Effect of fertigation frequency on soil nitrogen distribution and tomato yield under alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation

Alternate partial root-zone drip fertigation (ADF) is a combination of alternating irrigation and drip fertigation,with the potential to save water and increase nitrogen (N) fertilizer efficiency.A 2-year greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different fertigation frequencies on the distribution of soil moisture and nutrients and tomato yield under ADF.The treatments included three ADF frequencies with intervals of 3 days (F3),6 days (F6) and 12 days (F12),and conventional drip fertigation as a control (CK),which was fertilized once every 6 days.For the ADF treatments,two drip tapes were placed 10 cm away on each side of the tomato row,and alternate drip irrigation was realized using a manual valve on the distribution tapes.For the CK treatment,a drip tape was located close to the roots of the tomato plants.The total N application rate of all treatments was 180 kg ha^(-1).The total irrigation amounts applied to the CK treatment were450.6 and 446.1 mm in 2019 and 2020,respectively;and the irrigation amounts applied to the ADF treatments were 60%of those of the CK treatment.The F3 treatment resulted in water and N being distributed mainly in the 0–40-cm soil layer with less water and N being distributed in the 40–60-cm soil layer.The F6 treatment led to 21.0 and 29.0%higher 2-year average concentration of mineral N in the 0–20 and 20–40-cm soil layer,respectively and a 23.0%lower N concentration in the 40–60-cm soil layer than in the CK treatment.The 2-year average tomato yields of the F3,F6,F12,and CK treatments were 107.5,102.6,87.2,and 98.7 t ha^(-1),respectively.The tomato yield of F3 was significantly higher (23.3%) than that in the F12 treatment,whereas there was no significant difference between the F3 and F6 treatment.The F6 treatment resulted in yield similar to the CK treatment,indicating that ADF could maintain tomato yield with a 40%saving in water use.Based on the distribution of water and N,and tomato yield,a fertigation frequency of 6 days under ADF should be considered as a water-saving strategy for greenhouse tomato production.

Alternate Furrow Irrigation: A Practical Way to Improve Grape Quality and Water Use Efficiency in Arid Northwest China

Field experiments were conducted for two years to investigate the benefits of alternate furrow irrigation on fruit yield, quality and water use efficiency of grape （Vitis vinifera L. cv. Rizamat） in the arid region of Northwest China. Two irrigation treatments were included, i.e., conventional furrow irrigation （CFI, two root-zones were simultaneously irrigated during the consecutive irrigation） and alternate partial root-zone furrow irrigation （AFI, two root-zones were alternatively irrigated during the consecutive irrigation）. Results indicate that AFI maintained similar photosynthetic rate （Pn） but with a reduced transpiration rate when compared to CFI. As a consequence, AFI improved water use efficiency based on evapotranspiration （WUEEr, fruit yield over water consumed） and irrigation （WUE~, fruit yield over water irrigated） by 30.0 and 34.5%, respectively in 2005, and by 12.7 and 17.7%, respectively in 2006. AFI also increased the edible percentage of berry by 2.91-4.79% significantly in both years. Vitamin C （Vc） content content of berry was increased by 25.6-37.5%, and tritrated acidity （TA） was reduced by 9.5-18.1% in AFI. This resulted in an increased total soluble solid content （TSS） to TA ratio （TSS/TA） by 11.5-16.7% when compared to CFI in both years. Our results indicate that alternate furrow irrigation is a practical way to improve grape fruit quality and water use efficiency for irrigated crops in arid areas.

