Search Results (38)

Water scarcity is a critical constraint to sustainable agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of subirrigation controlled drainage (SCD) systems in improving water use efficiency, soil conditions, and productivity of Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) over two consecutive growing seasons (2022–2024). Three drainage treatments were investigated: subirrigation controlled drainage with water table depths of 0.4 m (SCD-0.4) and 0.8 m (SCD-0.8), and conventional free drainage at 1.2 m (SFD-1.2). The results demonstrated that SCD significantly reduced irrigation water requirements, achieving water savings of up to 27% under SCD-0.4 compared with conventional drainage. The shallow water table enhanced groundwater contribution to crop evapotranspiration, reaching over 40%, which improved soil moisture availability and reduced soil water depletion. Consequently, SCD-0.4 increased fresh and dry biomass yields by approximately 18% and significantly improved water productivity and irrigation water productivity. However, controlled drainage led to increased soil salinity due to reduced leaching, particularly in upper soil layers. Economic analysis revealed that SCD-0.4 achieved the highest net returns and water use profitability. Overall, controlled drainage at shallow depths represents an effective strategy to enhance water productivity, crop yield, and economic efficiency, although long-term salinity management must be considered for sustainable implementation. Full article

To address the challenges linked to climate change, rapidly increasing urbanization, and food security necessity, this study explores the potential of smart, low-cost innovative cultivation systems for modules on facades as nature-based solutions (NBSs) to improve building energy efficiency, urban food production, and sustainability. Innovative cultivation systems were studied and implemented in the horizontal experimental setup, with a focus on sub-irrigation techniques with terracotta pots, ozonated water, and IoT use. The best eco-smart irrigation system was selected considering both plant growth and the water savings obtained (up to 57.14%) in comparison to the traditional method. With the implementation of this system, a vertical green module (VGM) was designed, allowing for efficient distribution and water savings. The positive effects in terms of temperature reduction and energy behavior were validated by comparing two office rooms: one without VGM and the other with VGM in a Mediterranean city. The drop in internal temperatures achieved was up to 3–4 °C during the hot days of the experimental campaign. The uptake of this low-cost and smart prototype can be useful to support the enhancement of energy-efficient, eco-sustainable, and self-sufficient buildings and urban spaces, contributing to creating more climate-resilient cities and promoting sustainable urban agriculture. Full article

This study examines the effects of drought timing on height growth and seasonal leaf phenology in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) seedlings. Drought represents a significant threat to long-lived tree species, impacting growth, phenology, and recovery potential. This research aims to assess whether the timing of drought stress influences height growth and leaf phenology while also investigating possible compensatory mechanisms. The experiment involved five groups of seedlings: four exposed to drought at different periods during the 2022 and 2023 growing seasons, and one regularly irrigated control group. The key monitored parameters included height growth, spring flushing, autumn leaf senescence, and photosynthesis. Preliminary results revealed that late-spring and summer drought had a significant negative impact on height growth and delayed autumn senescence, whereas mid-spring drought allowed for compensatory growth. Spring leaf phenology remained largely unaffected by drought treatments. None of the drought-stressed plants showed increased photosynthesis during the recovery phase compared to the control. These findings highlight the critical role of drought timing in determining growth and phenological outcomes. Relatively late-season droughts were particularly detrimental, limiting recovery and resource allocation, while early-season droughts provided better opportunities for compensation. Further research on drought recovery mechanisms and nutrient interactions is needed to refine forestry management strategies under climate change. Full article

At present, a sustainable and wise management of water resources requires more insight into drainage/irrigation practices in river valleys. Since efficient sub-irrigation, based on reliable hydrometeorological forecasts, has been extensively considered with respect to water saving, the proper modeling tools were subsequently developed. An original, conceptual model for the management of drainage/irrigation systems was presented, taking into account the water inflow and storage in the soil profile. The aim was to propose a relatively simple procedure with parameters that relate to easily obtainable variables, e.g., groundwater table depth in the form of uncomplicated equations. The results of this tool were compared with the groundwater heads simulated using the recognized, common Modflow model. The comparisons proved a close match of the modeled variables and point at possibilities to calibrate it on polder areas. Full article

