Green High-yield and High-efficiency Cultivation Techniques of Integrated Management of Water and Fertilizer for Maize under Mulch Drip Irrigation

The green high-yield and high-efficiency cultivation techniques of integrated management of water and fertilizer for maize under mulch drip irrigation are described from the aspects of high yield target of maize and its component factor indexes,pre-sowing preparation,sowing,post-sowing management,field management at the seedling stage,integrated management of water and fertilizer for target yield of maize,rational application of micro-fertilizer,comprehensive prevention and control of diseases and pests,timely harvest,etc.,in order to provide a reference for agricultural technicians,maize farmers and maize industry development in northern Xinjiang.

High-yield Cultivation Techniques of Drip Irrigation under Ground Membrane for Cotton

Yuepuhu County in Xinjiang has a long history of cotton planting and is a national high-quality cotton base county.In 2002,it was appraised by the Ministry of Agriculture as the"Hometown of High-yield Cotton Production in China",with an annual cotton planting area of about 43000 ha.Traditional cotton planting has disadvantages such as waste of water resources,low water use efficiency,easy breeding of diseases and insect pests,and unfavorable ground temperature recovery at the seedling stage.In order to solve the low water use efficiency in cotton planting in Yuepuhu County,reduce the occurrence of diseases and insect pests,promote sustainable cotton production,and improve the economic benefits and local ecological benefits of cotton planting,Yuepuhu County promoted the application of the resource-saving technology drip irrigation under ground membrane cotton comprehensive cultivation technology mainly promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture.This paper mainly discusses the disadvantages of traditional cotton planting,the main technical content of drip irrigation under ground membrane technology,the problems found in the practice process and the solutions,so as make cotton growers in Yuepuhu County better understand the planting technology under plastic film,and to better promote the development of cotton industry in Yuepuhu County and the surrounding regions.

Effects of Different Drip Irrigation Fertilizers on Nutrient Levels in Celery and Soil under Drip Irrigation

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different fertilizers on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ＇absorption and distribution by celeo, and the changes of soil nutrients in the 0 -40 cm soil layer under drip irrigation, so as to provide a theoretical basis for nutrient management of greenhouse celery culti- vation and special fertilizer development. With celery as an experiment material and the ratio of conventional fertilization as control treatment, the effects of different ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium on nutrient absorption by celery and changes of soil nutrients were investigated by plot experiment in greenhouse. The results showed that the contents and distribution proportions of N and P in leaf were higher than those in stem, while for K, the content and distribution proportion were higher in stem than in leaf. The absorption amount of K was the highest in celery, followed by N, and the absorption amount of P element was the least. The mean ratio of N, P and K in celery was 1：0.556： 1.609. There were evident dynamic changes in contents of soil available nutrients in the 0 -20 cm soil layer in various growth stages of celery under different drip irrigation fertilizers. The contents of soil available nutrients were higher on the 28＇h , 47~ and 83＇h d ＂after fieht planting, while those before field planting and after harvest were lower. So the amounts of soil available nutrients were closely related to the growth stage of celery. In the whole growth period of celery, the mean input amounts of N, P205 and K20 were 805, 1 049 and 916 kg/hm2 , respectively, but the absorption amounts of nutrients by celery were far less than inputs, and the amounts of N, P205 and K20 absorbed by celery＂ were only 23% -26% , 10% and 31% -35% of the appli- cation amounts, respectively. The apparent balance of N, P2 O5 and Kz O were 613,943 and 609 kg/hm2 , respectively, indicating excess fertilization in this experi- ment. Under this experiment condition, Tj （ N： PzOs： K20 = 1 ： 0.63： 1.08） favored increase of celery yield and absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus and petassium by celery. The results will provide a scientific basis for study and utilization of special fertilizer for drip irrigation on celery. Key words Drip irrigation; Fertilizer for drip irrigation; Celery; Soil nutrient; Apparent balance

Implications of Design, Management and Recession Phase in Drip Irrigation on the Total Distribution Efficiency in Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) Crops in Areas with High Slopes in Concordia, Argentina

