Using midday stem water potential for scheduling deficit irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions

Irrigation techniques that reduce water applications are increasingly applied in areas with scarce water resources. In this study, the effect of two regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies on peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. “Catherine”] performance was studied over three growing seasons. The experimental site was located in Murcia (SE Spain), a Mediterranean region. Two RDI strategies (restricting water applications at stage II of fruit development and postharvest) based on stem water potential (Ψ_s) thresholds (?1.5 and ?1.8 MPa during fruit growth and ?1.5 and ?2.0 MPa during postharvest) were compared to a fully irrigated control. Soil water content (θ_v), Ψ_s, gas exchange parameters, vegetative growth, crop load, yield and fruit quality were determined. RDI treatments showed significantly lower values of θ_v and Ψ_s than control trees when irrigation water was restricted, causing reductions in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rates. Vegetative growth was reduced by RDI, as lower shoot lengths and pruning weights were observed under those treatments when compared to control. However, fruit size and yield were unaffected, and fruit quality was slightly improved by RDI. Water savings from 43 to 65 % were achieved depending on the year and the RDI strategy, and no negative carryover effect was detected during the study period. In conclusion, RDI strategies using Ψ_s thresholds for scheduling irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions are viable options to save water without compromising yield and even improving fruit quality.     

Measured and estimated water use and crop coefficients of grapevines trained to overhead trellis systems in California’s San Joaquin Valley

The use of overhead trellis systems for the production of dry-on-vine (DOV) raisins and table grapes in California is expanding. Studies were conducted from 2006 to 2009 using Thompson Seedless grapevines grown in a weighing lysimeter trained to an overhead arbor trellis and farmed as DOV raisins for the first two years and for use as table grapes thereafter. Maximum canopy coverage for the two lysimeter vines across years was in excess of 80 %. Seasonal (15 March–31 October) evapotranspiration for the lysimeter vines (ET_Lys) was 952 mm in 2007 (farmed as DOV raisins) and 943 and 952 mm (when farmed as table grapes). The maximum crop coefficient (K _cLys) across all 4 years ranged from 1.3 to 1.4. These maximum values were similar to those estimated using the relationship where K _c is a function of the amount of shaded area measured beneath the canopy at solar noon (K _c = 0.017 × percent shaded area). Covering the lysimeter’s soil surface with plastic (and then removing it) numerous times during the 2009 growing season (1 June–14 September) reduced ET_Lys from an average of 6.4 to 5.6 mm day^?1 and the K _c from 1.07 to 0.93. A seasonal basal K _c (K _cb) was calculated for grapevines using an overhead trellis system with a 13 % reduction in the K _cLys across the growing season.     

Crop response of drought-tolerant and conventional maize hybrids in a semiarid environment

In the High Plains, corn (Zea mays L.) is an important commodity for livestock feed. However, limited water resources and drought conditions continue to hinder corn production. Drought-tolerant (DT) corn hybrids could help maintain high yields under water-limited conditions, though consistent response of such hybrids is unverified. In this two-year study, the effects of three irrigation treatments were investigated for a DT and conventional maize hybrid, Pioneer AQUAMax P0876HR and Pioneer 33Y75, respectively. In 2013, the drier of the 2 years, irrigation amounts and crop water use (ET_c) were greater for the conventional hybrid, but grain water use efficiency (WUE) and harvest index were significantly greater for the DT hybrid. In 2014, grain yields and WUE were not significantly different between hybrids. However, irrigation amounts, ET_c and biomass yields were greater for the conventional hybrid. Results from both years indicate that the DT hybrid required less water to maximize grain yield as compared to the conventional hybrid. Producing relatively high yields with reduced amounts of water may provide a means for producers to continue corn production in a semiarid environment with declining water supplies.     