Stem flow of seed-maize under alternate furrow irrigation and double-row ridge planting in an arid region of Northwest China

Maize is widely planted throughout the world and has the highest yield of all the cereal crops. The arid region of North- west China has become the largest base for seed-maize production, but water shortage is the bottleneck for its long-term sustainability. Investigating the transpiration of seed-maize plants will offer valuable information for suitable planting and irrigation strategies in this arid area. In this study, stem flow was measured using a heat balance method under alternate furrow irrigation and double-row ridge planting. Meteorological factors, soil water content （e）, soil temperature （Ts） and leaf area （LA） were also monitored during 2012 and 2013. The diurnal stem flow and seasonal dynamics of maize plants in the zones of south side female parent （SFP）, north side female parent （NFP） and male parent （MP） were investigated. The order of stem flow rate was： SFP〉MP〉NFP. The relationships between stem flow and influential factors during three growth stages at different time scales were analyzed. On an hourly scale, solar radiation （Rs） was the main driving factor of stem flow. The influence of air temperature （Ta） during the maturity stage was significantly higher than in other periods. On a daily scale, Rs was the main driving factor of stem flow during the heading stage. During the filling growth stage, the main driving factor of NFP and MP stem flow was RH and Ts, respectively. However, during the maturity stage, the environ- mental factors had no significant influence on seed-maize stem flow. For different seed-maize plants, the main influential factors were different in each of the three growing seasons. Therefore, we identified them to accurately model the FP and MP stem flow and applied precision irrigation under alternate partial root-zone furrow irrigation to analyze major factors affecting stem flow in different scales.

Field performance of alternate wetting and drying furrow irrigation on tomato crop growth, yield, water use efficiency, quality and profitability

Sustainable irrigation method is now essential for adaptation and adoption in the areas where water resources are limited. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to test the performance of alternate wetting and drying furrow irrigation（AWDFI） on crop growth, yield, water use efficiency（WUE）, fruit quality and profitability analysis of tomato. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with six treatments replicated thrice during the dry seasons of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Irrigation water was applied through three ways of furrow： AWDFI, fixed wetting and drying furrow irrigation（FWDFI） and traditional（every） furrow irrigation（TFI）. Each irrigation method was divided into two levels： irrigation up to 100 and 80% field capacity（FC）. Results showed that plant biomass（dry matter） and marketable fruit yield of tomato did not differ significantly between the treatments of AWDFI and TFI, but significant difference was observed in AWDFI and in TFI compared to FWDFI at same irrigation level. AWDFI saved irrigation water by 35 to 38% for the irrigation levels up to 80 and 100% FC, compared to the TFI, respectively. AWDFI improved WUE by around 37 to 40% compared to TFI when irrigated with 100 and 80% FC, respectively. Fruit quality（total soluble solids and pulp） was found greater in AWDFI than in TFI. Net return from AWDFI technique was found nearly similar compared to TFI and more than FWDFI. The benefit cost ratio was viewed higher in AWDFI than in TFI and FWDFI by 2.8, 8.7 and 11, 10.4% when irrigation water was applied up to 100 and 80% FC, respectively. Unit production cost was obtained lower in AWDFI compared to TFI and FWDFI. However, AWDFI is a useful water-saving furrow irrigation technique which may resolve as an alternative choice compared with TFI in the areas where available water and supply methods are limited to irrigation.

Effects of Alternative Partial Root-zone Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Plukenetia volubilis Seedlings

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of alternative partial rootzone irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer on the potted seedlings of Plukenetia volubilis.A total of 7 treatments were designed with three factors, i.e., irrigation amount, irrigation mode and nitrogen fertilizer. The growth, photosynthesis and water use efficiency were analyzed. The results showed that compared with those under full irrigation, the biomass and water consumption under alternative partial root-zone irrigation were reduced by 5% and 75%, respectively, and the water use efficiency was increased by 60%. Under severe drought conditions, the root cap ratio in the nitrogen fertilizer treatment group was increased by 30%; the leaf area index, photosynthetic rate and biomass under alternative partial root-zone irrigation were reduced by 38%, 9% and 18%, respectively. It indicates that under severe drought conditions, alternative partial root-zone irrigation is not suitable to be matched with application of nitrogen fertilizer. In short, under moderate drought conditions, alternative partial root-zone irrigation could reduce transpiration and improve water use efficiency, and it is an effective water-saving irrigation technology for the plantation of P.volubilis plants.