The increase of human population generates the need to improve the efficiency of food production. A thorough planning is required following the scope of economic and sustainable development, being irrigation a basic tool, however water availability is restricted and it obliges farmers to progress increasing water productivity. Irrigation uses around 70% of total available fresh water, while irrigation water application efficiency is around 40%. Irrigation systems must follow strong criteria at the design stage to achieve high values of water productivity. Maintenance is indispensable to follow the original functioning level of those systems. At last the daily precise management of systems, following soil water potential, considering the effective rain storage at root depth of the crop and the evolution of daily evapotranspiration, preserving natural resources, are relevant to achieve low values of water footprint of this crop. In an 8 year drip irrigation system, the Uniformity Coefficient of Christiansen (UCC) measured was 95.14%;the Uniform Coefficient of the Minor Quart (UCMQ) was 93.16%. The Total Distribution Efficiency (EDT) was 95.13% when measurements finished while the irrigation systems is of. When measurements also considered the volume collected during the “recession phase in drip irrigation” and the “volume of water collected during recession phase in drip irrigation” collected at different points, EDT was 95.13%. Moreover it can be seen that when three different typical soil of the area were considered, the EDT was, 91.85%, 91.47% and 90.30% respectively, according with different water storage capacity of each soil. The Total Distribution Efficient is a strong method, to evaluate the design and management of drip irrigation systems, under different design criteria, management practices and maintenance of the systems. Water footprint in a blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) crop with drip and sprinkler anti-frost system, were measure and values obtained were 846, 310, 223, 212, 172 and 218 liters per kg of fresh fruit in the period 2010-2015. The UCC and the UCMQ reflects properly the irrigation design, while the EDT reflects irrigation design, management and maintenance. Water footprint is at last the strong tool to evaluate design and operation of the irrigation system and crop management.

Drip Irrigation Scheduling for Tomato Grown in Solar Greenhouse Based on Pan Evaporation in North China Plain

This study has investigated the suitable drip irrigation scheduling for tomato grown in solar greenhouse based on 20-cm pan evaporation （Epan） in North China Plain. Irrigation treatments included three irrigation frequencies （11 10, 12 20 and 13 30 mm, and irrigation interval of 2-6 d for 11, 4-9 d for 12 and 8-12 d for 13） based on accumulated pan evaporation （Epan）, and four plant-pan coefficients （Kcp1 0.5, Kcp2 0.7, Kcp3 0.9 and Kcp4 1.1）. Results indicate that total irrigation amount, seasonal crop evapotranspiration （ET） and tomato yield （Y） were 185.1-365.8 mm, 249.1-388.0 mm and 99.6-151.8 t ha^-1, respectively. Irrigation frequency and amount increased the yield, and second-degree polynomial relationship was found between Y and ET （R2=0.8671）. Irrigation frequency did not increase mean fruit weight, diameter and length significantly but increased fruit number, total soluble solids content （TSS）, TSS yield, fruit firmness and water use efficiency （WUE） and irrigation WUE （IWUE） significantly. Irrigation amount increased external quality of tomato but reduced TSS content, TSS yield, fruit firmness, WUE and IWUE significantly. Kep3 and gep4 treatments had the highest fruit yield, but Kep2 and Kep3 treatments had the highest WUE. 11Kcp3 treatment （irrigation interval of 2-6 d, and Kop=0.9） had higher IWUE, WUE, external quality, yield, and TSS yield, so it is recommended as the suitable irrigation scheduling for tomato grown in solar greenhouse in North China Plain.

Yield and Quality Response of Cucumber to Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization Under Subsurface Drip Irrigation in Solar Greenhouse

The aims of this research were to compare subsurface drip irrigation scheduling and nitrogen fertilization rates in cucumber, and evaluate yield and quality of cucumber fruit, water （WUE）, irrigation water （IWUE）, and nitrogen use （NUE） efficiencies in the solar greenhouse in Southwest China. The irrigation water amounts were determined based on the 20 cm diameter pan （Ep） placed over the crop canopy, and cucumber plant was subjected to three irrigation water levels （I1, 0.6 Ep; I2, 0.8 Ep; and I3, 1.0 Ep） in interaction with three nitrogen fertilization levels （N1, 300 kg ha-1; N2, 450 kg ha-1; and N3, 600 kg ha-1）. The results showed that the cucumber fruit yield increased with the improvement of irrigation water. Irrigation water increased yields by increasing the mean weight of the fruits, and also by increasing fruit number. But the highest values of IWUE and WUE were obtained from I2 treatment. NUE significantly decreased with the improvement of N application, but increased by irrigating more water. The quality of cucumber fruit decreased with the improvement irrigation water and nitrogen fertilization. In conclusion, the optimum irrigation level and nitrogen fertilizer application level for cucunber under subsurface drip irrigation in the solar greenhouse in Southwest China were 0.8 Ep and 450 and 600 kg ha-1, respectively.

