Wetting alternating with partial drying during grain filling increases lysine biosynthesis in inferior rice grain

Lysine content is a criterion of the nutritional quality of rice.Understanding the process of lysine biosynthesis in early-flowering superior grain(SG)and late-flowering inferior grain(IG)of rice would advance breeding and cultivation to improve nutritional quality.However,little information is available on differences in lysine anabolism between SG and IG and the underlying mechanism,and whether and how irrigation regimes affect lysine anabolism in these grains.A japonica rice cultivar was grown in the field and two irrigation regimes,continuous flooding(CF)and wetting alternating with partial drying(WAPD),were imposed from heading to the mature stage.Lysine content and activities of key enzymes of lysine biosynthesis,and levels of brassinosteroids(BRs)were lower in the IG than in the SG at the early grainfilling stage but higher at middle and late grain-filling stages.WAPD increased activities of these key enzymes,BR levels,and contents of lysine and total amino acids in IG,but not SG relative to CF.Application of 2,4-epibrassinolide to rice panicles in CF during early grain filling reproduced the effects of WAPD,but neither treatment altered the activities of enzymes responsible for lysine catabolism in either SG or IG.WAPD and elevated BR levels during grain filling increased lysine biosynthesis in IG.Improvement in lysine biosynthesis in rice should focus on IG.

Influence of Partial Drying on Oil Uptake ＆ Quality Attributes of French Fries

Today＇s customers are looking for non-fat or low-fat containing products. One of the methods to reduce oil absorption in fried products is partial drying before frying. In this study, influence of partial drying （10 min, 20 min, 30 min） on oil absorption and quality attributes of three potato cultivars （Agria, Satina, kenebek） was evaluated. Our results reveled that in Agria, partial drying leads to an increase in oil absorption compared with non-dried sample （p〈0.05）. In kenebek, partial drying reduced the oil absorption and improved the texture and color of the produced French fries （p〈0.05）. Similar results were observed with Satina as with kenebek. In all three varieties, partial drying increased the dry matter, color quality and required cutting force of the French fries （p〈0.05）.

Effects of Partial Rootzone Drying on the Growth of Vitis vinifera cv.Malvasia Grafted on Different Rootstocks

To lay a biological foundation for rootstocks and alternate irrigation （AI） popularization, the effects of partial rootzone drying （PRD） on the growth of the grapevine Malvasia grafted on different rootstocks were investigated. Biological effects of 1/2 divided root irrigation on three combinations, i.e., Malvasia/420A, Malvasia/3309C, and Malvasia/110R, were studied by wood-boxed plants. All the plants were separated into three groups for different irrigation strategies. Mass growth of new root in alternate-irrigated plants was remarkably promoted by about 7.8-22.2% higher than the well- watered ones. However, new shoot growth, especially the internode was reduced by alternate irrigation. The average root-shoot ratio of all the three combinations was increased from 1.1 to 1.46. New root growth and internode length were decreased by fixed partial rootzone irrigation （FI） at different amount, M/3309C at 37.9 and 36.9%, M/110R at 18.4 and 22.5%, respectively. Total biomass of all the three combinations under FI decreased at the rate of 19.2-34.3% compared with well-watered ones. Water stress adaptation of grapevine mainly depends on rootstock. 110R is more efficient than 3309C and 420A in water stress adaptation. PRD-AI benefited root growth, thus improved the drought-resistant ability of grapevine.

Yield Response to Deficit Irrigation and Partial Root-Zone Drying in Processing Tomato （Lycopersicon esculentum Mill,）

Due to the global expansion of irrigated areas and the limited availability of irrigation water, it is necessary to optimize water use in order to maximize crop yields under water deficit conditions. To evaluate the yield response of two processing tomato hybrids （Ercole and Genius） grown under different irrigation treatments, a field trial was conducted during the 2008 growing season in Southern Italy. Three irrigation treatments were used： the restitution of 70% of maximum evapotranspiration （ETc） both under ＂Deficit Irrigation＂ （70DI） and ＂Partial Root-zone Drying＂ （70PRD） strategies; full irrigated （FI： 100% ETc）. The two water deficit irrigation treatments （DI and PRD） showed stomatal conductance values lower than FI treatment and saved a substantial amount of water maintaining reasonable marketable yield. Moreover, PRD strategy showed slightly higher ＂Water Use Efficiency＂ （WUE） values than DI. Finally, ＂yield response factor＂ （Ky） showed always values less than unity, indicating the possibility to adopt, within certain limited condition, both DI and PRD in field-grown processing tomato cultivated in Southern Italy. In conclusion, in our experimental conditions, deficit irrigation practices seem to be acceptable relatively to processing tomato yield aspects and Ky could be promoted as a useful indicator for irrigation in water deficit conditions.

