风障对茶园的减风增温效果及对茶树冠层叶片含水率影响

为解决冬季茶园风寒冻害问题，于2008年1月在安徽农业大学茶场建立塑料薄膜风障，测定风障对茶园的减风增温作用及其对茶树冠层叶片含水率的影响。风障的高度为2.0 m，以5×7网格点测定2.8、2.0 m风障高和1.2 m茶树冠层高度3个层次的风速，以4×4网格点测定地表温度、茶树冠层叶片含水率。结果表明，2.8 m高度，风障上方的风速比环境风速增加30%左右，下风方向的减风作用随风速增大而减小，距离风障7 m区域是风速减弱最强的区域，环境风速2.6 m/s时中轴线风速减小13.5%，环境风速1.0 m/s时     

Drip irrigation of tea (Camellia sinensis L.): 1. Yield and crop water productivity responses to irrigation

The effects of drip irrigation on the yield and crop water productivity responses of four tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) clones were studied four consecutive years (2003/2004-2006/2007), in a large (9 ha) field experiment comprising of six drip irrigation treatments (labelled: I₁-I₆) and four clones (TRFCA PC81, AHP S15/10, BBK35 and BBT207) planted at a spacing of 1.20 m × 0.60 m at Kibena Tea Limited (KTL), Njombe in the Southern Tanzania in a situation of limited water availability. Each clone × drip irrigation treatment combination was replicated six times in a completely randomized design with 144 net plots each with an area of 72 m². Clone TRFCA PC81 gave the highest yields (range: 5920-6850 kg dried tea ha⁻¹) followed by clones BBT207 (5010-5940 kg dried tea ha⁻¹), AHP S15/10 (4230-5450 kg dried tea ha⁻¹) and BBK35 (3410-4390 kg dried tea ha⁻¹) and drip irrigation treatment I₂ gave the highest yields, ranging from 4954 to 6072 kg dried tea ha⁻¹) compared with those from other treatments (4113-5868 kg dried tea ha⁻¹). Most of these yields exceeded those (4200 kg dried tea ha⁻¹) obtained from overhead sprinkler irrigation system in Mufindi also Southern Tanzania, and Kibena Estate itself. Results showed that drip irrigation of tea not only increased yields but also gave water saving benefits of up to 50% from application of 50% less water to remove the cumulative soil water deficit (treatment I₂), and with labour saving of 85% for irrigation. The yield of dried tea per mm depth of water applied, i.e., “the crop water productivity” for drip irrigation of clones TRFCA PC81, BBT207 and BBK35, in 2003/2004 for instance, were 9.3, 8.5 and 7.1 kg dried tea [ha mm]⁻¹, respectively. The corresponding values in 2004/2005 were 2.7, 4.5 and 2.0 kg dried tea [ha mm]⁻¹ while the yield responses from clone AHP S15/10 were linear decreasing by 1 and 1.6 kg dried tea [ha mm]⁻¹ in 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, respectively. In 2005/2006 the crop water productivity from clones TRFCA PC81, AHP S15/10, BBK35 and BBT207 were 4.5, 0.4, 5.2 and 6.9 kg dried tea [ha mm]⁻¹, respectively with quadratic yield response functions to drip irrigation depth of water application. The results are presented and recommendations and implications made for technology-transfer scaling-up for increased use by large and smallholder tea growers.     

渗灌管首末端压力与茶树根区土壤水分运移关系

为探明渗灌条件下渗灌管首末端压力与土壤水分运移之间的关系,设置了3个试验小区进行不同灌水流量和灌水持续时间的试验.通过连续定点观测茶树根区(纵向30 cm深,横向30 cm宽)土壤含水率的变化和渗灌管首末端灌水压力,研究了渗灌管不同首末端压力下土壤水分运移的变化规律.研究表明:灌水前土壤含水率不仅影响土壤入渗能力,而且决定着土壤水分运移方向;渗灌管首末端压力累积值与灌水持续时间呈线性关系,当茶树根区土壤含水率达到田间持水量时,累积曲线斜率发生突变,可以利用累积曲线斜率发生突变时的灌水持续时间作为控制充分灌水(100%田间持水量)的临界值,避免土壤水分无效渗漏.该研究为渗灌系统控制灌水持续时间及研发智能化渗灌灌溉系统提供了一种参考方法.     