Changes in land usage, increasing climatic uncertainty, and dynamic development of the rate of natural population growth of the Eurasian beaver will lead to increasing benefits and disadvantages from beaver activity. During three growing seasons from 2020 to 2022, four cross-sections were marked on unused sub-irrigation systems with the periodic occurrence of beaver dams, located on organic soils in parts of the facility protected by the Habitats Directive (natural habitat 6510) in Central Poland. Periodic water table measurements in wells, the beds of adjacent ditches, and the riverbed were carried out. Identification of the states and structures of plant communities was done using the botanical-weight analysis of several samples with an area of 1 m². Beaver dams increased water levels in the river, ditches, and groundwater depth in over 78% of events in 2020–2022 years. A large impact of precipitation on the hydraulic conditions in the meadow was observed. In the studied area, since a moderately moist habitat (6510) is protected within the Natura 2000 network, phenomena increasing soil moisture, in the absence of mowing of meadows and the occurrence of expansive herbaceous vegetation that tolerates increased moisture, may lead to the disappearance of these habitats, especially in the zone near the riverbed. Full article

Studying the relationship between grain planting and the environment is an important means to promote sustainable production. This study takes wheat, a typical grain crop in the Yarkant River oasis irrigation district, the fourth largest agricultural irrigation district in China, as an example to analyze the relationship and changing trends between wheat yield and water footprint (WF), and carbon footprint (CF) from 2001 to 2020. The study found that during the research period, wheat yield, ${WF}_{green,blue},{WF}_{grey}$, and CF showed a fluctuating but significantly upward trend. Decoupling analysis indicates that the overall decoupling trend between wheat yield and water footprint and carbon footprint is not obvious. This suggests that the rapid development of wheat production in the Yarkant River Oasis has also led to significant water resource consumption, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Among the three sub–irrigation districts, the Shache sub–irrigation district has the best decoupling state, reflecting that the increase in wheat yield in Shache did not lead to more water resource consumption and pollution which is may due to its abundant water resources and agriculture development. Further analysis found that the use of nitrogen fertilizers and irrigation electricity have contributed to water resource pressure and greenhouse gas emissions. This study reveals that there are significant environmental risks in the current wheat planting in the Yarkant River oasis irrigation district, but it also points out the direction for green development in the irrigation district. Full article

Greenhouse tomato production faces multiple challenges, including the excessive use of nonrenewable substrates that are difficult to dispose of after use. Currently, most growers propagate tomatoes in rockwool, but there is an increasing demand for sustainable media. The objective of this research was to evaluate sustainable and organic alternatives for greenhouse propagation of tomato seedlings intended for high-wire production. Different organic and inorganic substrates were evaluated in three experiments, using a nutrient solution composed of a complete water-soluble fertilizer. Germination and growth parameters, including height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, foliar chlorophyll levels (SPAD), and shoot fresh and dry weight, were measured. In the first experiment, which employed overhead irrigation, rockwool, coir, wood fiber–coir mix, medium-grade pine bark, pine bark < 0.64 cm, and pine bark < 0.32 cm were evaluated. Tomato germination was faster and achieved higher percentages with pine bark < 0.64 cm compared to other substrates. However, growth performance was similar or better in coir than in rockwool four weeks after transplantation. For the second experiment with sub-irrigation only, rockwool, coir, wood fiber–coir mix, pine bark < 0.32 cm bark, and peat were evaluated at different container heights. Peat resulted in greater growth across all parameters, followed by wood fiber–coir mix in all container heights, while pine bark had the least growth across all measured parameters. In the third experiment with overhead irrigation, rockwool, wood fiber–coir mix, pine bark < 0.32 cm, and a commercial peat-based mixture were evaluated under different fertilizer rates (electrical conductivity of 1.1 and 2.2 mS·cm⁻¹). Wood fiber–coir mix, peat-based mix, and rockwool were the substrates with the highest values for all evaluated parameters. While all the organic substrates showed potential for use in tomato propagation, pine bark < 0.32 cm bark and wood fiber–coir mix provided the best media for germination. Peat and wood fiber–coir mix showed the best media for subsequent seedling growth and demonstrated potential to be used as substitutes for rockwool. Full article