Response of yield,quality,water and nitrogen use efficiency of tomato to different levels of water and nitrogen under drip irrigation in Northwestern China

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of applying different amounts of water and nitrogen on yield, fruit quality, water use efficiency （WUE）, irrigation water use efficiency （IWUE） and nitrogen use efficiency （NUE） of drip-irrigated greenhouse tomatoes in northwestern China. The plants were irrigated every seven days at various proportions of 20-cm pan evaporation （Ep）. The experiment consisted of three irrigation levels （11, 50% Ep; 12, 75% Ep; and 13, 100% Ep） and three N application levels （N1, 150 kg N ha^-1; N2, 250 kg N ha^-1;and N3, 350 kg N ha^-1）. Tomato yield increased with the amount of applied irrigation water in 12 and then decreased in 13. WUE and IWUE were the highest in Ii. WUE was 16.5% lower in 12 than that in I1, but yield was 26.6% higher in 12 than that in I1. Tomato yield, WUE, and IWUE were significantly higher in N2 than that in N1 and N3. NUIE decreased with increasing N levels but NUE increased with increase the amount of water applied. Increasing both water and N levels increased the foliar net photosynthetic rate. I1 and 12 treatments significantly increased the contents of total soluble solids （TSS）, vitamin C （VC）, lycopene, soluble sugars （SS）, and organic acids （OA） and the sugar：acid ratio in the fruit and decreased the nitrate content. TSS, VC, lycopene, and SS contents were the highest in N2. The harvest index （HI） was the highest in 12N2. 12N2 provided the optimal combination of tomato yield, fruit quality, and WUE. The irrigation and fertilisation regime of 75% Ep and 250 kg N ha^-1 was the best strategy of water and N management for the production of drip-irrigated greenhouse tomato.

Effects of Irrigation Water Quality and Drip Tape Arrangement on Soil Salinity,Soil Moisture Distribution,and Cotton Yield (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Under Mulched Drip Irrigation in Xinjiang,China

More and more attention is being focused on saline water utilization in irrigation due to the shortage of fresh water to agriculture in many regions. For purpose of reducing the risks of using of saline water for irrigation, the mechanism of soil moisture and salinity distribution and transport should be well understood for developing optimum management strategies. In this paper, field experiments were carried out at Junggar Basin, China, to study the effects of drip irrigation water quality and drip tape arrangement on distribution of soil salinity and soil moisture. Six treatments were designed, including two drip tape arrangement modes and three irrigation water concentration levels （0.24, 4.68, and 7.42 dS m^-l）. Results showed that, soil moisture content （SMC） directly beneath the drip tape in all treatments kept a relatively high value about 18% before boll opening stage; the SMC in the narrow strip in single tape arrangement （Ms） plot was obviously lower than that in the double tapes arrangement （Md） plot, indicating that less sufficient water was supplied under the same condition of irrigation depth, but there was no significant reduction in yield. Mulching had not significant influence on salt accumulation but the drip tape arrangement, under the same condition of irrigation water depth and quality, compared with Md, Ms reduced salt accumulation in root zone and brought about relatively high cotton yield.

Tomato Yield and Quality and Emitter Clogging as Affected by Chlorination Schemes of Drip Irrigation Systems Applying Sewage Effluent

Chlorination has been recognized as an efficient and economically favorable method for treating clogging in drip emitters caused by biological growth during sewage application. Further important criteria for determining an optimal chlorination scheme are the different responses of crops to the chloride added into the soil through chlorination. During two seasons in 2008 and 2009, field experiments were conducted in a solar-heated greenhouse with drip irrigation systems applying secondary sewage effluent to tomato plants to investigate the influences of chlorine injection intervals and levels on plant growth, yield, fruit quality, and emitter clogging. Injection intervals ranging from 2 to 8 wk and injection concentrations ranging 2-50 mg L-1 of free chlorine residual at the end of the laterals were used. For the 2008 experiments, the yield from the treatments of sewage application with chlorination was 7.5% lower than the yield from the treatment of sewage application without chlorination, while the yields for the treatments with and without chlorination were similar for the 2009 experiments. The statistical tests indicated that neither the chlorine injection intervals and concentrations nor the interactions between the two significantly influenced plant height, leaf area, or tomato yield for both years. The qualities of the fruit in response to chlorination were parameter-dependent. Chlorination did not significantly influence the quality of ascorbic acid, soluble sugar, or soluble acids, but the interaction between the chlorine injection interval and the chlorine concentration significantly influenced the levels of soluble solids. It was also confirmed that chlorination was an effective method for reducing biological clogging. These results suggested that chlorination is safe for a crop that has a moderate sensitivity to chlorine, like tomato, and can maintain a high level of performance in drip irrigation systems applying sewage effluent.