Potential use of Caspian Sea water for supplementary irrigation in Northern Iran

Iran's groundwater resources have been over-exploited, often at the expense of deteriorating water and land quality, and there is limited room for expanding its irrigation agriculture. Thus, the possible use of Caspian Sea water, whose salinity is well below that of open seas, for supplementary irrigation has some appeal. The impact of irrigation with diluted Caspian Sea water on the growth and yield of barley and on the characteristics of soil was investigated in field plots and in pot experiments during the 2001–2002 growing season. Three irrigation regimes of well water alone (I₀); Caspian Sea water diluted with well water and used at stem elongation (I₁); and the same diluted sea water used at ear formation (I₂). A rainfed treatment (I_r) was also added to the field experiments. The results of both pot and field experiments show that a 1:1 mixture of Caspian Sea and well water can be used for irrigation without a significant reduction in the growth and yield of barley, provided that it is not applied earlier than the time of ear formation. This would amount to a significantly reduced demand on the limited ground water resources of the region for agricultural use. However, when this mixture was applied at the earlier time of stem elongation, significant yield reduction occurred. All other growth components of barley plants were also adversely affected by this early application of diluted sea water. Soil analysis after harvest showed that the electrical conductivity of the saturation extract had increased significantly in both diluted sea water treatments. This may suggest that the mixing of sea and ground waters at the rates used in these experiments may not be sustainable over a long period of time and soil salinization may occur unless soils are of light texture and sufficient good quality fresh water or winter rain is available to lower the salinity of soil between successive crops. No significant interaction between irrigation salinity and fertiliser treatments was observed.     

Simulation of putting-green soil water dynamics: Implications for turfgrass water use

Results from a field experiment examining soil water fate within U.S. Golf Association (USGA) putting greens were used to examine the validity of a water flow simulation model. The experiment used six different sandy root zones each with depths of 300 mm overlying a 100 mm thick gravel layer. Data collected over two growing seasons consisted of measured rainfall, irrigation, drainage volume, and soil water contents; and calculated turfgrass evapotranspiration (ET). Turfgrass rooting was measured at the end of each growing season, and water retention curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity measurements were conducted at the end of the study. For each root zone treatment, HYDRUS-2D (H2D) was calibrated using a subset of the experimental data and then validated by comparing observed and predicted water contents at 76, 152 and 229 mm depth and over both growing seasons. Model efficiency (E) ranged from 0.33 to 0.78; Mean Absolute Error (MAE) ranged from 0.012 to 0.024 m³ m⁻³; and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) ranged from 0.015 to 0.028 m³ m⁻³, for the six treatments and both years. Also, RMSE values were at best slightly larger than and at worst twice as large as the mean standard deviation values of replicate measurements. Thus, H2D simulation performed reasonably well in describing the water content results of the field study. The calibration results provide evidence of hysteresis in water retention where water retention properties from the field appear to follow the sorption or wetting curve as compared with the laboratory measurements following the desorption or drying curve. This suggests that standard laboratory measurements of water release would not precisely predict water retention behavior in the field and over estimate water storage of these capillary barrier soils. The validation results provide evidence for turfgrass use of perched water held within these profiles, even though turfgrass rooting is shallow and water storage principally occurs deep within the root zone. Thus, the perched water of USGA putting greens should serve reasonably well as a water reservoir for subsequent turfgrass use, allowing for water conserving irrigation practices that makes use of this stored water.     

Seasonal water use by winter wheat grown under shallow water table conditions

Techniques for estimating seasonal water use from soil profile water depletion frequently do not account for flux below the root zone. A method using tensiometers for obtaining evapotranspiration losses from the root zone and water movement below it is discussed. Soil water flux below the root zone is approached by a sequence of pseudo steady state solutions of the flow equation. Upward soil water flux contributed 36 to 73% to the total water requirement of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) whereas soil water depletion accounted for 11 to 19% only. Water use efficiency with one irrigation during an early stage of plant development is greater than with no or three irrigations. This is the result of both decrease of resistance due to soil moistening and better root development. Tensiometer readings were also interpreted to estimate root zones, water table depths and soil moisture contents. Methods described in this paper can be used in determining seasonal water use by growing crops, replacing or supplementing lysimeter or meteorology approaches to this problem.     