Water Consumption and Maize Yield for Alternative Furrow Irrigation in Western Heilongjiang Province

Aiming at less and un-uniform distribution rainfall problems, the serious draught in spring, low crop production and water efficiency in sandy soil area of Heilongjiang Province, the experiment of alternative furrow irrigation was conducted in Dumeng County in 2009. The purpose of the experiment was to find the water consumption law and its influence on maize yield. The results showed that the highest water consumption was during the heading stage and the highest daily consumption of water was during the filling stage. The stimulation effect of alternative furrow irrigation on yield was obvious in the appropriate irrigation level. The best irrigation pattern for the highest yield was as follows： the seedling stage was 325 m3. hm^-2; the jointing stage was 400 m3-hm^-2; and the filling stage was 288 m3- hm-2. The water consumption during each growing period was that the seedling was 38.85 mm; the jointing was 108.11 mm; the heading was 124.39 ram; the filling was 88.96 ram; the milk was 60.21 ram; and the harvesting was 47.89 mm.

Soil Water Distribution and Irrigation Uniformity Under Alternative Furrow Irrigation

Field experiments were conducted to investigate the spatial-temporal distribution and the uniformity of soil water under alternative furrow irrigation in spring maize field in Cansu Province. Results showed that during the crop growing season, alternative drying and wetting furrows could incur crops to endure a water stress. thus the adsorptive ability of root system could be enhanced. As there was no zero flux plane between irrigated furrows and non-irrigated furrows under alternative furrow irrigation, lateral infiltration of water was obviously increased, thus decreasing the deep percolation. Compared with the conventional irrigation, although the water consumption in alternative furrow irrigation was reduced, the uniformity of soil water was not obviously affected.

Relationships of Ethylene Evolution Rate and 1-Aminocylopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid Concentration in Grains during Filling Period with Appearance Quality of Rice

To elucidate the relationship between ethylene evolution from the grains and the appearance quality of rice, ten different rice genotypes were used to determine the ethylene evolution rate, 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid （ACC） concentration in grains during grain filling and the appearance quality of rice, and the effects of chemical regulators on concentrations of ethylene and ACC in the grains during grain filling were also investigated to verify the roles of ethylene in the rice quality formation. The ethylene evolution rates and ACC concentrations in grains during the mid and late grain filling stages were very significantly and positively correlated with chalky kernel percentage and chalkiness. The cultivars with a low ACC concentration in grains exhibited a close amyloplast arrangement and small space between starch granules, whereas those with a high ACC concentration in grains showed a loose arrangement and wide space between the granules. Application of 1 μmol/L ACC to panicles at mid and late grain filling stages significantly loosened amyloplast arrangement and increased chalky kernel percentage, chalky area and chalkiness, and the results were reversed when 1 μmol/L amino-ethoxyvinylglycine, an inhibitor of ACC synthesis enzyme, was applied to panicles. A practice of moderate dry-wet alternate irrigation reduced ethylene evolution and ACC concentration in grains and thereby reduced chalkiness. The results suggested that ethylene and ACC in grains play an important role in the endosperm structure and appearance quality of rice, and the appearance quality would be improved by reducing ethylene evolution and ACC in grains through either variety breeding and selection, or chemical regulations or cultivation techniques.

Effects of alternate moistube-irrigation on soil water infiltration

Alternate moistube-irrigation is a new type of water-saving irrigation,and research on water infiltration with alternate moistube-irrigation is important for the design of irrigation schemes and helpful to understand and apply this technology.The effects of the pressure head(1.0 m and 1.5 m)and tube spacing(10 cm,20 cm,and 30 cm between two moistubes respectively)on soil water infiltration in alternate moistube-irrigation were studied in laboratory experiments,and the cumulative infiltration,discharge of the moistube,and shape and water distribution of the cross-section of the wetting front were determined.The cumulative infiltration increased quickly and linearly with the infiltration time at 0-96 h(R^(2)>0.99),and changed smoothly at 96-192 h with a basically steady infiltration rate.The discharge of the moistube increased rapidly at the beginning of irrigation,then decreased before stabilizing.The cumulative infiltrations and discharges of moistube under the 1.5 m pressure head were more than those under the 1.0 m pressure head.The shape of the cross-section of the wetting front for a single moistube was similar to a concentric circle.With the increase of tube spacing,the interaction between water infiltrations of two moistubes decreased.The soil water distributions around two moistubes were similar to each other under the 1.0 m pressure head and large tube spacing.When the tube spacing was 20 cm,the soil water distribution was more uniform around two moistubes.

