Drip irrigation improves spring wheat water productivity by reducing leaf area while increasing yield
Yang, Danni ; Li, Sien ; Wu, Mousong LU ; Yang, Hanbo ; Zhang, Wenxin LU
; Chen, Ji
; Wang, Chunyu
; Huang, Siyu
; Zhang, Ruoqing
and Zhang, Yunxuan
(2023)
In European Journal of Agronomy
143.
- Abstract
To mitigate the climate change-induced water shortage and realize the sustainable development of agriculture, drip irrigation, a more efficient water-saving irrigation method, has been intensively implemented in most arid agricultural regions in the world. However, compared to traditional border irrigation, how drip irrigation affects the biophysical conditions in the cropland and how crops physiologically respond to changes in biophysical conditions in terms of water, heat and carbon exchange remain largely unknown. In view of the above situation, to reveal the mechanism of drip irrigation in improving spring wheat water productivity, paired field experiments based on drip irrigation and border irrigation were conducted to extensively... (More)
To mitigate the climate change-induced water shortage and realize the sustainable development of agriculture, drip irrigation, a more efficient water-saving irrigation method, has been intensively implemented in most arid agricultural regions in the world. However, compared to traditional border irrigation, how drip irrigation affects the biophysical conditions in the cropland and how crops physiologically respond to changes in biophysical conditions in terms of water, heat and carbon exchange remain largely unknown. In view of the above situation, to reveal the mechanism of drip irrigation in improving spring wheat water productivity, paired field experiments based on drip irrigation and border irrigation were conducted to extensively monitor water and heat fluxes at a typical spring wheat field (Triticum aestivum L.) in Northwest China during 2017–2020. The results showed that drip irrigation improved yield by 10.3 % and crop water productivity (i.e., yield-to-evapotranspiration-ratio) by 15.6 %, but reduced LAI by 16.9 % in contrast with border irrigation. Under drip irrigation, the lateral development of spring wheat roots was promoted by higher soil temperature combined with frequent dry-wet alternation in the shallow soil layer (0–20 cm), which was the basis for efficient absorption of water and fertilizer, as well as efficient formation of photosynthate. Meanwhile, drip irrigation increased net radiation and decreased latent heat flux by inhibiting leaf growth, thereby increased sensible heat, causing a higher soil temperature (+1.10 ℃) and canopy temperature (+1.11 ℃). Further analysis proved that soil temperature was the key factor affecting yield formation. Based on the above conditions, the decrease in leaf distribution coefficient (−0.030) led to the decrease in evapotranspiration (−5.7 %) and the increase in ear distribution coefficient (+0.029). Therefore, drip irrigation emphasized the role of soil moisture in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, enhanced crop activity by increasing field temperature, especially soil temperature, and finally improved yield and water productivity via carbon reallocation. The study revealed the mechanism of drip irrigation for improving spring wheat yield, and would contribute to improving Earth system models in representing agricultural cropland ecosystems with drip irrigation and predicting the subsequent biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to climate change.
(Less)
- author
- Yang, Danni
; Li, Sien
; Wu, Mousong
LU
; Yang, Hanbo
; Zhang, Wenxin
LU
; Chen, Ji
; Wang, Chunyu
; Huang, Siyu
; Zhang, Ruoqing
and Zhang, Yunxuan
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-02
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Carbon allocation, Drip irrigation, Energy balance, Root water uptake, Water productivity
- in
- European Journal of Agronomy
- volume
- 143
- article number
- 126710
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85144452853
- ISSN
- 1161-0301
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.eja.2022.126710
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Funding Information: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 51879262 , 51622907 , 41901266 , 42111530184 ]; the National Key Research and Development Program of China [grant number 2020YFA0607504 ]; the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province [grant number BK20190317 ]; the Swedish National Space Agency [grant number 209/19 ]; and the Swedish Research Council [grant number VR2020–05338 ]. Mousong Wu was also funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities . Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
- id
- 20012845-b817-49bf-8664-817cf4b63ffe
- date added to LUP
- 2023-01-10 09:56:08
- date last changed
- 2023-01-18 05:15:05
@article{20012845-b817-49bf-8664-817cf4b63ffe,
abstract = {{<p>To mitigate the climate change-induced water shortage and realize the sustainable development of agriculture, drip irrigation, a more efficient water-saving irrigation method, has been intensively implemented in most arid agricultural regions in the world. However, compared to traditional border irrigation, how drip irrigation affects the biophysical conditions in the cropland and how crops physiologically respond to changes in biophysical conditions in terms of water, heat and carbon exchange remain largely unknown. In view of the above situation, to reveal the mechanism of drip irrigation in improving spring wheat water productivity, paired field experiments based on drip irrigation and border irrigation were conducted to extensively monitor water and heat fluxes at a typical spring wheat field (Triticum aestivum L.) in Northwest China during 2017–2020. The results showed that drip irrigation improved yield by 10.3 % and crop water productivity (i.e., yield-to-evapotranspiration-ratio) by 15.6 %, but reduced LAI by 16.9 % in contrast with border irrigation. Under drip irrigation, the lateral development of spring wheat roots was promoted by higher soil temperature combined with frequent dry-wet alternation in the shallow soil layer (0–20 cm), which was the basis for efficient absorption of water and fertilizer, as well as efficient formation of photosynthate. Meanwhile, drip irrigation increased net radiation and decreased latent heat flux by inhibiting leaf growth, thereby increased sensible heat, causing a higher soil temperature (+1.10 ℃) and canopy temperature (+1.11 ℃). Further analysis proved that soil temperature was the key factor affecting yield formation. Based on the above conditions, the decrease in leaf distribution coefficient (−0.030) led to the decrease in evapotranspiration (−5.7 %) and the increase in ear distribution coefficient (+0.029). Therefore, drip irrigation emphasized the role of soil moisture in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, enhanced crop activity by increasing field temperature, especially soil temperature, and finally improved yield and water productivity via carbon reallocation. The study revealed the mechanism of drip irrigation for improving spring wheat yield, and would contribute to improving Earth system models in representing agricultural cropland ecosystems with drip irrigation and predicting the subsequent biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks to climate change.</p>}},
author = {{Yang, Danni and Li, Sien and Wu, Mousong and Yang, Hanbo and Zhang, Wenxin and Chen, Ji and Wang, Chunyu and Huang, Siyu and Zhang, Ruoqing and Zhang, Yunxuan}},
issn = {{1161-0301}},
keywords = {{Carbon allocation; Drip irrigation; Energy balance; Root water uptake; Water productivity}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{European Journal of Agronomy}},
title = {{Drip irrigation improves spring wheat water productivity by reducing leaf area while increasing yield}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2022.126710}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.eja.2022.126710}},
volume = {{143}},
year = {{2023}},
}