Effects of combined drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage on water and salt transport of saline-alkali soil in Xinjiang, China

Developing effective irrigation and drainage strategies to improve the quality of saline-alkali soil is vital for enhancing agricultural production and increasing economic returns. In this study, we explored how irrigation and drainage modes (flood irrigation, drip irrigation, and sub-surface pipe drainage under drip irrigation) improve the saline-alkali soil in Xinjiang, China. We aimed to study the transport characteristics of soil water and salt under different irrigation and drainage modes, and analyze the effects of the combination of irrigation and drainage on soil salt leaching, as well as its impacts on the growth of oil sunflower. Our results show that sub-surface pipe drainage under drip irrigation significantly reduced the soil salt content and soil water content at the 0–200 cm soil depth. Under sub-surface pipe drainage combined with drip irrigation, the mean soil salt content was reduced to below 10 g/kg after the second irrigation, and the soil salt content decreased as sub-surface pipe distance decreased. The mean soil salt content of flood irrigation exceeded 25 g/kg, and the mean soil desalination efficiency was 3.28%, which was lower than that of drip irrigation. The mean soil desalination rate under drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage under drip irrigation was 19.30% and 58.12%, respectively. After sub-surface drainage regulation under drip irrigation, the germination percentage of oil sunflower seedlings was increased to more than 50%, which further confirmed that combined drip irrigation and sub-surface pipe drainage is very effective in improving the quality of saline-alkali soil and increasing the productivity of agricultural crops.

Changes in Soil Properties Under the Influences of Cropping and Drip Irrigation During the Reclamation of Severe Salt-Affected Soils

Reclamation of salt-affected land plays an important role in mitigating the pressure of agricultural land due to competition with industry and construction in China. Drip irrigation was found to be an effective method to reclaim salt-affected land. In order to improve the effect of reclamation and sustainability of salt-affected land production, a field experiment （with reclaimed 1-3 yr fields） was carried out to investigate changes in soil physical, chemical, and biological properties during the process of reclamation with cropping maize and drip irrigation. Results showed that soil bulk density in 0-20 cm soil layer decreased from 1.71 g·cm-3 in unreclaimed land to 1.44 g ·cm^-3 in reclaimed 3 yr fields, and saturated soil water content of 0-10 cm layer increased correspondingly from 20.3 to 30.2%. Both soil salinity and pH value in 0-40 cm soil layer dropped markedly after reclaiming 3 yr. Soil organic matter content reduced, while total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium all tended to increase after cropping and drip irrigation. The quantities of bacteria, actinomycete, and fungi in 0-40 cm soil layer all greatly increased with increase of reclaimed years, and they tended to distribute homogeneously in 0-40 cm soil profile. The urease activity and alkaline phosphatase activity in 0-40 cm soil layers were also enhanced, but the sucrase activity was not greatly changed. These results indicated that after crop cultivation and drip irrigation, soil physical environment and nutrients status were both improved. This was benefit for microorganism＇s activity and plant＇s growth.

Effects of emitter discharge rates on soil salinity distribution and cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in an arid region of Northwest China

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different emitter discharge rates under drip irrigation on soil salinity distribution and cotton yield in an extreme arid region of Tarim River catchment in Northwest China. Four treatments of emitter discharge rates, i.e. 1.8, 2.2, 2.6 and 3.2 L/h, were designed under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in this paper. The salt distribution in the range of 70-cm horizontal distance and 100-cm vertical distance from the emitter was measured and analyzed during the cotton growing season. The soil salinity is expressed in terms of electrical conductivity （dS/m） of the saturated soil extract （ECe）, which was measured using Time Domain Reflector （TDR） 20 times a year, including 5 irrigation events and 4 measured times before/after an irrigation event. All the treatments were repeated 3 times. The groundwater depth was observed by SEBA MDS Dipper 3 automatically at three experimental sites. The results showed that the order of reduction in averaged soil salinity was 2.6 L/h 〉 2.2 L/h 〉 1.8 L/h 〉 3.2 L/h after the completion of irrigation for the 3-year cotton growing season. Therefore, the choice of emitter discharge rate is considerably important in arid silt loam. Usually, the ideal emitter discharge rate is 2.4-3.0 L/h for soil desalinization with plastic mulch, which is advisable mainly because of the favorable salt leaching of silt loam and the climatic conditions in the studied arid area. Maximum cotton yield was achieved at the emitter discharge rate of 2.6 L/h under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in silty soil at the study site. Hence, the emitter discharge rate of 2.6 L/h is recommended for drip irrigation with plastiic mulch applied in silty soil in arid regions.