Meadows are valuable areas that play an important role in the carbon cycle. Depending on several factors, these areas can be carbon sinks or net emitters of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere. In the present study, the use of an antitranspirant (AT) with silicon and the groundwater level in a subirrigation system in a three-cut meadow were evaluated on the carbon dioxide exchange balance and the yield of aboveground biomass. The study was carried out in four experimental plots: with high groundwater level (HWL), with a high water level with AT application (HWL_Si), with a lower groundwater level (LWL), and with a lower groundwater level and AT application (LWL_Si). Flux measurements were made using the closed dynamic chamber method. In the drier and colder 2021, the meadow was a net CO₂ emitter (mean annual net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of all plots: +247.4 gCO₂-C·m⁻²y⁻¹), whereas in the more wet and warmer 2022, assimilation outweighed emissions (mean annual NEE of all plots: −187.4 gCO₂-C·m⁻²y⁻¹). A positive effect of the silicon antitranspirant application was observed on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and the increase of gross primary production (GPP) from the plots with higher groundwater levels. For the area with lower water levels, the positive impact of AT occurred only in the second year of the experiment. The yield of aboveground biomass was higher by 5.4% (in 2021) up to 11.7% (in 2022) at the plot with the higher groundwater level. However, the application of AT with silicon contributed to yield reduction in each cut, regardless of the groundwater level. On an annual basis, AT application with silicon reduced the yield by 11.1–17.8%. Full article

Sub-irrigation of greenhouse crops has the potential to increase water and nutrient use efficiency; however, fertilizer salts that are not absorbed by the plants tend to accumulate in the substrate and eventually raise the substrate’s electrical conductivity (EC). The objective of this study was to determine the optimum EC of the nutrient solution in sub-irrigated tomatoes to allow maximum yield. Total fruit yield was higher in sub-irrigated plants with solutions at 2.0 dS m⁻¹ (5105 g per plant), and it was comparable to that obtained for drip-irrigated plants (4903 g per plant); however, the yield of fruits from the second truss was 37% higher in sub-irrigated than in drip-irrigated plants when the EC was 2.0 dS m⁻¹. In contrast, at the end of the growing season, the yield of plants sub-irrigated with nutrient solutions of 2.0 dS m⁻¹ was the lowest, being surpassed by 37% by that of plants treated with 1.4 dS m⁻¹. The dry weight of vegetative plant parts was reduced in sub-irrigated plants, suggesting a shift in dry mass partitioning. Our results show that with sub-irrigation, the growing season should be started using nutrient solutions with higher EC, but eventually, this EC should be decreased to maintain proper substrate EC and high yield. Full article

Fertilizer boron (B) and molybdenum (Mo) were provided to contrasting cultivars of subirrigated pot chrysanthemums at approximately 6–100% of current industry standards in an otherwise balanced nutrient solution during vegetative growth, and then all nutrients were removed during reproductive growth. Two experiments were conducted for each nutrient in a naturally lit greenhouse using a randomized complete block split-plot design. Boron (0.313–5.00 µmol L⁻¹) or Mo (0.031–0.500 µmol L⁻¹) was the main plot, and cultivar was the sub-plot. Petal quilling was observed with leaf-B of 11.3–19.4 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass (DM), whereas Mo deficiency was not observed with leaf-Mo of 1.0–3.7 mg kg⁻¹ DM. Optimized supplies resulted in leaf tissue levels of 48.8–72.5 mg B kg⁻¹ DM and 1.9–4.8 mg Mo kg⁻¹ DM. Boron uptake efficiency was more important than B utilization efficiency in sustaining plant/inflorescence growth with decreasing B supply, whereas Mo uptake and utilization efficiencies appeared to have similar importance in sustaining plant/inflorescence growth with decreasing Mo supply. This research contributes to the development of a sustainable low-input nutrient delivery strategy for floricultural operations, wherein nutrient supply is interrupted during reproductive growth and optimized during vegetative growth. Full article