Irrigation effects on the growth, yield, and water use efficiency of alfalfa

A field study was conducted in the semiarid region of northern Sudan to investigate the effects of variable irrigation on the growth, yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Treatments were 65 mm of water applied every 7 days, 80 mm of water applied every 10 days, or 104 mm of water applied every 13 days. The heavy, infrequent irrigation reduced stem height, stem density, leaf area index (LAI), total biomass production, and the WUE of alfalfa plants. Maximum yields for six harvests were 15.3, 12.9, and 11.2 ton ha^–1 and the WUE values were 0.12, 0.10, and 0.08 ton ha^–1 cm^–1 for the frequent, less-frequent, and infrequent irrigation regimes, respectively. In all the treatments, alfalfa dry matter yield was positively correlated with stem height and LAI. The relationship between dry matter yield and total water use was a linear function (R ²=0.99), regardless of the irrigation treatment. Alfalfa growth, yield, and WUE remained high during the relatively cool months and declined during the hot period under the three water regimes. It was concluded that alfalfa grown under semiarid conditions should be watered lightly and frequently to attain high yields and high WUE. Received: 19 February 1996     

咸水灌溉对覆膜棉花生长与水分利用的影响

为了揭示棉花生长发育对咸水灌溉的响应特征,采用小区对比试验,研究了不同矿化度咸水灌溉对棉花出苗、株高、叶面积、果枝数、地上部干质量等形态指标以及产量构成、耗水量和水分利用率的影响.结果表明,棉花出苗率和成苗率随着灌溉水矿化度的增大而减小,但3 g/L灌水处理与对照间的差异不具有统计学意义,而5,7 g/L处理与对照间差异极具统计学意义.在移栽补全苗情况下,咸水灌溉对棉花形态生长指标产生了一定的抑制效应,灌溉水矿化度愈大,抑制作用愈大;对株高、叶面积和地上部干质量的影响在蕾期最明显,花铃期之后开始逐渐减弱;对果枝数和棉铃生长的影响程度随着棉花生育进程的推进而降低.处理间棉花的耗水量差异不具有统计学意义,籽棉产量和水分利用率的大小顺序,按灌水处理依次为3,1,5,7 g/L,其中7 g/L处理与对照间的差异具有统计学意义.与灌水前初始值相比,试验结束后1,3 g/L灌水处理的0~40 cm土层盐分未增加,5,7 g/L灌水处理则形成了积盐.研究结果可为咸水安全利用提供重要参考.     

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) water use efficiency as affected by harvest traffic and soil compaction in a sandy loam soil

Summary Traffic during alfalfa harvest operations can cause soil compaction and damage to newly growing stems. Root exploration for soil water and nutrients, forage growth dynamics, and final yield can all be affected. The objectives of this study were to determine the long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on water-use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa grown in a Wasco sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, thermic Typic Torriorthents). Alfalfa was planted into tilled soil and managed with or without harvest traffic. Plants subjected to traffic during harvest had a significantly lower WUE two out of the three years studied compared to plants that were never subject to traffic. The second experiment examined whether planting alfalfa into compacted soil and managed with or without harvest traffic altered WUE. Soil compaction had no affect on alfalfa WUE. It was significantly lower when grown in compacted soil and subjected to harvest traffic. It is suggested that the decrease in WUE caused by harvest traffic may be explained by plants allocating carbohydrates to damaged shoots and crowns instead of to above ground forage production. The area of the field affected by harvest traffic, which damages newly growing stems, should be minimized to increase crop water use efficiency.     

水盐处理对小桐子生长和水分利用的影响

为研究盐胁迫下小桐子的生长和水分利用,通过水盐处理种植小桐子进行试验.研究采用盆栽试验,共设3种盐分处理(风干土中分别加入NaCl分析纯的质量比为S0:0 g/kg;S1:2.5 g/kg;S2:5g/kg)和3种灌水处理(W1:0.9 L;W2:1.8 L;W3:2.4 L)对小桐子进行63 d的试验处理.结果表明:施盐分处理相同时,与W1和W2水平相比,W3水平小桐子的株高、茎粗、壮苗指数、干物质量和水分利用效率均显著提高(P<0.05).因此,试验中小桐子最优的灌水量为W3.当灌水量为W3时,与W3相比较,处理W3S1促进小桐子的干物质量及水分利用效率显著提高,而处理W3S2的小桐子的干物质量及水分利用效率下降甚微(P>0.05).可见,土壤含盐量较低时,适宜的土壤水分调控有助于提高小桐子的生长和水分利用效率;土壤含盐量较高时,适宜的土壤水分调控有助于提高小桐子的抗盐胁迫能力.     

