Response of dry matter and water use efficiency of alfalfa to water and salinity stress in arid and semiarid regions of Northwest China

Qiu, Yuan; Fan, Yuxin; Yang, Chen; Hao, Xinmei; Li, Sien; Kang, Shaozhong

doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106934

Cited by 30 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Thus, the estimated region-specific Yw based on the WUE benchmark we developed in this manuscript can be used as a benchmark alfalfa yield under rainfed conditions ( Van Ittersum et al, 2013 ; Sadras et al, 2015 ). Meanwhile, the decrease in Ya below and above the estimated optimum GSR ( Figure 3A ) is likely due to water deficit stress in the low end ( Takele and Kallenbach, 2001 ; Djaman et al, 2020 ; Qiu et al, 2021 ), and either excessive water regarding the crop requirements during the growing season ( Graven et al, 1965 ; Thompson and Fick, 1981 ), waterlogging issues that may decrease biological N fixation ( Havelka et al, 1982 ; Andrés et al, 2012 ), or increase harvest losses due to continuous or heavy rainfall during harvesting and drying time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield gap analysis of rainfed alfalfa in the United States

Baral

Lollato²,

Bhandari³

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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The United States (US) is the largest alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) producer in the world. More than 44% of the US alfalfa is produced under rainfed conditions, although it requires a relatively high amount of water compared to major field crops. Considering that yield and production of rainfed alfalfa have been relatively stagnant in the country for decades, there is a need to better understand the magnitude of yield loss due to water limitation and how far from yield potential current yields are. In this context, the main objective of this study was to estimate the current yield gap of rainfed alfalfa in the US. We collected 10 year (2009–2018) county-level government-reported yield and weather data from 393 counties within 12 major US rainfed alfalfa producing states and delineated alfalfa growing season using probabilistic approaches based on temperature thresholds for crop development. We then calculated county-level growing season rainfall (GSR), which was plotted against county-level yield to determine attainable yield (Ya) using frontier function analysis, and water-limited potential yield (Yw) using boundary function analysis. Average and potential water use efficiencies (WUE) were estimated, and associated yield gap referring to attainable (YGa) or water-limited yields (YGw) were calculated. Finally, we used conditional inference trees (CIT) to identify major weather-related yield-limiting factors to alfalfa forage yield. The frontier model predicted a mean Ya of 9.6 ± 1.5 Mg ha−1 and an associated optimum GSR of 670 mm, resulting in a mean YGa of 34%. The boundary function suggested a mean Yw of 15.3 ± 3 Mg ha−1 at the mean GSR of 672 ± 153 mm, resulting in a mean yield gap of 58%. The potential alfalfa WUE was 30 kg ha−1 mm−1 with associated minimum water losses of 24% of mean GSR, which was three times greater than the mean WUE of 10 kg ha−1 mm−1. The CIT suggested that GSR and minimum temperature in the season were the main yield-limiting weather variables in rainfed alfalfa production in the US. Our study also revealed that alfalfa was only limited by water availability in 21% of the environments. Thus, future research on management practices to narrow yield gaps at current levels of water supply is necessary.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield gap analysis of rainfed alfalfa in the United States

Baral

Lollato²,

Bhandari³

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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“…However, it has sufficient light and heat resource with a mean annual sunshine duration over 3000 h and an annual accumulated temperature (> 0 °C) of 3550 °C. The mean groundwater table is below 30 m. 43 The daily precipitation and full irrigation amounts and the daily mean maximum and minimum temperatures during the two maize growth periods are shown in Fig. 1.…”

Section: Experimental Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of soil respiration and carbon budget to irrigation quantity/quality and biochar addition in a mulched maize field under drip irrigation