Modeling soil water dynamics in a drip-irrigated intercropping field under plastic mulch

Intercropping, drip irrigation, and the use of plastic mulch are important management practices, which can, when utilized simultaneously, increase crop production and save irrigation water. Investigating soil water dynamics in the root zone of the intercropping field under such conditions is essential in order to understand the combined effects of these practices and to promote their wider use. However, not much work has been done to investigate soil water dynamics in the root zone of drip-irrigated, strip intercropping fields under plastic mulch. Three field experiments with different irrigation treatments (high T1, moderate T2, and low T3) were conducted to evaluate soil water contents (SWC) at different locations, for different irrigation treatments, and with respect to dripper lines and plants (corn and tomatoes). Experimental data were then used to calibrate the HYDRUS (2D/3D) model. Comparison between experimental data and model simulations showed that HYDRUS (2D/3D) described different irrigation events and SWC in the root zone well, with average relative errors of 10.8, 9.5, and 11.6 % for irrigation treatments T1, T2, and T3, respectively, and with corresponding root mean square errors of 0.043, 0.035, and 0.040 cm³ cm^?3, respectively. The results showed that the SWC in the shallow root zone (0–40 cm) was lower under non-mulched locations than under mulched locations, irrespective of the irrigation treatment, while no significant differences in the SWC were observed in the deeper root zone (40–100 cm). The SWC in the shallow root zone was significantly higher for the high irrigation treatment (T1) than for the low irrigation treatment, while, again, no differences were observed in the deeper root zone. Simulations of two-dimensional SWC distributions revealed that the low irrigation treatment (T3) produced serious severe water stress (with SWCs near the wilting point) in the 30–40 cm part of the root zone, and that using separate drip emitter lines for each crop is well suited for producing the optimal soil water distribution pattern in the root zone of the intercropping field. The results of this study can be very useful in designing an optimal irrigation plan for intercropped fields.     

Sensitivity analysis of optimal operation of irrigation supply systems with water quality considerations

A model for optimal operation of water supply/irrigation systems of various water quality sources, with treatment plants, multiple water quality conservative factors, and dilution junctions is presented. The objective function includes water cost at the sources, water conveyance costs which account for the hydraulics of the network indirectly, water treatment cost, and yield reduction costs of irrigated crops due to irrigation with poor quality water. The model can be used for systems with supply by canals as well as pipes, which serve both drinking water demands of urban/rural consumers and field irrigation requirements. The general nonlinear optimization problem has been simplified by decomposing it to a problem with linear constraints and nonlinear objective function. This problem is solved using the projected gradient method. The method is demonstrated for a regional water supply system in southern Israel that contains 39 pipes, 37 nodes, 11 sources, 10 agricultural consumers, and 4 domestic consumers. The optimal operation solution is described by discharge and salinity values for all pipes of the network. Sensitivity of the optimal solution to changes in the parameters is examined. The solution was found to be sensitive to the upper limit on drinking water quality, with total cost being reduced by 5% as the upper limit increases from 260 to 600 mg Cl l^–1. The effect of income from unit crop yield is more pronounced. An increase of income by a factor of 20 results in an increase of the total cost by a factor of 3, thus encouraging more use of fresh water as long as the marginal cost of water supply is smaller than the marginal decrease in yield loss. The effect of conveyance cost becomes more pronounced as its cost increases. An increase by a factor of 100 results in an increase of the total cost by about 14%. The network studied has a long pipe that connects two distinct parts of the network and permits the supply of fresh water from one part to the other. Increasing the maximum permitted discharge in this pipe from 0 to 200 m³ h^–1 reduces the total cost by 11%. Increasing the maximum discharge at one of the sources from 90 to 300 m³ h^–1 reduces the total cost by about 8%.     

“WaterMan”: an on-farm water management game with heuristic capabilities

A modern computer-based simulation tool (WaterMan) in the form of a game for on-farm water management was developed for application in training events for farmers, students, and irrigators. The WaterMan game utilizes an interactive framework, thereby allowing the user to develop scenarios and test alternatives in a convenient, risk-free environment. It includes a comprehensive soil water and salt balance calculation algorithm. It also employs heuristic capabilities for modeling all of the important aspects of on-farm water management, and to provide quantitative performance evaluations and practical water management advice to the trainees. Random events (both favorable and unfavorable) and different strategic decisions are included in the game for more realism and to provide an appropriate level of challenge according to player performance. Thus, the ability to anticipate the player skill level, and to reply with random events appropriate to the anticipated level, is provided by the heuristic capabilities used in the software. These heuristic features were developed based on a combination of two artificial intelligence approaches: (1) a pattern recognition approach and (2) reinforcement learning based on a Markov decision processes approach, specifically the Q-learning method. These two approaches were combined in a new way to account for the difference in the effect of actions taken by the player and action taken by the system in the game world. The reward function for the Q-learning method was modified to reflect the suggested classification of the WaterMan game as what is referred to as a partially competitive and partially cooperative game.     

