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.     

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.     

Remote sensing of biotic and abiotic stress for irrigation management of cotton

The applicability of commercially available remote sensing instrumentation was evaluated for site-specific management of abiotic and biotic stress on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown under a center pivot low energy precision application (LEPA) irrigation system. This study was conducted in a field where three irrigation regimes (100%, 75%, and 50% ET_c) were imposed on areas of Phymatotrichum (root rot) with the specific objectives to (1) examine commercial remote sensing instrumentation for locating areas showing biotic and abiotic stress symptomology in a cotton field, (2) compare data obtained from commercial aerial infrared photography to that collected by infrared transducers (IRTs) mounted on a center pivot, (3) evaluate canopy temperature changes between irrigation regimes and their relationship to lint yield with IRTs and/or IR photography, and (4) explore the use of deficit irrigation and the use of crop coefficients for irrigation scheduling. Pivot-mounted IRTs and an IR camera were able to differentiate water stress among irrigation regimes. The IR camera distinguished between biotic (root rot) and abiotic (drought) stress with the assistance of groundtruthing. The 50% ET_c regime had significantly higher canopy temperatures than the other two regimes, which was reflected in significantly lower lint yields when compared to the 75% and 100% ET_c regimes. Deficit irrigation down to 75% ET_c had no impact on lint yield, indicating that water savings were possible without reducing yield.     

Habitat quality,not habitat amount,drives mammalian habitat use in the Brazilian Pantanal

Landscape Ecology - An understanding of species-habitat relationships is required to assess the impacts of habitat fragmentation and degradation. To date, habitat modeling in fragmented landscapes...     

Atmospheric Mercury Fluxes in a Southern Boreal Forest and Wetland

Total gaseous mercury (TGM) fluxes from the forest floor and a boreal wetland were measured by a flux chamber technique coupled with an automatic mercury vapour analyser. The fluxes were measured at three sampling sites in southern Finland, 61°14′ N, 25°04′ E in summer 2007, with additionally in situ TGM concentrations in the air at one of the sites and mercury bulk deposition at another. Most of the flux data were collected during the daytime. At one of the sites, diurnal flux behaviour was studied, and a clear cycle with an afternoon maximum and a night minimum was observed. The highest emissions (up to 3.5 ng m⁻² h⁻¹) were observed at the forest floor site having a moss and grass cover. At the wetland and litter-rich forest floor sites, the emissions were below 1 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ and sometimes negative (down to −1.0 ng m⁻² h⁻¹), indicating mercury uptake. The measured average fluxes in August were 0.9 ± 1.1 and 0.2 ± 0.3 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for the forest floor sites and wetland sites, respectively. The flux data were compared with the mercury bulk deposition, which proved to be of the same magnitude, but opposite in sign. At the mossy forest floor site, the extrapolated TGM emissions were 130% of the Hg deposition in August 2007. Comparison with other studies showed that the fluxes in background areas are relatively uniform, regardless of measurement site location and method used. Airborne TGM remained at the background level during the study, with an average value of 1.3 ± 0.2 ng m⁻³; it frequently showed a diurnal cycle pattern.