The increasing demand for food and animal products makes it important to ensure that animals have sufficient fodder obtained from grassland. Unfortunately, there has been a recent decline in grassland areas, which makes it essential to find solutions to increase the grassland’s productivity and the quality of the fodder it yields. One of these solutions may be the use of appropriate irrigation and fertilization. The present study investigated the effect of the foliar application of silicon fertilizer and the groundwater level in a subirrigation system on the yield of a three-cut meadow. Four different experimental plots were used: high groundwater level (HWL), high groundwater level with silicon application (HWL_Si), lower groundwater level (LWL), and lower groundwater level with silicon application (LWL_Si). The analyses showed that silicon significantly reduced the amount of dry matter obtained in each of the three meadow cuts during the year. Furthermore, the plot with a higher groundwater level had an annual yield of 12.69 Mg·ha⁻¹, whereas when silicon was applied to this area, it was 10.43 Mg·ha⁻¹ (17.8% reduction in dry matter). A similar trend was noted at lower water levels, in which silicon also caused a dry matter reduction. However, the experiment did not indicate a statistically significant effect of silicon application on plant height and NDVI values. These results show that further research is still needed to better understand silicon’s effect on meadow sward. Full article

Excessive irrigating water that has not been adequately drained may cause more water to enter the crop root zone than is necessary. As a result, issues with increasing water table levels, waterlogging, and salinity get worse and cause crop productivity losses. Agricultural drainage water management strategies (ADWMS) can be used to protect the quality of groundwater, guarantee that crops have better moisture conditions, and provide irrigation water by reusing agricultural water drainage and using sub-irrigation practices. In order to decrease the effects of poor drainage, mitigate climate change, conserve the environment, and achieve food security, this study proposes a framework for choosing the most effective ADWMS in Egypt’s Nile Delta as well as the new lands. The value engineering approach is used to ensure the strategy’s functionality and to present some innovation in the process of developing alternative solutions that are financially evaluated using the life cycle cost technique. According to the study results, the most effective strategy (ADWMS-3) prioritizes improving drainage effectiveness, controlling groundwater table rise, and providing another irrigation water source while maintaining environmental protection. This strategy encompasses the use of a control drainage system, timing of fertilizer application, regulating groundwater table variation, and using sub-irrigation practices. ADWMS-3 achieves the highest values for the technical score of 8.06 and the value index of 18.59. This study advances the understanding of the topic by providing policymakers with a tool to (i) evaluate ADWMS and (ii) incorporate the added value and functionality into their policies regarding agricultural drainage water. Full article

Early forecasting of crop yield from field to region is important for stabilizing markets and safeguarding food security. Producing a precise forecasting result with fewer inputs is an ongoing goal for the large-area yield evaluation. We present one approach of yield prediction for maize that was explored by incorporating remote-sensing-derived land surface temperature (LST) and field in-season data into a series of logistic models with only a few parameters. Continuous observation data of maize were utilized to calibrate and validate the corresponding logistic models for regional biomass estimating based on field temperatures (including crop canopy temperature (Tc)) and relative dry/fresh biomass accumulation. The LST maps from MOD11A1 products, which are considered to be matched as Tc in large irrigation districts, were assimilated into the validated models to estimate the biomass accumulation. It was found that the temporal-scale difference between the instantaneous LST and the daily average value of field-measured Tc was eliminated by data normalization method, indicating that the normalized LST could be input directly into the model as an approximation of the normalized Tc. Making one observed biomass in-season as the driving force, the maximum of dry/fresh biomass accumulation (DBA/FBA) at harvest could be estimated. Then, grain yield forecasting could be achieved according to the local harvest index of maize. Silage and grain yields were evaluated reasonably well compared with field observations based on the regional map of LST values obtained in 2017 in Changchun, Jilin Province, China. Here, satisfactory grain and silage yield forecasting was provided by assimilating once measured value of DBA/FBA at the middle growth period (early August) into the model in advance of harvest. Meanwhile, good results were obtained in the application of this approach using field data in 2016 to predict grain yield ahead of harvest in the Jiefangzha sub-irrigation district, Inner Mongolia, China. This study demonstrated that maize yield can be forecasted accurately prior to harvest by assimilating remote-sensing-derived LST and field data into the logistic models at a regional scale considering the spatio-temporal scale extension of ground information and crop dynamic growth in real time. Full article