一种果园挖坑施肥机结构设计

施肥是果树管理的关键作业环节,对果品质量、产量以及果树的生长起着至关重要的作用。我国的果树施肥机械化水平很低,现有的机械设备只能完成机械钻孔和人工辅助施肥,生产率低,劳动强度大。为此,设计了一种集钻孔、施肥、覆土于一体的果园施肥机械。该果园施肥机主要由齿轮箱总成、传动轴总成、覆土装置、排肥装置、钻孔装置和机架等部分组成。通过三维造型表明,该施肥机使用方便、机械化程度高,能够大大提高作业效率。     

植被和梯田措施对坡沟系统细沟侵蚀调控作用

坡沟系统作为黄土丘陵沟壑区基本的地貌单元,也是黄土高原侵蚀泥沙的主要来源区。植被和梯田作为坡面水土流失治理的主要措施,对于土壤侵蚀控制和生态恢复发挥着重要的作用,定量评估林草、梯田对坡面细沟侵蚀的调控作用以及多措施协同配置问题对于黄土高原水土流失治理和生态保护具有重要意义。为了揭示植被和梯田的格局和配置对坡沟系统细沟侵蚀的协同调控作用,该研究采用人工模拟降雨,结合三维激光扫描技术,分析了坡面4种措施：上坡位植被（措施A）、下坡位植被（措施B）、梯田（措施C）、梯田+植被（措施D）对细沟侵蚀发生和演变过程的影响。结果表明：1）相同植被覆盖度下,下坡位的植被布设细沟最大长度较上坡位的植被布设细沟最大长度减小量更大;2）第1次降雨中,侵蚀率最大值达到3 500 g/min以上,第2次降雨过程中侵蚀率最大值仅为1 100 g/min以上,在各产流时间内第2次降雨侵蚀率均为第1次降雨侵蚀率的1/3～1/2;3）对于各措施下细沟沟长发育率由大到小表现为措施A(6.55 cm/min)、措施C(5.71 cm/min)、措施B(3.60 cm/min)、措施D(2.69 cm/min);4）梯田与植...     

2000—2020年湖北省土地利用变化对植被覆盖度的影响

[目的] 土地利用及其对陆地生态系统的影响是当前全球变化研究的重要内容。科学分析土地利用变化对植被覆盖度的影响,促进社会经济与生态环境质量的协调发展及地区经济的平衡发展,为政府部门对区域生态保护和恢复管理提供借鉴和参考。[方法] 以湖北省为研究对象,利用2000,2020年2期Landsat遥感影像、土地利用遥感数据,利用遥感数据的空间处理、像元二分模型、土地利用转移矩阵等方法,分析研究湖北省植被覆盖的时空变化、土地利用类型变化特征及其对植被覆盖度的影响。[结果] ①2000-2020年,湖北省耕地、草地和未利用地面积减少,水域以及建设用地面积增加,林地面积基本保持不变,其面积大小顺序为:林地>耕地>水域>建设用地>草地>未利用地。②湖北省植被覆盖度平均值上升了6.50 %。林地、耕地、草地和未利用地的平均植被覆盖度均有所增加,建设用地的平均植被覆盖度有所降低。③湖北省植被覆盖度总体呈现增加的趋势。植被覆盖度增大的区域主要集中在湖北省的西部和东南部地区,局部地区也存在植被退化的区域,主要集中在湖北省中南部及襄阳北方部分区域。④不同土地利用类型FVC转移过程中,耕地较高植被覆盖与高植被覆盖之间的转移过程最为剧烈,林地不同等级植被覆盖的转移量占转移总量的47.87 %,草地不同水平植被覆盖度的转移量占转移总量比例较小,仅为3.40 %。[结论] 2000-2020年湖北省土地利用变化较大,不同土地利用类型的植被覆盖度相互转移,尤其是林地、耕地及草地的平均植被覆盖度均有所增加,使得湖北省近20 a来整体植被覆盖度呈现出上升趋势。     

今年京城地区暖冬木材制品市场行情冷热不匀

京城地区木材业界针对木材制品供销热度经常挂在嘴边的“金九银十”的季节已经过去,冬季市场行情冷暧如何？首先,从总的木材市场走势来看,应该说是热中有冷,冷中带热,有冷有热,冷热不匀。