Influence of irrigation rate on the rehydration of olive tree plantlets

The scarcity of water for use in agriculture - a consequence of its use in other areas - has made deficit irrigation common on irrigated farmland. Regulated deficit irrigation involves scheduling periodic cycles of water stress over the growing season that result in no (or only a very slight) reduction in yield. The complete recovery of plant water status is, however, necessary if losses are to be minimised. In this work, cv. Picual olive plants, grown in pots in Ciudad Real (Spain), were withheld irrigation for 26 days, and then subjected to one of three different irrigation rates during the recovery period. Two treatments were designed to provide rapid recovery but had different soil moisture targets: T1 involved irrigation to field capacity, and T2 replaced half of the water consumed during the drought period. The third treatment, T3, allowed rehydration to field capacity but at a lower irrigation rate than in either T1 or T2; the pots only reached this soil moisture level after 2 weeks. Compared to a fully irrigated control, the delay in recovery between leaf conductance and mid-day stem water potential was shorter in T1 and T2 (just 1 day) than in T3 (11 days). The T2 plants showed a trend towards lower stem water potentials compared to the controls, while the T3 plants showed a trend towards lower leaf conductance. In all treatments the recovery of water potential was very fast—less than 5 days. The differences in the recovery of leaf conductance and mid-day stem water potential are probably related to root flow. Varying irrigation rates could provide a new means of controlling - and even reducing - the intensity and length of water stress during the recovery period. Measuring the water potential alone during this period may not provide an accurate picture of plant water relations.     

Crop water use of onion (Allium cepa L.) in Turkey

In a greenhouse pot experiment conducted in Turkey during 2001, onion seedlings were transplanted on May 31 at the density of five plants per pot. On this date the soil water content of all pots were at field capacity. The pots were weighed daily until harvest (December 2), and the data were used to determine the daily evapotranspiration and quantity of irrigation. Eight irrigation treatments were applied, designated as I₁ full irrigation (non-deficit treatment), and I₂, I₃ and I₄ no irrigation in the vegetative growth periods, yield formation and ripening, respectively, and I₅, I₆, I₇ and I₈ received 0.0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 times the soil water depletion in the treatment I₁ on the same day. For each treatment, the following parameters were analysed and compared: applied irrigation depth, daily and seasonal evapotranspiration, bulb yield, yield response factor (k_y), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and water use efficiency (WUE). The findings indicated that onion plants were very sensitive to lack of soil water during the total growing season and the yield formation period, but rather insensitive in the vegetative and ripening periods. High water use and water use efficiencies were observed with increasing levels of irrigation, or no irrigation in the vegetative period.     

旱地果园起垄覆膜集雨措施对树体水分利用的影响

针对甘肃陇东黄土高原旱地苹果园季节性干旱问题,以15年生长富2号苹果树为试材,研究果园起垄覆膜、小沟集雨技术措施对土壤水分、主干液流速率、叶片光合速率等的影响。结果表明,在萌芽前晴天,覆黑地膜能显著提高主干液流速率;在果树生长季节,覆黑地膜能降低株间蒸发量,较长时间保持土壤水分,提高水分利用效率和叶片光合能力,同时可以...     

