We examined the impact of two different approaches to managing irrigation water salinity: salt leaching from the field (''conventional'' management) and water desalination before field application (''alternative'' management). Freshwater commonly used for irrigation (FW) and desalinated water (DS) were applied to the high-water-demanding crop banana at four different rates. Both irrigation rate and water salinity significantly affected yield. DS application consistently produced higher yields than FW, independently of irrigation rate. The highest yield for FW-irrigation was achieved with the highest irrigation rate, whereas the same yield was obtained in the case of DS-irrigation with practically half the amount of water. Yield decreased with FWirrigation, even when the water salinity, EC i , was lower than the limit considered safe for soil and crops. Irrigating with FW provided a massive amount of salt which accumulated in the rhizosphere, inducing increased osmotic potential of the soil solution and impairing plant water uptake. Furthermore, applying the ''conventional'' management, a significant amount of salt is leached from the rhizosphere, accumulating in deeper soil layers, and eventually reaching groundwater reservoirs, thus contributing to the deterioration of both soil and water quality. Removal of salt excess from the water before it reaches the field by means of DS-irrigation may save significant amounts of irrigation water by reducing the salt leaching requirements while increasing yield and improving fruit quality, and decreasing salt load in the groundwater.
The shift to cultivation of banana (‘Musa (AAA) Cavendish subgroup’) in screenhouses in Israel has resulted in a significant increase in plant height and, consequently, increased maintenance costs. Here, we evaluated the genetic approach to reducing plantation height. Advanced selections of the local cultivars ‘Adi’, ‘Zelig’, and ‘Gal’, selected for reduced height, were evaluated in the field. Growth and yield parameters were recorded and compared with the industry standard cv. ‘Grand Naine’ for four crop cycles. ‘Adi’ and ‘Zelig’ were shorter than ‘Grand Naine’, by 20% and 10%, respectively, whereas ‘Gal’ lost its short stature over the years. In addition, leaf area was reduced in the low-stature cultivars. Cumulative yield of ‘Adi’ and ‘Zelig’ was higher than that of ‘Grand Naine’, by 8.8% for ‘Adi’ and 5.0% for ‘Zelig’, due to higher plant density and number of harvested bunches. This multiyear study highlights ‘Adi’ and ‘Zelig’ as short-stature, highly productive cultivars with the potential for improved water-use efficiency.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.