Influences of alternate partial root-zone irrigation and urea rate on water-and nitrogen-use efficiencies in tomato

Traditional water and fertilizer inputs are often much higher than the actual demands of tomato,which causes a reduction in water-and fertilizer-use efficiencies.To investigate the advantage of alternate partial root-zone irrigation(AI)on water-and nitrogen(N)-use efficiencies of tomato modified by water and N management,taking conventional irrigation(CI)as the control,the effects of AI on root morphology and activity,fruit yield and water and N use efficiency were studied using pot experiments.There were four combinations of irrigation levels and growing stages of tomato for AI,i.e.AI_(1)(high water(W_(H))from blooming to harvest stage(BHS)),AI_(2)(W_(H)from blooming to fruit setting stage(BFS)and low water(W_(L))at the harvest stage(HS)),AI_(3)(W_(L)at BFS and W_(H)at HS)and AI_(4)(W_(L)at BHS)at three urea rates,i.e.low urea rate(NL),middle urea rate(N_(M))and high urea rate(N_(H))in the form of urea.Irrigation quotas for W_(H)and W_(L)in AI at BFS or HS were 80%and 60%of that in CI,respectively.Compared to CI,AI decreased water consumption by 16.0%-33.1%and increased water use efficiency of yield(WUE_(y))and dry mass(WUE_(d))by 6.7%-11.9%and 10.2%-15.9%,respectively.AI_(1)did not decline yield,total N uptake(TNU)and N use efficiency(NUE)significantly.Compared to NL,N_(M)enhanced tomato yield,TNU,WUE_(y)and WUE_(d)by 28.5%,35.3%,22.6%and 16.3%,respectively.Compared to CINL,AI_(1)N_(M)reduced water consumption by 12.5%,but increased tomato yield,TNU,WUE_(y)and WUE_(d)by 35.5%,58.4%,54.4%and 53.7%,respectively.Therefore,AI_(1)can improve water use efficiency and total N uptake of tomato simultaneously at medium urea rate.

Alternate partial root-zone irrigation with high irrigation frequency improves root growth and reduces unproductive water loss by apple trees in arid north-west China

Alternate partial root-zone irrigation(APRI)can improve water use efficiency in arid areas. However,the effectiveness and outcomes of different frequencies of APRI on water uptake capacity and physiological water use have not been reported. A two-year field experiment was conducted with two irrigation amounts(400 and500 mm) and three irrigation methods(conventional irrigation, APRI with high and low frequencies). Root length density, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate,transpiration rate, leaf water use efficiency, midday stem and leaf water potentials were measured. The results show that in comparison with conventional irrigation, APRI with high frequency significantly increased root length density and decreased water potentials and stomatal conductance.No differences in the above indicators between the two APRI frequencies were detected. A significantly positive relationship between stomatal conductance and root length density was found under APRI. Overall, alternate partial root-zone irrigation with high frequency has a great potential to promote root growth, expand water uptake capacity and reduce unproductive water loss in the arid apple production area.

Evaluation of tomato fruit quality response to water and nitrogen management under alternate partial root-zone irrigation