Evaluation of the influence of irrigation methods and water quality on sugar beet yield and water use efficiency

Rapid urbanization and industrialization have increased the pressure on limited existing fresh water to meet the growing needs for food production. Two immediate responses to this challenge are the efficient use of irrigation technology and the use of alternative sources of water. Drip irrigation methods may play an important role in efficient use of water but there is still limited information on their use on sugar beet crops in arid countries such as Iran. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of irrigation method and water quality on sugar beet yield, percentage of sugar content and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). The irrigation methods investigated were subsurface drip, surface drip and furrow irrigation. The two waters used were treated municipal effluent (EC = 1.52 dS m⁻¹) and fresh water (EC = 0.509 dS m⁻¹). The experiments used a split plot design and were undertaken over two consecutive growing seasons in Southern Iran. Statistical testing indicated that the irrigation method and water quality had a significant effect (at the 1% level) on sugar beet root yield, sugar yield, and IWUE. The highest root yield (79.7 Mg ha⁻¹) was obtained using surface drip irrigation and effluent and the lowest root yield (41.4 Mg ha⁻¹) was obtained using furrow irrigation and fresh water. The highest IWUE in root yield production (9 kg m⁻³) was obtained using surface drip irrigation with effluent and the lowest value (3.8 kg m⁻³) was obtained using furrow irrigation with fresh water. The highest IWUE of 1.26 kg m⁻³ for sugar was obtained using surface drip irrigation. The corresponding efficiency using effluent was 1.14 kg m⁻³. Irrigation with effluent led to an increase in the net sugar yield due to an increase in the sugar beet root yield. However, there was a slight reduction in the percentage sugar content in the plants. This study also showed that soil water and root depth monitoring can be used in irrigation scheduling to avoid water stress. Such monitoring techniques can also save considerable volumes of irrigation water and can increase yield.     

Irrigation influences on growth, yield, and water use of persimmon trees

A 3-year irrigation trial provided basic information on the response of persimmon (Diospyros kaki cv. Triumph) water use and development to irrigation levels. Constant experimental factors applied to recommended “baseline” crop factors resulted in ratios of irrigation (I) to FAO56 reference crop evapotranspiration (ET₀) ranging from 0.35 to 1.14. Vegetative and reproductive growth, sap flow, stem water potential (SWP), and local climate were monitored. An overall increase in yield and vegetative growth in response to irrigation was found, which suggests a potential yield increase for higher irrigation levels (40 tons/ha for annual irrigation of 1,000 mm). At high irrigation, the yield response curve levelled off and the marginal contribution of additional water declined. The up to threefold increase in number of fruits with irrigation, with no influence on natural abscission, suggests that differences in fruit quantities stem from response to irrigation at the earlier growth stages. Mean fruit size and fruit quality, as indicated by the ratio of rejected fruit, increased with irrigation up to I/ET₀ of ~0.8. Relative yield increased linearly with relative transpiration. However, post-harvest quality was not influenced. SWP, sap flow, and non-transpirable water fractions indicated that the seasonal irrigation tables were not well tuned. Initial adjustments were made during the final season of the experiment and a new table was developed based on our results. The new table should be a basis for further trials.     

基于茎流传感器的茎秆储水动态观测方法

植物茎秆储水每天都会发生周期性变化。针对目前缺少对草本植物茎秆储水无损测量传感器的问题,提出了一种基于茎流传感器的草本植物茎秆储水动态观测方法。该方法以温室盆栽向日葵为试验对象,通过茎流传感器及电子秤的输出,得出向日葵茎秆储水状况及其内部充放水状态切换时间。向日葵茎秆直径动态变化的观测结果进一步验证了该方法的有效性。同时,该方法还可以采集向日葵所处环境下的微气象因子变化,试验结果表明微气象因子变化是引起茎秆储水动态变化主要因素。     

Overestimation of soybean crop transpiration by sap flow measurements under field conditions in Central Portugal

Direct measurements of the xylem sap flow by the stem heat balance technique can be a valuable aid for determining the irrigation demand of field crops. In the present study, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) sap flow was evaluated under well-watered and water-stressed conditions using Dynamax SGA10 sap flow gauges. Solar radiation was measured continuously throughout the growing season. Soil water content was measured before and after each irrigation. There was a close relationship between solar radiation and xylem sap flow. The water flux in the soybean stems responded realistically to changes in the soil water content. However, the absolute values of sap flow were highly questionable. Calculating crop transpiration from sap flow measurements, the results were up to 4 times as high as calculated transpiration from soil moisture data and simulated transpiration using the locally calibrated soybean crop growth model SOYGRO. A sensitivity analysis of the stem heat balance technique gave no indications of technique or input errors. The gauge design was possibly not appropriate for the outdoor installation on soybeans.     

