas, it is imperative to employ suitable irrigation management techniques and identify drought-tolerant cultivars. A 2-year field experiment (2019–2020) was conducted in a semi-arid region of Iran to assess the impact of different irrigation methods and water deficit stress on forage sorghum cultivars’ yield, quality, and irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE). The experiment involved two irrigation methods, i.e., drip (DRIP) and furrow (FURW), and three irrigation regimes supplied 100% (I₁₀₀), 75% (I₇₅), and 50% (I₅₀) of the soil moisture deficit. In addition, two forage sorghum cultivars (hybrid Speedfeed and open-pollinated cultivar Pegah) were evaluated. This study revealed that the highest dry matter yield (27.24 Mg ha⁻¹) was obtained under I₁₀₀ × DRIP, whereas the maximum relative feed value (98.63%) was achieved under I₅₀ × FURW. Using DRIP resulted in higher forage yield and IWUE compared to FURW, and the superiority of DRIP over FURW increased with the severity of the water deficit. The principal component analysis indicated that, as drought stress severity increased across all irrigation methods and cultivars, forage yield decreased, while quality increased. Plant height and leaf-to-stem ratio were found to be suitable indicators for comparing forage yield and quality, respectively, and they showed a negative correlation between the quality and quantity of forage. DRIP improved forage quality under I₁₀₀ and I₇₅, while FURW exhibited a better feed value under the I₅₀ regime. Altogether, in order to achieve the best possible forage yield and quality while minimizing water usage, it is recommended to grow the Pegah cultivar and compensate for 75% of soil moisture deficiency using drip irrigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Foliar Applications of Salicylic Acid on Boosting Salt Stress Tolerance in Sour Passion Fruit in Two Cropping Cycles

Thiago Galvão Sobrinho

André Alisson Rodrigues da Silva

Geovani Soares de Lima

Vera Lúcia Antunes de Lima

Vitória Ediclécia Borges

Kheila Gomes Nunes

Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos Soares

Luciano Marcelo Fallé Saboya

Hans Raj Gheyi

Josivanda Palmeira Gomes

Pedro Dantas Fernandes

and

Carlos Alberto Vieira de Azevedo

Plants 2023, 12(10), 2023; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12102023 - 18 May 2023

Viewed by 358

Abstract

Brazil stands out as the largest producer of sour passion fruit; however, the water available for irrigation is mostly saline, which can limit its cultivation. This study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the effects of salicylic acid in the induction of tolerance in sour passion fruit to salt stress. The assay was conducted in a protected environment, using a completely randomized design in a split-plot scheme, with the levels of electrical conductivity of the irrigation water (0.8, 1.6, 2.4, 3.2, and 4.0 dS m⁻¹) considering the plots and concentrations of salicylic acid (0, 1.2, 2.4, and 3.6 mM) the subplots, with three replications. The physiological indices, production components, and postharvest quality of sour passion fruit were negatively affected by the increase in the electrical conductivity of irrigation water, and the effects of salt stress were intensified in the second cycle. In the first cycle, the foliar application of salicylic acid at concentrations between 1.0 and 1.4 mM partially reduced the harmful effects of salt stress on the relative water content of leaves, electrolyte leakage, gas exchange, and synthesis of photosynthetic pigments, in addition to promoting an increase in the yield and quality parameters of sour passion fruit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Photosynthesis Product Allocation and Yield in Sweet Potato in Response to Different Late-Season Irrigation Levels

and

Plants 2023, 12(9), 1780; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091780 - 26 Apr 2023

Viewed by 668

Abstract

Soil water deficit is an important factor affecting the source–sink balance of sweet potato during its late-season growth, but water regulation during this period has not been well studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the appropriate irrigation level in late-season sweet potato, and the effect of irrigation level on accumulation and allocation of photosynthetic products. In this study, two yield-based field trials (2021–2022) were conducted in which five late-season irrigation levels set according to the crop evapotranspiration rate were tested (T₀: non-irrigation, T₁: 33% ET_c, T₂: 75% ET_c, T₃: 100% ET_c, T₄: 125% ET_c). The effects of the different irrigation levels on photosynthetic physiological indexes, ¹³C transfer allocation, water use efficiency (WUE), water productivity (WP), and the yield and economic benefit of sweet potato were studied. The results showed that late-season irrigation significantly increased the total chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate of functional leaves, in addition to promoting the accumulation of above-ground-source organic biomass (p < 0.05). The rate of ¹³C allocation, maximum accumulation rate (V_max), and average accumulation rate (V_mean) of dry matter in storage root were significantly higher under T₂ irrigation than under the other treatments (p < 0.05). This suggests that both non-irrigation (T₀) and over-irrigation (T₄) were not conducive to the transfer and allocation of photosynthetic products to storage roots in late-season sweet potato. However, moderate irrigation (T₂) effectively promoted the source–sink balance, enhanced the source photosynthetic rate and stimulated the sink activity, such that more photosynthate was allocated to the storage sink. The results also showed that T₂ irrigation treatments significantly increased yield, WUE and WP compared to T₀ and T₄ (p < 0.05), suggesting that moderate irrigation (T₂) can significantly promote the potential of storage root production and field productivity. There was a close relationship between economic benefit and marketable sweet potato yield, and both were highest under T₂ (p < 0.05), increasing by 36.1% and 59.9% compared with T₀ over the two-year study period. In conclusion, irrigation of late-season sweet potato with 75% evapotranspiration (T₂) can improve both the yield and production potential. Together, these results support the use of late-season water management in the production of sweet potato. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Irrigation Scheduling for Maize under Different Hydrological Years in Heilongjiang Province, China

and

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1676; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081676 - 17 Apr 2023

