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Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition

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A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Use and Irrigation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 August 2022) | Viewed by 15574

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ignacio Buesa

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Research Group of Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, University of Balearic Islands, Ctra. Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Interests: irrigation and water management; deficit irrigation strategies; water stress; plant water relations; water use efficiency; water productivity; water balance; evapotranspiration; photosynthesis; remote sensing; climate change adaptation; tree ecophysiology; plant environmental stress physiology; woody crops; fruit composition
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Dr. Carlos Ballester Lurbe

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Centre for Regional & Rural Futures (CeRRF), Faculty of Science Engineering & Built Environment, Deakin University, Hanwood, NSW 2680, Australia
Interests: agriculture; irrigation; deficit irrigation; water stress; plant water relations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water scarcity is an increasing threat in many parts of the world. With the agriculture sector accounting for 70% of water use worldwide, optimizing water management in agriculture has become critical to its sustainability. The adoption of water-deficit irrigation and field management practices that increase crop water use efficiency have been identified as possible solutions to ensure food and water security. In this Special Issue we would like to collect the most recent research on woody crops (vineyards, citrus, olive trees, stone fruit trees, berries, etc.) focusing on fruit crop management strategies aimed at both saving water and improving water use efficiency, while maintaining profitability. We welcome research articles, reviews, and opinion articles dealing with any of these topics:

Deficit irrigation strategies, including studies using nonconventional waters (e.g., saline or reclaimed water).
Crop management practices, including studies dealing with plant density, soil management, irrigation systems, irrigation scheduling, canopy and crop load management, weed control, cover crops, mulching, etc.
Identification and use of drought-tolerant genotypes (cultivars and rootstocks).
Novel tools to better monitor and manage soil water content, plant water status, and plant water use.

Dr. Ignacio Buesa
Dr. Carlos Ballester Lurbe
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

deficit irrigation strategies
fruit quality
management practices
plant phenotyping
plant water status
soil moisture
yield components
water balance
water stress
water use efficiency

Published Papers (7 papers)

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18 pages, 5959 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Effects of Deficit Irrigation Scheduling on Water Use, Gas Exchange, Yield, and Fruit Quality of Date Palm

by Maged Mohammed, Abdelkader Sallam, Muhammad Munir and Hassan Ali-Dinar

Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2256; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112256 - 08 Nov 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2781

Abstract

Water scarcity is very common in the arid region due to the low yearly rainfall. The cost of water for agricultural usage is extremely high in dry locations. Date palm is a high water-demanding tree throughout the year in arid regions. Therefore, the application of deficit irrigation strategies for date palm cultivation may significantly contribute to conserving irrigation water. The present study aimed to assess the effects of controlled deficit irrigation using two modern micro-irrigation systems on water use efficiency (WUE), gas exchange, fruit yield, and quality of date palm (Khalas cv.). The irrigation systems included drip irrigation (DI) and subsurface irrigation (SI) systems. The study was conducted during the 2020 and 2021 seasons at the Date Palm Research Center of Excellence, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. The meteorological variables of the study area were real-time monitored using cloud-based IoT (Internet of Things) to calculate the evapotranspiration reference (ETo) and control the irrigation scheduling. Three irrigation treatments (50, 75, and 100% ETc) were applied using DI and SI systems compared with the traditional surface bubbler irrigation (Control). The actual applied water at the deficit irrigation treatments of 50, 75, and 100% ETc were 27.28 ± 0.06, 44.14 ± 1.07, and 55.55 ± 0.37 m³ palm⁻¹, respectively. At all deficit irrigation treatments, the leaf chlorophyll and gas exchange were significantly higher in the SI compared to the DI system. The yield of date palms did not differ significantly between the control and SI systems at both the level of 100 and 75% ETc. The WUE under the SI (1.09 kg m⁻³) was significantly higher than the DI system (0.52 kg m⁻³) at the 50% level. There was no significant difference regarding the fruit quality parameters between SI at 50% ETc and control at 100% ETc. Therefore, adopting deficit irrigation strategies using the SI system at 50% ETc level throughout the year could be suggested for date palm irrigation to save water, improve WUE, and maintain fruit quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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23 pages, 6022 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is the Subsurface Drip the Most Sustainable Irrigation System for Almond Orchards in Water-Scarce Areas?

by Francisco Montoya, Juan M. Sánchez, José González-Piqueras and Ramón López-Urrea

Agronomy 2022, 12(8), 1778; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12081778 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2028

