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Irrigation Scheduling Using Predawn Leaf Water Potential Improves Water Productivity in Drip-Irrigated Cotton.
- Source :
- Crop Science; Nov/Dec2016, Vol. 56 Issue 6, p3185-3195, 11p
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- To address the effectiveness of predawn leaf water potential in plant-based irrigation scheduling, Gossypium hirsutum L. plants were grown under fully irrigated and dryland conditions and under three predawn water potential (Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript>) thresholds (-0.5, -0.7, and -0.9 MPa). Measurements included Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript>, plant height, mainstem node number, lint yield, water productivity, and continuous crop canopy temperature. We found that Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript> produced similar yields to current practices, while decreasing overall water use from 7 to 31%, depending on rainfall levels and the treatment utilized. When considered across both years of the study (2013 and 2014), using a -0.5-MPa Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript> irrigation threshold consistently resulted in less irrigation applied than the checkbook method and maximum water productivity and lint yield. Using a well-watered baseline developed in 2013 for canopy temperature versus vapor pressure deficit, we calculated a crop water stress index (CWSI) that exhibited a very strong, nonlinear relationship with season average Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript> values between approximately -0.4 and -0.7 MPa (r² = 0.81). A strong, nonlinear relationship was also seen between CWSI and lint yield (r² = 0.81). Predawn water potential appears to be an effective means of determining the need for irrigation in cotton, and in the current study, yield and water productivity were maximized at a season-long average Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript> threshold of -0.5 MPa. Furthermore, when calibrated using Ψ<subscript>PD</subscript>--based irrigation triggers, canopy-temperature derived CWSI appears to be a promising tool for future automated plant-based irrigation scheduling in the southeastern United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- IRRIGATION scheduling
IRRIGATION management
IRRIGATION farming
WATER use
RAINFALL
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0011183X
- Volume :
- 56
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Crop Science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 119074787
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2016.01.0009