水分调控对苹果-大豆间作生理特性及水分利用的影响

为探求适于晋西黄土区果农间作系统的水分调控措施,通过2 a试验并结合覆盖与调亏灌溉措施,分析了水分调控措施对苹果和大豆叶片生理特性、水分利用和产量等指标的影响.试验设置灌水上限三水平为田间持水量的55%(W1),70%(W2)和85%(W3),两种覆盖:秸秆覆盖(M1)和地膜覆盖(M2),另设清耕(CK0)、秸秆覆盖不灌水(CK1)和地膜覆盖不灌水(CK2)作为对照.结果表明:水分调控措施提高了生育期内苹果和大豆叶绿素相对含量(SPAD)、净光合速率(P_n)和叶片水分利用效率(LWUE),其中,处理M2W2的P_n和LWUE均高于其余调控措施.果树的遮荫抑制了大豆P_n和LWUE,即距离树行越近值越小.灌水、覆盖以及交互作用对大豆产量和水分利用效率(WUE)影响均在0.01水平下具有统计学意义,与其余处理相比,处理M2W2可增产9.48%~103.90%,WUE提高了11.07%~118.08%.通过多指标综合评价分析得出,节水增产效益最高的处理为M2W2,由此建议幼龄苹果-大豆间作采用地膜覆盖措施,同时在分枝期和鼓粒期采取田间持水量的70%为灌水上限的灌溉制度.     

Water use efficiency of controlled alternate irrigation on root-divided maize plants

A new method of irrigation was designed and tested for its water use efficiency (WUE). Maize plants were grown in pots with their roots divided and established into two or three separated containers of which irrigation and soil drying were controlled alternately. Results showed that when the two halves of the root system were alternatively exposed to a drying soil and a soil with its water content maintained above 55% or 65% of its field capacity, water consumption was reduced by 34.4–36.8% and the total biomass production was reduced by only 6–11%, when compared to the well-irrigated plants. Significant increase in WUE, root to shoot ratio and stomatal resistance for water diffusion were observed as a result of such treatment. Leaf transpiration was reduced substantially while the rate of photosynthesis and leaf water content were not significantly altered. The results were also compared to root-divided plants of which irrigation was fixed to one container only and showed that a better WUE, root development and distribution, shoot biomass production were achieved by the alternate drying and rewetting. We conclude that the controlled alternate irrigation (CAI) is an effective and water-saving irrigation method and may have the potential to be used in the field.     

Production and water use in lettuces under variable water supply

The effects of a variable water supply on the water use, growth and yield of two crisphead and one romaine (i.e., Cos) lettuce cultivar were examined in a field experiment using a line source sprinkler system that produced a range of water regimes that occur in growers fields. Four locations at increasing distances from the main line were monitored through the season (i.e., from thinning to harvest, 28–63 days after planting (DAP)). These locations at the end of the season corresponded to: (1) rewatering to field capacity (FC); (2) watering with a volume 13% below that required in the field capacity treatment (0.87*FC); (3) 30% below FC (0.70*FC); and (4) 55% below FC (0.45*FC). A linear production function for dry matter accumulation and fresh weight vs. crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) was determined for lettuce during this period, giving a water use efficiency for dry matter of 1.86 g m^–2 mm^–1 and for fresh weight of 48 g m^–2 mm^–1 . For lettuce irrigated to field capacity, ET_c between thinning and harvest was 146 mm; maximum crop coefficients of 0.81–1.02 were obtained at maturity (55–63 DAP). For the three irrigation treatments receiving the largest water application, ET_c was higher in the Cos culivar than in the two crisphead lettuce cultivars which had similar ET_c. Plant fresh weight was more sensitive than dry weight to reduction in water supply. In the FC treatment, root length density and soil water extraction were greatest in the top 0–45 cm, and decreased rapidly below 45 cm depth. Soil water extraction by roots increased at lower depths when irrigation was reduced. Instantaneous rates of leaf photosynthesis and leaf water potential showed no response to the irrigation treatments in this study, despite differences in biomass production. Evaporation was determined to be the major component of ET_c for 45 of the 63 days of the growing season. The large loss of water by evaporation during mid-season and the apparent insensitivity of lettuce to the volume of irrigation during this period may provide an opportunity for reducing irrigation applications.