Abstract

The expansion of irrigated almond orchards in arid and semi-arid areas with scarce water available raises key issues related to the sustainability of the water resources. A 3-year field experiment was conducted on a commercial young almond orchard located in the southeast of Spain to study the effect of two drip irrigation systems (surface, DI and subsurface, SDI) on almond crop growth and their physiological responses under fully-irrigated conditions. Crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) and its components (crop transpiration, T_c and soil evaporation, E_s) were monitored as well as the irrigation water and nitrogen productivities. To estimate ET_c, a simplified two-source energy balance (STSEB) approach was used. Although a lower irrigation water amount was applied in SDI compared to DI (differences between 10% and 13.8%), the almond crop growth and physiological responses as well as the yield components and kernel yield showed no significant differences. The ET_c estimates resulted in small differences for spring and fall periods (0.1–0.2 mm day⁻¹) for both treatments, while differences were significant during higher ET_o periods (May–August), being 1.0–1.3 mm day⁻¹ higher for the DI treatment than for the SDI treatment. The irrigation water productivity (IWP) was significantly higher in the SDI treatment than in the DI treatment. However, no significant differences between the two treatments were observed for nitrogen productivity. It can be concluded that the SDI system is a suitable strategy for irrigating almond crops, reducing consumptive water use and increasing IWP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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16 pages, 2902 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Drought Stress Tolerance of Mangifera indica L. Autotetraploids

by Alicia V. Perera-Castro, Beatriz Hernández, Maria José Grajal-Martín and Águeda M. González-Rodríguez

Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 277; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy13010277 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2750

Abstract

Mango can be grown in subtropical and semi-arid regions, where using commercial cultivars and rootstocks with improved resistance to drought is crucial. Induction of polyploidy has been widely applied in breeding programs for increasing crop drought resistance. In this study, drought resistance of several mango cultivars and their respective autotetraploids was evaluated. Leaf morphology and physiology were monitored in two-year-old plants during a period of water withholding and subsequent rewatering. Even though all tetraploid cultivars presented morphological differences in leaf traits, the effect of ploidy in delaying leaf water loss and its detrimental effects of photosynthesis was only observed in ‘Gomera-1’. As a result of this, this cultivar sustained maximum levels of quantum efficiency and gas exchange for a longer period than the rest of cultivars. Therefore, the isohydric strategy of this tetraploid was not associated with earlier stomatal closure. Proline did not increase in the isohydric cultivar probably due to the maintenance of high leaf relative water content. In contrast, in some anisohydric mangos, proline increased when leaf water content decreased below 80%. Some diploids exhibited higher levels of proline than tetraploids, but recovery of plant functionality after rewatering did not differ from the rest of cultivars. We conclude that drought resistance in mango can be improved by using polyploids with water-saving physiological traits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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26 pages, 2192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilization of Vertical Cordon System to Improve Source-Sink Balance and Wine Aroma under Water Shortage Conditions of Maturana Blanca

by Miguel Puelles, Pedro Balda, David Labarga, Andreu Mairata, Enrique García-Escudero, Zenaida Guadalupe, Belén Ayestarán and Alicia Pou

Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1373; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12061373 - 07 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1817

Abstract

In small-clustered vine cultivars, the conditions of success for a hanging form in order to guarantee a sufficient yield and quality level could go through establishing a permanent vertical cordon to enhance vine capacity and to retain a greater number of buds without making a canopy too compact. In this case, it is also important to quantify the main source–sink relationships within the vine in terms of the vine’s general responses to water shortage. The influence of two types of spur pruned vines (head-trained (HT) vs. vertical cordon trained (VCT)) was examined in field-grown vines in the local cultivar Maturana Blanca in order to achieve an optimal yield under two irrigation regimes (non-irrigated and irrigated at 30% of ET₀). For this vegetative development, yield, fruit composition, and wine volatile compounds were measured. The VCT system has demonstrated to increase yield up to 1.8-fold as compared with the HT system independently of the irrigation regime. Although clear differences were observed in the source-sink ratios between the two training systems, these differences did not affect the ripening of the grapes nor their quality. However, a reduction in berry size and the more exposed clusters in VCT vines resulted in a higher concentration of aromatic compounds in the obtained wines as compared with those of HT vines. This study indicates the improvement of the source to sink ratio of the cv. Maturana Blanca through a change in the training system, which helps to increase light interception, leading to a higher yield potential, an optimization of the leaf area to fruit ratio, and an increase in the concentration of aromatic compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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15 pages, 1337 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lack of Tradeoff between Leaf Hydraulic Efficiency and Safety across Six Contrasting Water-Stress Tolerant Fruit Tree Species

by Marco Isaac Garrido and Sebastián Vergara

Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2351; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12102351 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1505