Effect of Partial Root-Zone Irrigating Deuterium Oxide on the Properties of Water Transportation and Distribution in Young Apple Trees

Partial root-zone irrigation （PRI） has been proved to be an optimal water-saving irrigation technology, however, few studies were done on water transportation and distribution under PRI. The present study was performed to investigate the water transportation and distribution among the wet and dry root-zones and the shoot using deuterium water （D2O） in 1/4 root-zone PRI experiment. It also aimed to determine and analyze the D2O relative abundance within different types of roots and shoots. The results indicated that water could be transported from roots in wet root-zone to roots in dry root-zone and shoots within 2 h after irrigation. Water transportation in roots of wet-zone was carried out by absorbing root, 1-2 mm root, 2-5 mm root, and〉5 mm root progressively, while through a reverse process in three dry root-zones. In shoots, water was transported to trunk, central trunk, annual branches, shoot and leaf progressively. Thus in the young apple trees subjected to PRI, water was distributed ifrst in the roots, including the roots in the wet and dry root-zones, to satisfy the water need of roots itself, and then transported to the shoot within hours of irrigation.

Role of alternate and fixed partial root-zone drying on water use efficiency and growth of maize(Zea mays L.)in gypsiferous soils

Alternate partial root-zone drying(APRD)is a water-saving method but can regulate crop physiological responses.A pot experiment has been conducted to study the efficiency of partial and fixed root-zone drying on the growth and production of maize(Zea mays L)in addition to the water use efficiency in soils with different gypsum content.The experimental treatments include three irrigation treatments,i.e.Conventional Irrigation(CI),Alternate Partial Root-zone Drying(APRD)and Fixed Partial Root-zone Drying(FPRD),and three soils with different gypsum content"(60.0[G1],153.7[G2],and 314.2[G3]g kg^(-1))".The vegetative growth,root dry mass and physiological indices(leaf relative water content,carotenoid concentration,proline)have been studied during three stages of maize plant growth(jointing,tasselling,and maturing).The Results showed that compared to CI,APRD and FPRD increased water use efficiency by 38.93 and 14.94%based on dry seed yield.In addition,compared to CI,APRD increased maize seed yield by 4.62-20.71%,while FPRD decreased yield by 19.24-5.28%for the gypsiferous soils G2 and G3,respectively.APRD has a slight effect on leaf water potential,leaf relative water content,carotenoid and proline activities from jointing to maturing stages at the three gypsiferous soils.Results suggest that APRD could make maize plants use water even more productively with better adaptation to water shortages in the gypsiferous soils.

Deficit Irrigation as a Strategy to Save Water:Physiology and Potential Application to Horticulture

Water is an increasingly scarce resource worldwide and irrigated agriculture remains one of the largest and most inefficient users of this resource. Low water use efficiency （WUE） together with an increased competition for water resources with other sectors （e.g. tourism or industry） are forcing growers to adopt new irrigation and cultivation practices that use water more judiciously. In areas with dry and hot climates, drip irrigation and protected cultivation have improved WUE mainly by reducing runoff and evapotranspiration losses. However, complementary approaches are still needed to increase WUE in irrigated agriculture. Deficit irrigation strategies like regulated deficit irrigation or partial root drying have emerged as potential ways to increase water savings in agriculture by allowing crops to withstand mild water stress with no or only marginal decreases of yield and quality. Grapevine and several fruit tree crops seem to be well adapted to deficit irrigation, but other crops like vegetables tend not to cope so well due to losses in yield and quality. This paper aims at providing an overview of the physiological basis of deficit irrigation strategies and their potential for horticulture by describing the major consequences of their use to vegetative growth, yield and quality of different crops （fruits, vegetables and ornamentals）.

Assessing effects of deficit irrigation techniques on water productivity of tomato for subsurface drip irrigation system

Water resources are subjected to ever-increasing supply constraints due to extensive agricultural water demand for irrigated lands.Therefore,water-saving irrigation strategies need to be explored.The present study was conducted to explore the possibilities of using regulated deficit irrigation(RDI)and partial root zone drying irrigation(PRD)methods as water-saving irrigation techniques for subsurface irrigation.The objective of this study are to assess the effects of RDI and PRD irrigation on the water productivity of vegetable crops(tomato)under SSD systems in arid climatic conditions,and to compare the responses of tomato crops to PRD,RDI,and FI under an SSD system in terms of productivity,crop quality,and the amount of water saved.The field experiment was conducted during the fall 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons in an experimental field located on an educational farm owned by the Faculty of Food and Agriculture Sciences Department,King Saud University,Riyadh,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.An area of 102.7 m^(2)(13 m×7.9 m)was allocated for the experiment to manage three treatments:RDI,PRD,and full irrigation(FI).The RDI and PRD treatments received 70%of the irrigation water volume of FI.Each was replicated three times.The most important results indicated that the soil water content(SWC)for the RDI and PRD treatments was lower than that of the FI treatments.FI had the highest stomatal conductance values(gs),while PRD had the lowest stomatal conductance values.The photosynthetic rate(A_(n))was lower under RDI and PRD compared to FI.However,there was no significant change in A_(n) between treatments for most readings taken during both time periods,which means that the water saving treatments(PRD and RDI)did not affect the net photosynthesis rate,thereby enhancing irrigation water use efficiency(IWUE)under DI treatments.The water-saving irrigation techniques decreased transpiration rate(T)compared to the FI treatment.The values of the abscisic acid(ABA)contents were higher under PRD and RDI than FI.The marketable yield under the FI treatment yielded the highest values.The fruit quality parameter results showed that the RDI and PRD treatments increased the total soluble solids,vitamin C,and titratable acidity of tomato compared to the FI treatment.Most of the minimum IWUE values were associated with FI.These results indicate the effects of deficit levels on IWUE.