Viewed by 336

Abstract

Appropriate irrigation schedules could minimize the existing imbalance between agricultural water supply and crop water requirements (ET_c), which is severely impacted by climate change. In this study, different hydrological years (a wet year, normal year, dry year, and an extremely dry year) in Heilongjiang Province were calculated by hydrological frequency methods. Then, the single crop coefficient method was used to calculate the maize ET_c, based on the daily meteorological data of 26 meteorological stations in Heilongjiang Province from 1960 to 2020. Afterward, the CROPWAT model was used to calculate the effective precipitation (P_e) and irrigation water requirement (Ir), and formulate the irrigation schedules of maize in Heilongjiang Province under different hydrological years. The results showed that ET_c and Ir decreased first and then increased from west to east. The P_e and crop water surplus deficit index increased first and then decreased from west to east in Heilongjiang Province. Meanwhile, the average values of the Ir in were 171.14 mm, 232.79 mm, 279.08 mm, and 334.47 mm in the wet year, normal year, dry year, and extremely dry year, respectively. Heilongjiang Province was divided into four irrigation zones according to the Ir of different hydrological years. Last, the irrigation quotas for the wet year, normal year, dry year, and extremely dry year were 0~180 mm, 20~240 mm, 60~300 mm, and 80~430 mm, respectively. This study provides reliable support for maize irrigation practices in Heilongjiang Province, China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Effect of Long-Term Semiarid Pasture Management on Soil Hydraulic and Thermal Properties

and

Plants 2023, 12(7), 1491; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071491 - 29 Mar 2023

Viewed by 516

Abstract

Semiarid pasture management strategies can affect soil hydraulic and thermal properties that determine water fluxes and storage, and heat flow in unsaturated soils. We evaluated long-term (>10 years) perennial and annual semiarid pasture system effects on saturated hydraulic conductivity (k_s), soil water retention curves (SWRCs), soil water thresholds (i.e., volumetric water content (θ_v) at saturation, field capacity (FC), and permanent wilting point (PWP); plant available water (PAW)), thermal conductivity (λ), and diffusivity (D_t) within the 0–20 cm soil depth. Forage systems included: Old World bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii) + legumes (predominantly alfalfa (Medicago sativa)) (OWB-legume), native grass-mix (native), alfalfa + tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum) (alfalfa-TW), and annual grass-mix (annual) pastures on a clay loam soil; and native, teff (Eragrostis tef), OWB-grazed, and OWB-ungrazed pastures on a sandy clay loam soil. The perennial OWB-legume and native pastures had increased soil organic matter (SOM) and reduced bulk density (ρ_b), improving k_s, soil water thresholds, λ, and D_t, compared to annual teff and alfalfa-TW (P < 0.05). Soil λ, but not D_t, increased with increasing θ_v. Grazed pastures decreased k_s and water retention compared to other treatments (P < 0.05), yet did not affect λ and D_t (P > 0.05), likely due to higher ρ_b and contact between particles. Greater λ and D_t at saturation and PWP in perennial versus annual pastures may be attributed to differing SOM and ρ_b, and some a priori differences in soil texture. Overall, our results suggest that perennial pasture systems are more beneficial than annual systems for soil water storage and heat movement in semiarid regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Artificial Grassland Had Higher Water Use Efficiency in Year with Less Precipitation in the Agro-Pastoral Ecotone

and

Plants 2023, 12(6), 1239; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061239 - 09 Mar 2023

Viewed by 691

Abstract

Improving plant water use efficiency is a key strategy for the utilization of regional limited water resources as well as the sustainable development of agriculture industry. To investigate the effects of different land use types on plant water use efficiency and their mechanisms, a randomized block experiment was designed in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China during 2020–2021. The differences in dry matter accumulation, evapotranspiration, soil physical and chemical properties, soil water storage and water use efficiency and their relationships among cropland, natural grassland and artificial grassland were studied. The results show that: In 2020, the dry matter accumulation and water use efficiency of cropland were significantly higher than those of artificial and natural grassland. In 2021, dry matter accumulation and water use efficiency of artificial grassland increased significantly from 364.79 g·m⁻² and 24.92 kg·ha⁻¹·mm⁻¹ to 1037.14 g·m⁻² and 50.82 kg·ha⁻¹·mm⁻¹, respectively, which were significantly higher than cropland and natural grassland. The evapotranspiration of three land use types showed an increasing trend in two years. The main reason affecting the difference of water use efficiency was that land use type affected soil moisture and soil nutrients, and then changed the dry matter accumulation and evapotranspiration of plants. During the study period, the water use efficiency of artificial grassland was higher in years with less precipitation. Therefore, expanding the planted area of artificial grassland may be one of the effective ways to promote the full utilization of regional water resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Quantitative Trait Loci for Genotype and Genotype by Environment Interaction Effects for Seed Yield Plasticity to Terminal Water-Deficit Conditions in Canola (Brassica napus L.)