Wetting Patterns and Nitrate Distributions in Layered-Textural Soils Under Drip Irrigation

Laboratory experiments were conducted in different sequence and thickness of the soil layers to investigate the effects of layered-textural soils on wetting patterns and water and nitrate distributions from a surface point source under various combinations of application rate and applied volume. Three layered soils, including a sandy-over-sandy loam （SL）, a sandy loam-over-sandy （LS）, and a sandy loam-sandy-sandy loam （LSL）, and two uniform soils （a uniform sandy loam and a uniform sandy soil） were tested. In the experiments, the application rate was varied from 0.69 to 3.86 L h^-1 and the applied volume from 5.7 to 12.1 L. The experimental results demonstrated that the wetting patterns and water and nitrate distributions were greatly affected by the sequence and thickness of soil layers as well as the application rate and volume applied. An interface existing in the layered soils, whether a fine-over-coarse or a coarse-over-fine, had a common feature of limiting downward water movement and of increasing horizontal water movement. For the fine-over-coarse layered soils of LS and LSL, water and nitrate were uniformly distributed at a given depth in the top layer soil. For a coarse-over-fine layered soil of SL, however, water accumulated in the sublayer soil underneath the interface and a zone of lower nitrate concentration was observed. The effect of application rate on water distribution pattern was dependent upon soil layering. A minor influence of application rate on water distribution for the fine-over-coarse layered soils （LS and LSL） than for the uniform soils was found. To obtain a greater wetted depth through selecting the emitters having a smaller application rate, which is a common method in the system design for a uniform soil, may not be necessarily applied for the layered soils. Measurements of nitrate distribution showed that nitrate accumulated toward the boundary of the wetted volume for both the uniform and the layered soils. This suggests the importance of optimal management of drip fertigation because nitrate is susceptible to the movement out of the root zone by mismanagement of fertigation. The information obtained from this research is useful in the design, operation, and management of a drip fertigation system.

Decomposition characteristics of organic materials and their effects on labile and recalcitrant organic carbon fractions in a semi-arid soil under plastic mulch and drip irrigation

Labile organic carbon （LC） and recalcitrant organic carbon （RC） are two major fractions of soil organic carbon （SOC） and play a critical role in organic carbon turnover and sequestration. The aims of this study were to evaluate the variations of LC and RC in a semi-arid soil （Inner Mongolia, China） under plastic mulch and drip irrigation after the application of organic materials （OMs）, and to explore the effects of OMs from various sources on LC and RC by probing the decomposition characteristics of OMs using in-situ nylon mesh bags burying method. The field experiment included seven treatments, i.e., chicken manure （CM）, sheep manure （SM）, mushroom residue （MR）, maize straw （MS）, fodder grass （FG）, tree leaves （TL） and no OMs as a control （CK）. Soil LC and RC were separated by Huygens D＇s method （particle size-density）, and the average soil mass recovery rate and carbon recovery rate were above 95%, which indicated this method was suitable for carbon pools size analysis. The LC and RC contents significantly （P〈0.01） increased after the application of OMs. Moreover, LC and RC contents were 3.2%-8.6% and 5.0%-9.4% higher in 2016 than in 2015. The applications of CM and SM significantly increased （P〈0,01） LC content and LC/SOC ratio, whereas they were the lowest after the application of TL. However, SOC and RC contents were significantly higher （P〈0.01） after the applications of TL and MS. The correlation analysis indicated the decomposition rate of OMs was positively related with LC content and LC/SOC ratio. In addition, lignin, polyphenol, WOM （total water-soluble organic matter）, WHA （water-soluble humic acid）, HSL （humicdike substance） and HAL （humic acid-like） contents in initial OMs played important roles in SOC and RC. In-situ nylon mesh bags burying experiment indicated the decomposition rates of CM, SM and MS were significantly higher than those of MR, FG, and TL. Furthermore, MS could result in more lignin derivatives, WHA, and HAL polymers in shorter time during the decomposition process. In conclusion, the application of MS in the semi-arid soil under a long-term plastic mulch and drip irrigation condition could not only improve soil fertility, but also enhance soil carbon sequestration.

