Forage sorghum yield and water use efficiency under variable irrigation

Saeed, Ibrahim; El-Nadi, A. H.

doi:10.1007/s002710050046

Cited by 40 publications

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“…In this research, at water stress condition for biomass sorghum (I_50), the water consumption was of 538 mm (three years average), comparable with the water use of sweet sorghum in optimal water supply (Mastrorilli et al, 1995) showing better water extraction from the soil and appreciable use efficiency to convert water in biomass (5.7 kg m -3 for I_50 vs 5.3 kg m -3 for sweet sorghum) in Mediterranean environment. Reduction in WUE as a consequence of a decline of water used is also reported in grain sorghum: Steduto & Albrizio (2005) Saeed & El-Nadi (1998), in Sudan, with a variation from 8.6 to 6.9 kg m -3 , using a fixed level of water amount (700 mm), but varying the time between irrigation events and the relative amount of water. According to these assumptions, the values of WUE present in this research show sorghum as a valid energy crop in Mediterranean environment.…”

Section: Irrigation and Water Use Efficienciesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Different authors report that WUE in sorghum is not a stable parameter since it changes among years, environments, phenological stages, soil water and nitrogen plant availability (4.1-6.0 kg m -3 , Mastrorilli et al, 1999;4.4-5.5 kg m -3 , Steduto & Albrizio, 2005;6.5-8.6 kg m -3 , Saeed & El-Nadi, 1998). This WUE variability underlines a limitation of applicability of a "fixed" value of WUE in sorghum in different climatic and environmental conditions, and so there is the need to find alternative approaches in order to make more flexible the use of WUE calculated from different years and locations.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Water-use efficiency of irrigated biomass sorghum in a Mediterranean environment

Garofalo¹,

Rinaldi²

2013

Span. j. agric. res.

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A large interest is currently addressed to the no-food crops as an alternative source of energy. One of these crops is the biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) thanks to its high biomass productivity and high use efficiency of solar radiation and water. Aim of the research is assess the biomass sorghum response to the water in the Mediterranean environment. Biomass sorghum was subjected to four irrigation regimes, at 50, 75, 100 and 125% of ETc for three years (2008, 2009 and 2010). Water use efficiency (WUE), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and water stress index (WSI) were calculated. Plant dry matter and green area index resulted different among the three years and the differences among irrigation treatments were more evident in 2009. The different soil water content at sowing among the three experimental years, affected the growth path during the growing crop cycle, explaining differences in term of biomass accumulation, leaf expansion and water consumption. WUE was higher in 2009 than in 2008 and 2010 with no differences among irrigation treatments for the first and third experimental year. WU ranged between 891 and 566 mm, the aboveground dry matter biomass between 4097 and 1825 g m-2 and WUE between 8.49 and 4.00 kg m-3. IWUE, similarly to WUE, was higher in the second year than in the first and third year, but with differences among irrigation treatments in the 2008 and 2010. WUE calculated from WU normalized with VPD gave a more stable parameter in the three years. This research showed the suitability of biomass sorghum as energy crop in Mediterranean environment and its ability to use water efficiently.

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Section: Irrigation and Water Use Efficienciesmentioning

confidence: 98%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Water-use efficiency of irrigated biomass sorghum in a Mediterranean environment

Garofalo¹,

Rinaldi²

2013

Span. j. agric. res.

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“…These values are low when compared to WUE values reported for cereal and root and tuber crops. For maize and sorghum, the lowest reported WUE value was 4 kg·ha −1 ·mm −1 [103] while the highest was up to 85 kg·ha −1 ·mm −1 [104,105]. Potatoes on the other hand have WUE values as high as 195 kg·ha −1 ·mm −1 [106].…”

Section: Water Use and Water Use Efficiencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Expounding the Value of Grain Legumes in the Semi- and Arid Tropics

2017

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Approximately 70% of the population in the semi-and arid tropics reside in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Crop production is primarily focused on a few starchy staple crops. While this can ensure adequate calories, it inadvertently neglects the need for dietary diversity. Consequently, food and nutritional insecurity remains prevalent in the semi-and arid tropics. We reviewed the legume value chain with the aim to identify opportunities and challenges to unlocking their value and promoting them in the tropics. Several grain legumes are rich in proteins and micronutrients. They also possess adaptability to marginal environmental conditions such as drought and low input systems which typify rural landscapes. Adaptability to abiotic stresses such as drought makes them key to agriculture in areas that will receive less rainfall in the future. However, this potential was currently not being realized due to a range of challenges. Aspects related to their seed systems, production, post-harvest handling and marketing remain relatively under-researched. This was especially true for minor legumes. There is a need for transdisciplinary research which will address the entire value chain, as has been done for major starchy crops. This could also unlock significant economic opportunities for marginalized groups such as women. This will unlock their value and allow them to contribute meaningfully to food and nutrition security as well as sustainable and resilient cropping systems.

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“…For WUE as well, differences are noticeable between sweet and grain sorghum, with an advantage for sweet sorghum (6.0-4.1 kg m -3 Mastrorilli et al, 1995;8.6-6.5 kg m -3 Saeed and El-Nadi, 1988), greater if compared with grain sorghum (4.4-5.5 kg m -3 in Steduto and Albrizio, 2005). Grain sorghum is less suitable for energy production, because it is shorter (1-2 m) than sweet sorghum (up to 3 m) and has a less vigorous stem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water and radiation use efficiencies of irrigated biomass sorghum in a Mediterranean environment

Garofalo¹,

Vonella²,

Ruggieri³

et al. 2011

Ital J Agronomy

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Biomass sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a crop that can be used for energy production in the bioethanol chain and a greater knowledge of its potential and response to irrigation water levels could help to assess its potential diffusion in Mediterranean areas. A twoyear field experiment was carried out in Southern Italy; two irrigation regimes were compared in biomass sorghum, optimal watered (irrigation supplies greater than actual crop evapotranspiration, ETc) and stressed watered (about 65% of the optimal one). Growth analysis, soil water content and aboveground dry biomass (ADM) yield at harvest were measured and analyzed. Radiation use efficiency (RUE), irrigation (IWUE) and water use efficiencies (WUE) were also calculated. Seasonal water use ranged from 830 mm in the optimal treatment to 589 mm in the stressed one. Similarly, ADM proved to be statistically different between the two irrigation treatments (34.6 vs 19.8 t of dry matter ha -1 ). The RUE, calculated as the slope of the first order equation between dry biomass and intercepted photosynthetically active radiation along a crop cycle, showed an average of 2.84±0.65 g MJ -1 . No statistical differences for IWUE and WUE were obtained between irrigation regimes (8.22 and 5.87 kg m -3 , on average). The two years of experiment influenced IWUE and WUE (both larger in the rainier growing season), but not the RUE. The high RUE and WUE obtained values confirmed that biomass sorghum is a crop with considerable dry matter production efficiency. The experimental results suggest that the introduction of biomass sorghum in the cropping systems of Mediterranean environments as an alternative crop for energy purposes is feasible, but requires an adequate seasonal irrigation water supply (not less than 500 mm).

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Forage sorghum yield and water use efficiency under variable irrigation

Cited by 40 publications

References 0 publications

Water-use efficiency of irrigated biomass sorghum in a Mediterranean environment

Water-use efficiency of irrigated biomass sorghum in a Mediterranean environment

Expounding the Value of Grain Legumes in the Semi- and Arid Tropics

Water and radiation use efficiencies of irrigated biomass sorghum in a Mediterranean environment

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