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different water and nitrogen supply amounts on the comprehensive assessment of tomato fruit quality and root growth parameters under alternate partial root-zone irrigation.Three upper irrigation limitations(i.e.70%(W1),80%(W2)and 90%(W3)of field capacity,respectively)and three N-fertilizer levels(i.e.0.18(N1),0.30(N2)and 0.42(N3)g/kg soil,respectively)were arranged with a randomized complete block design,and alternate partial root-zone irrigation method was applied.Results showed that fruit yields under deficit irrigation(W1 and W2)were decreased by 6.9%and 2.0%respectively compared with W3 under N1 level.Yields of tomato under W1N1 and W1N2 combinations were also reduced by 10.3%and 7.2%,respectively compared with W1N3 combination.Root dry weight,root length,root surface area and root volume were all increased in W1N2 treatment.According to two-way ANOVA,the root parameters except root dry weight,were extremely sensitive to water,nitrogen and the cross effect of the two factors.TSS(total soluble solids),SS(soluble sugars)and OA(organic acid)in the fruits increased with the decrease in irrigation water,OA and NC reduced with decreasing amount of nitrogen.Moreover,within an appropriate range,as more irrigation water and nitrogen were applied,the higher VC(vitamin C)and lycopene contents were identified in the fruits.Eventually,the combinational evaluation method(i.e.entropy method and gray relational analysis)showed that W2N2 ranked highest in comprehensive fruit quality.Therefore,considering the tradeoff between fruit comprehensive quality and yields,upper irrigation limitation of 80%θf and N-fertilizer of 0.30 g/kg soil with alternate partial root-zone irrigation was the optimal cultivation strategy for the greenhouse tomato in autumn-winter season in northwest China.

Biochar and alternate partial root-zone irrigation greatly enhance the effectiveness of mulberry in remediating lead-contaminated soils

Aims Soil lead contamination has become increasingly serious and phytoremediation can provide an effective way to reclaim the contaminated soils.This study aims to examine the growth,lead resistance and lead accumulation of mulberry(Morus alba L.)seedlings at four levels of soil lead contamination with or without biochar addition under normal or alternative partial root-zone irrigation(APRI).Methods We conducted a three-factor greenhouse experiment with biochar(with vs.without biochar addition),irrigation method(APRI vs.normal irrigation)and four levels of soil lead(0,50,200 and 800 mg·kg^(-1)).The performance of the seedlings under different treatments was evaluated by measuring growth traits,osmotic substances,antioxidant enzymes and lead accumulation and translocation.Important Findings The results reveal that mulberry had a strong ability to acclimate to soil lead contamination,and that biochar and APRI synergistically increased the biomass and surface area of absorption root across all levels of soil lead.The seedlings were able to resist the severe soil lead contamination(800 mg·kg^(-1) Pb)by adjusting glutathione metabolism,and enhancing the osmotic and oxidative regulating capacity via increasing proline content and the peroxidase activity.Lead ions in the seedlings were primarily concentrated in roots and exhibited a dose–effect associated with the lead concentration in the soil.Pb,biochar and ARPI interactively affected Pb concentrations in leaves and roots,translocation factor and bioconcentration.Our results suggest that planting mulberry trees in combination with biochar addition and APRI can be used to effectively remediate lead-contaminated soils.

Effects of zeolite application on grain yield,water use and nitrogen uptake of rice under alternate wetting and drying irrigation

With the increasing scarcity of water resources and growing population,the dual goal of saving irrigation water and increasing grain yield has become a major challenge in rice production around the world.A two-year lysimetric experiment was conducted to assess the effects of zeolite application(Z_(0):0 and Z1:15 t/hm^(2) and water regimes(W_(0):continuous flooding irrigation,W1:energy-controlled irrigation,W2:alternate wetting and drying irrigation)on grain yield,water use and total nitrogen uptake of rice.Zeolite addition to paddy field significantly increased grain yield,total N uptake,and water use efficiency(WUE),despite a negligible effect on amount of irrigation water used.Compared with W_(0),the separate use of W_(1) and W_(2) each considerably decreased irrigation water.However,W2-grown rice showed a significant decline in grain yield.In contrast,W1 showed comparable grain yield with W_(0),and achieved the highest WUE.Correlation analysis revealed that grain yield was significantly and positively correlated with effective panicles,spikelets per panicle,water consumption,and total N uptake.It is concluded that the combination of zeolite application at the rate of 15 t/hm^(2) and energy-controlled irrigation could be recommended to benefit farmers by reducing irrigation water while improving grain yield on a clay loam soil.