Effects of Soil Water Content on Cotton Root Growth and Distribution Under Mulched Drip Irrigation

The relation between soil water content and the growth of cotton root was studied for the scheme of field water and cotton yield under mulched drip irrigation. Based on the field experiments, three treatments of soil water content were conducted with 90%, 75%θf, and 60%θf （θfis field water capacity）. Cotton roots and root-shoot ratio were studied with digging method, and the soil moisture was observed with TDR （time domain reflector）, and cotton yield was measured. The results indicated that the growth of cotton root accorded with Logistic growth curve in the three treatments, the cotton root grew quickly and its weight was very high under 75%θf because of the suitable soil water condition, while grew slowly and its weight was lower under 90%θf due to water moisture beyond the suitable condition, and the root weight was in between under 60%θf For the three water treatments, the cotton root weight decreased with soil depth, and decreased more significantly in deeper soil layer with the soil moisture increasing. And the ratio of cotton root weight in 0-30 cm soil layer to the total root weight was the highest under 75%θf. The cotton root system was distributed mainly in the soil of narrow row and wide row mulched with plastic film, and little in the soil outside plastic film. The weight of cotton root was the highest in the soil of narrow row or wide row mulched with plastic film under 75%θf. Root-shoot ratio decreased with the soil moisture increasing. The soil water content affected cotton yields, and cotton yield was the highest under 75%θf. The higher soil moisture level is unfavorable to the growth of cotton root system and yield of cotton under mulched drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation incorporating water conservation measures:Effects on soil water-nitrogen utilization,root traits and grain production of spring maize in semi-arid areas

The Northeast Plain is the largest maize production area in China,and drip irrigation has recently been proposed to cope with the effects of frequent droughts and to improve water use efficiency(WUE).In order to develop an efficient and environmentally friendly irrigation system,drip irrigation experiments were conducted in 2016-2018 incorporating different soil water conservation measures as follows:(1)drip irrigation under plastic film mulch(PI),(2)drip irrigation under biodegradable film mulch(BI),(3)drip irrigation incorporating straw returning(SI),and(4)drip irrigation with the tape buried at a shallow soil depth(OI);with furrow irrigation(FI)used as the control.The results showed that PI and Bl gave the highest maize yield,as well as the highest WUE and nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)because of the higher root length density(RLD)and better heat conditions during the vegetative stage.But compared with BI,PI consumed more soil water in the 20-60 and 60-100 cm soil layers,and accelerated the progress of root and leaf senescence due to a larger root system in the top 0-20 cm soil layer and a higher soil temperature during the reproductive stage.SI was effective in improving soil water and nitrate contents,and promoted RLD in deeper soil layers,thereby maintaining higher physiological activity during the reproductive stage.FI resulted in higher nitrate levels in the deep 60-100 cm soil layer,which increased the risk of nitrogen losses by leaching compared with the drip irrigation treatments.RLD in the 0-20 cm soil layer was highly positively correlated with yield,WUE and NUE(P<0.001),but it was negatively correlated with root nitrogen use efficiency(NRE)(P<0.05),and the correlation was weaker in deeper soil layers.We concluded that Bl had advantages in water-nitrogen utilization and yield stability response to drought stress,and thus is recommended for environmentally friendly and sustainable maize production in Northeast China.

Effects of soil moisture on cotton root length density and yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in Aksu Oasis farmland

Effects of soil moisture on cotton root length density (total root length per unit soil volume) and yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch were studied through field experiments. The results indicate that spatial distributions of root length density of cotton under various water treatments were basically similar. Horizontally, both root length densities of cotton in wide and narrow rows were similar, and higher than that between mulches. Vertically, root length density of cotton decreased with increasing soil depth. The distribution of root length density is different under different irrigation treatments. In conditions of over-irrigation, the root length density of cotton between mulches would increase. However, it would decrease in both the wide rows and narrow rows. The mean root length density of cotton increased with increasing irrigation water. Water stress caused the root length density to increase in lower soil layers. There is a significant correlation between root length density and yields of cotton at the flower-boll and wadding stages. The regression between irrigation amount and yield of cotton can be expressed as y = -0.0026x2+18.015x-24845 (R2 = 0.959). It showed that the irrigation volume of 3,464.4 m3/hm2 led to op-timal root length density. The yield of cotton was 6,360 .8 kg/hm2 under that amount of irrigation.