Chen,

Wang,

Tong

et al. 2023

J Sci Food Agric

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BACKGROUNDBiochar addition strongly alters net carbon (C) balance in agroecosystems. However, the effects of biochar addition on net C balance of maize field under various irrigation water quantities and qualities remains unclear. Thus, a field experiment combining two irrigation levels of full (W1) and deficit irrigation (W2 = 1/2 W1), two water salinity levels of fresh (S0, 0.71 g L‐1) and brackish water (S1, 4 g L‐1), and two biochar addition rates of 0 t ha‐1 (B0) and 60 t ha‐1 (B1) was conducted to investigate soil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, maize C sequestration, and net C sequestration.RESULTSCompared with W1, W2 reduced average cumulative CO2 emissions by 6.5% and 19.9% for 2020 and 2021, respectively. The average cumulative CO2 emissions under W1S1 treatments were 5.4% and 22.3% lower than W1S0 for 2020 and 2021, respectively, whereas W2S0 and W2S1 had similar cumulative CO2 emissions in both years. Biochar addition significantly increased cumulative CO2 emissions by 17.8‐23.5% for all water and salt treatments in 2020, and reduced average cumulative CO2 emissions by 11.9% for W1 but enhanced it by 8.0% for W2 in 2021. Except for W2S1, biochar addition effectively increased total maize C sequestration by 6.9‐14.8% for the other three treatments through ameliorating water and salt stress over the two years. Compared with W1S0, W1S1 did not affected net C sequestration, but W2 significantly decreased it. Biochar addition increased net C sequestration by 39.47‐43.65 t C ha‐1 for four water and salt treatments for the two years.CONCLUSIONThese findings demonstrate that biochar addition is an effective strategy to increase both crop C sequestration and soil C storage under suitable water‐saving irrigation methods in arid regions with limited freshwater resources.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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“…The harmful effects of salinity on water and nutrient uptake resulted in a reduction in the stem diameter; however, these effects were mitigated when using B. aryabhattai. The presence of rhizobacteria may have mitigated the osmotic effects imposed by salt stress via biochemical changes in the plant or rhizosphere, increasing the physiology of the exposed plants and facilitating water uptake [27,44]. Inoculation with PGPBs during the early stages of maize crop under drought conditions significantly improved the stem diameter [45].…”

Section: Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacillus aryabhattai Mitigates the Effects of Salt and Water Stress on the Agronomic Performance of Maize under an Agroecological System

Sousa

Viana

et al. 2023

Agriculture

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The use of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can be one option for mitigating the impact of abiotic constraints on different cropping systems in the tropical semi-arid region. Studies suggest that these bacteria have mechanisms to mitigate the effects of water stress and to promote more significant growth in plant species. These mechanisms involve phenotypic changes in growth, water conservation, plant cell protection, and damage restoration through the integration of phytohormone modulation, stress-induced enzyme apparatus, and metabolites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth, leaf gas exchange, and yield in maize (Zea mays L.—BRS Caatingueiro) inoculated with Bacillus aryabhattai and subjected to water and salt stress. The experiment followed a randomised block design, in a split-plot arrangement, with six repetitions. The plots comprised two levels of electrical conductivity of the irrigation water (0.3 dS m−1 and 3.0 dS m−1); the subplots consisted of three irrigation depths (50%, 75%, and 100% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc)); while the sub-subplots included the presence or absence of B. aryabhattai inoculant. A water deficit of 50% of the ETc resulted in the principal negative effects on growth, reducing the leaf area and stem diameter. The use of B. aryabhattai mitigated salt stress and promoted better leaf gas exchange by increasing the CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, and internal CO2 concentration. However, irrigation with brackish water (3.0 dS m−1) reduced the instantaneous water-use efficiency of the maize. Our results showed that inoculation wiht PGPR mitigates the effect of abiotic stress (salt and water) in maize plants, making it an option in regions with a scarcity of low-salinity water.

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Response of dry matter and water use efficiency of alfalfa to water and salinity stress in arid and semiarid regions of Northwest China

Cited by 30 publications

References 52 publications

Yield gap analysis of rainfed alfalfa in the United States

Yield gap analysis of rainfed alfalfa in the United States

Response of soil respiration and carbon budget to irrigation quantity/quality and biochar addition in a mulched maize field under drip irrigation

Bacillus aryabhattai Mitigates the Effects of Salt and Water Stress on the Agronomic Performance of Maize under an Agroecological System

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