and

Plants 2023, 12(4), 720; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040720 - 06 Feb 2023

Viewed by 744

Abstract

Canola plants suffer severe crop yield and oil content reductions when exposed to water-deficit conditions, especially during the reproductive stages of plant development. There is a pressing need to develop canola cultivars that can perform better under increased water-deficit conditions with changing weather patterns. In this study, we analysed genetic determinants for the main effects of quantitative trait loci (QTL), (Q), and the interaction effects of QTL and Environment (QE) underlying seed yield and related traits utilising 223 doubled haploid (DH) lines of canola in well-watered and water-deficit conditions under a rainout shelter. Moderate water-deficit at the pre-flowering stage reduced the seed yield to 40.8%. Multi-environmental QTL analysis revealed 23 genomic regions associated with days to flower (DTF), plant height (PH) and seed yield (SY) under well-watered and water-deficit conditions. Three seed yield QTL for main effects were identified on chromosomes A09, C03, and C09, while two were related to QE interactions on A02 and C09. Two QTL regions were co-localised to similar genomic regions for flowering time and seed yield (A09) and the second for plant height and chlorophyll content. The A09 QTL was co-located with a previously mapped QTL for carbon isotope discrimination (Δ¹³C) that showed a positive relationship with seed yield in the same population. Opposite allelic effects for plasticity in seed yield were identified due to QE interactions in response to water stress on chromosomes A02 and C09. Our results showed that QTL’s allelic effects for DTF, PH, and SY and their correlation with Δ¹³C are stable across environments (field conditions, previous study) and contrasting water regimes (this study). The QTL and DH lines that showed high yield under well-watered and water-deficit conditions could be used to manipulate water-use efficiency for breeding improved canola cultivars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessArticle

Medium-Term Effects of Sprinkler Irrigation Combined with a Single Compost Application on Water and Rice Productivity and Food Safety

David Peña

Carmen Martín

Damián Fernández-Rodríguez

Jaime Terrón-Sánchez

Luis Andrés Vicente

Ángel Albarrán

Jose Manuel Rato-Nunes

and

Antonio López-Piñeiro

Plants 2023, 12(3), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030456 - 19 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 882

Abstract

Traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.) management (tillage and flooding) is unsustainable due to soil degradation and the large amount of irrigation water used, an issue which is exacerbated in the Mediterranean region. Therefore, there is a need to explore rice management strategies in order to improve water-use efficiency and ensure its sustainability. Thus, field experiments were conducted to determine the medium-term effects of different irrigation and tillage methods combined with a single compost application on water and rice productivity, as well as food safety in a semiarid Mediterranean region. The management systems evaluated were: sprinkler irrigation in combination with no-tillage (SNT), sprinkler irrigation in combination with conventional tillage (ST), which were implemented in 2015, and flooding irrigation in combination with conventional tillage (FT), and their homologues (SNT-C, ST-C, and FT-C) with single compost application in 2015. In reference to rice grain yield, the highest values were observed under ST treatment with 10 307 and 11 625 kg ha⁻¹ in 2018 and 2019 respectively; whereas between FT and SNT there were no significant differences, with 8 140 kg ha⁻¹ as mean value through the study. Nevertheless, sprinkler irrigation allowed saving 55% of the total amount of water applied in reference to flooding irrigation. Furthermore, the highest arsenic concentration in grains was found under FT but it decreased with compost application (FT-C) and especially with sprinkler irrigation, regardless of tillage management systems. However, sprinkler irrigation favors the cadmium uptake by plants, although this process was reduced under SNT in reference to ST, and especially under amended compost treatments. Therefore, our results suggested that a combination of sprinkler irrigation and compost application, regardless of the tillage system, could be an excellent strategy for rice management for the Mediterranean environment in terms of water and crop productivity as well as food safety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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Open AccessReview

A Review on Regulation of Irrigation Management on Wheat Physiology, Grain Yield, and Quality

and

Plants 2023, 12(4), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040692 - 04 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1000

Abstract

Irrigation has been pivotal in sustaining wheat as a major food crop in the world and is increasingly important as an adaptation response to climate change. In the context of agricultural production responding to climate change, improved irrigation management plays a significant role in increasing water productivity (WP) and maintaining the sustainable development of water resources. Considering that wheat is a major crop cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions, which consumes high amounts of irrigation water, developing wheat irrigation management with high efficiency is urgently required. Both irrigation scheduling and irrigation methods intricately influence wheat physiology, affect plant growth and development, and regulate grain yield and quality. In this frame, this review aims to provide a critical analysis of the regulation mechanism of irrigation management on wheat physiology, plant growth and yield formation, and grain quality. Considering the key traits involved in wheat water uptake and utilization efficiency, we suggest a series of future perspectives that could enhance the irrigation efficiency of wheat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency in Plant Production)

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