The Potential Contribution of Subsurface Drip Irrigation to Water-Saving Agriculture in the Western USA

Water shortages within the western USA are resulting in the adoption of water-saving agricultural practices within this region. Among the many possible methods for saving water in agriculture, the adoption of subsurface drip irrigation （SDI） provides a potential solution to the problem of low water use efficiency. Other advantages of SDI include reduced NO3 leaching compared to surface irrigation, higher yields, a dry soil surface for improved weed control, better crop health, and harvest flexibility for many specialty crops. The use of SDI also allows the virtual elimination of crop water stress, the ability to apply water and nutrients to the most active part of the root zone, protection of drip lines from damage due to cultivation and tillage, and the ability to irrigate with wastewater while preventing human contact. Yet, SDI is used only on a minority of cropland in the arid western USA. Reasons for the limited adoption of SDI include the high initial capital investment required, the need for intensive management, and the urbanization that is rapidly consuming farmland in parts of the western USA. The contributions of SDI to increasing yield, quality, and water use efficiency have been demonstrated. The two major barriers to SDI sustainability in arid regions are economics （i.e., paying for the SDI system）, including the high cost of installation; and salt accumulation, which requires periodic leaching, specialized tillage methods, or transplanting of seedlings rather than direct-seeding. We will review advances in irrigation management with SDI.

Localized salt accumulation: the main reason for cotton root length decrease during advanced growth stages under drip irrigation with mulch film in a saline soil

High salinity in soil can prevent root growth of most plants. To investigate soil salinity dynamics under drip irrigation with mulch film （DI） and its effects on cotton root length, we conducted field experiments in saline soil based on a monolith method using flooding irrigation with mulch film （FI） as a control at the Korla Experimental Station of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China in 2009 and 2010. The results showed that the total root length decreased 120 days after sowing （DAS） under DI, and was mainly centered in the 0-30 cm soil layer and at distances of 30-70 cm from the drip-lines. There was almost complete overlap in the area of root length decline and salt accumulation. In the soil depth of 0-30 cm and at distances of 30-70 cm from the drip-lines at 110 to 160 DAS in 2009 and 171 DAS in 2010, the electrical conductivity （EC） in all soil samples was at least 3 mS/cm and in some cases exceeded 5 mS/cm under DI treatment. However, EC barely exceeded 3 mS/cm and no reduction in root length was observed under FI treatment. Correlation analysis of soil EC and root length density indicated that the root length declined when the soil EC exceeded 2.8 mS/cm. The main reason for the decrease of root length in cotton under DI was localized accumulation of salinity.

Biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in drip irrigation emitters distributing reclaimed wastewater

Using reclaimed wastewater for crop irrigation is a practical alternative to discharge wastewater treatment plant effluents into surface waters.However,biofouling has been identified as a major contributor to emitter clogging in drip irrigation systems distributing reclaimed wastewater.Little is known about the biofilm structure and its influence on clogging in the drip emitter flow path.This study was first to investigate the microbial characteristics of mature biofilms present in the emitters and the effect of flow path structures on the biofilm microbial communities.The analysis of biofilm matrix structure using a scanning electron microscopy（SEM） revealed that particles in the matrix of the biofilm coupled extracellular polysaccharides（EPS） and formed sediment in the emitter flow path.Analysis of biofilm mass including protein,polysaccharide,and phospholipid fatty acids（PLFAs） showed that emitter flow path style influenced biofilm community structure and diversity.The correlations of biofilm biomass and discharge reduction after 360 h irrigation were computed and suggest that PFLAs provide the best correlation coeffcient.Comparatively,the emitter with the unsymmetrical dentate structure and shorter flow path（Emitter C） had the best anti-clogging capability.By optimizing the dentate structure,the internal flow pattern within the flow path could be enhanced as an important method to control the biofilm within emitter flow path.This study established electron microscope techniques and biochemical microbial analysis methods that may provide a framework for future emitter biofilm studies.