Relatively mild xerophytic or hardening treatments can induce healthy development of plants. In the present study, as one of xerophytophysiological applications, sub-irrigation was applied to a flower plant of Eustoma grandiflorum to confirm whether the sub-irrigation improved flowering quality in addition to plant growth and physiology. As shown by the results, long-term sub-irrigation induced osmotic adjustment, with osmolyte concentration increasing 32.8 osmol m⁻³ (p ≤ 0.01), improved leaf photosynthetic activities, with more than 10% (p ≤ 0.05) increase in photosynthetic capacity, and promoted plant growth, with a shoot biomass increase by 27.5% (p ≤ 0.01) and a root increase by 50.5% (p ≤ 0.01). These improvements were attributed to turgor maintenance and cell water re-compartmentation into the symplasm, which were both the consequence of osmotic adjustment. The lower osmotic potential and lower relative leaf water potential at incipient plasmolysis suggested that plants in sub-irrigation plots might be more resistant to environmental stresses. Sub-irrigation also improved flower quality shown by increased anthocyanin concentration (16% up, p ≤ 0.01). Flower quality improvement might be attributed to up-regulation of the PAL gene, which could catalyze the synthesis of anthocyanins. PAL gene up-regulation might be associated with a concentration increase in salicylic acid (SA), which was suggested as a plant hormone for signaling. Sub-irrigation also affected the flower opening and closing oscillations with less changed opening size or oscillation amplitude. We adopted mathematical models and thoroughly analyzed dynamic changes in photosynthesis, plant growth, and flower opening oscillations. In conclusion, sub-irrigation was a feasible practice and could be used in E. grandiflorum culture to improve plant growth and flower opening quality. Full article

Ebb-and-flow subirrigation (EFI) is a water-saving and environmentally friendly irrigation method that can effectively improve water use efficiency and promote plant growth. In this study, we elucidated the effects of ebb-and-flow subirrigation on the protein levels in tomato roots in comparison with top sprinkle irrigation (TSI) and used an integrated approach involving tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation, and mass-spectrometry (MS)-based analysis. A total of 8510 quantifiable proteins and 513 differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) were identified, of which the expressions of 283 DAPs were up-regulated, and 230 DAPs were down-regulated in the EFI vs. TSI treatment comparison. According to proteomic data, we performed a systematic bioinformatics analysis of all the identified proteins and DAPs. The DAPs were most significantly associated with the terms ‘metabolic process’, ‘anchored component of membrane’, ‘oxidoreductase activity’, ‘phenylpropanoid biosynthesis’, and ‘biosynthesis of secondary metabolites’ according to Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment (KEGG) analysis. The 272 DAPs were classified into 12 subcellular components according to their subcellular localization. Furthermore, the activities of SOD, POD, CAT, GR, and APX in tomato roots were remarkably increased under EFI, while the MDA content was decreased compared with TSI. Correlation analysis among activities of enzymes and their related DAPs showed that 30 DAPs might be responsible for the regulation of these enzymes. The results showed that ebb-and-flow subirrigation could induce a series of DAPs responses in tomato roots to be adapted to the new mode of water supply. Full article