Abstract

Water deficits affect the capacity of leaves to transport water, a process that is related to the obstruction of air in the xylem (embolism). The tolerance to this process has been negatively associated with water-transport efficiency at the xylem level across species, suggesting a tradeoff between hydraulic efficiency and safety. But there is a lack of observation at higher integration levels, i.e., organs. This study aimed to evaluate this tradeoff across six fruit tree species with a wide range of water-stress tolerance: pomegranate, olive, fig tree, mandarin, avocado, and vine. Efficiency was represented by the maximum foliar hydraulic conductance (K_max) and stomatal conductance, whereas hydraulic security by water potential in which the leaf loses 50% of its water-transport capacity (P₅₀), and at the point of loss of leaf turgor (Ψ_tlp). Results suggest that the compensation is weak or null at the foliar level. We observed that species with higher hydraulic efficiency tend to be more tolerant to leaf dehydration (higher hydraulic safety), except mandarin, which had lower K_max and relatively higher P₅₀. Morphological traits associated with carbon investment dynamic (leaf mass per area and petiole density) were highly correlated to water-stress tolerance across fruit tree species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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18 pages, 1389 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Cover Crops and Drip Fertigation Regime in a Young Almond Agroecosystem

by José Salvador Rubio-Asensio, Francesco Abbatantuono, Juan Miguel Ramírez-Cuesta, David Hortelano, José Luis Ruíz, Margarita Parra, Rosa María Martínez-Meroño, Diego S. Intrigliolo and Ignacio Buesa

Agronomy 2022, 12(11), 2606; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12112606 - 23 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1834

Abstract

The sustainability of woody crop agroecosystems requires continued improvements to water, nutrient and soil management. In this work, the combination of resource availability or fertigation dose with soil management practices was tested in a 2 × 2 factorial design in a drip irrigated young almond orchard. The fertigation doses were: the farmer supply at 60% of crop evapotranspiration and full nutrient requirements and the half-farmer supply at 30% of crop evapotranspiration and half nutrient requirements. The soil management practices were: bare soil and cover crops in the inter-row (mixture of grasses and legumes). Tree growth, yield, water and nutrient status, and cover crop biomass and nutrient status were determined, as well as inter-row soil C and N concentration. Results showed that the effect of resource availability was independent of soil management and vice versa. The half farmer treatment reduced tree vegetative growth and yield compared to farmer treatment, due to a negative effect on the water status, without observing a decrease in the concentration of nutrients in leaves or fruit. Trees with cover crop also reduced growth and yield compared to bare soil management. This was due to a nutritional competition, mainly of Ca, Fe, Mn and Zn, rather than to a decline in tree water status. Cover crops sequester up to 1 t/ha/year of carbon but do not increase soil organic carbon, nor soil total nitrogen. Cover crops proved to be efficient in reducing soil nitrate concentration in the topsoil and therefore has potential to prevent its leaching. Deficit fertigation and the use of cover crops can be effective practices to preserve and save water and nutrient resources in Mediterranean agroecosystems, but should be established with caution so as not to compromise the profitability of the orchard. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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22 pages, 4934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Response of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Xynisteri to Different Irrigation Regimes and Its Comparison to cvs. Maratheftiko, Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc

by Alexander W. Copper, Stefanos Koundouras, Susan E. P. Bastian, Trent E. Johnson and Cassandra Collins

Agronomy 2022, 12(3), 634; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12030634 - 04 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1770

Abstract

The world’s changing climate is placing great pressure on the resources for sustainable viticulture. With this, it has become necessary to investigate grape varieties that are well adapted to hot climates. This study investigated whether two Cypriot varieties (Xynisteri and Maratheftiko) responded differently to Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc grown under different irrigation regimes (full, 50% and 25%). Irrigation trials were established in Cyprus in 2019 and in Australia in 2020/2021. Vine growth and physiology and fruit composition (field trial only) measurements were recorded. The trial in Cyprus in 2019 demonstrated that for all three irrigation regimes, Xynisteri had higher stem water potential, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll and greater biomass than Sauvignon Blanc under all irrigation regimes. In 2020/2021, Xynisteri had a greater biomass than Maratheftiko and Sauvignon Blanc, with Shiraz having the lowest. Under reduced irrigation, Xynisteri and Maratheftiko had higher stem water potential, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll content than Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc. These results indicate that Xynisteri in particular may possess better cultivar-specific growth traits than Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc when grown under the same environmental conditions and in turn may be a more appropriate choice in areas where water is limited. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Woody Crop Responses to Water Shortage: Impacts on Plant Physiology, Yield and Fruit Composition)

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