An artificial capillary barrier to improve root-zone conditions for horticultural crops: Response of pepper plants to matric head and irrigation water salinity

Eviatar Ityel, Naftali Lazarovitch, Moshe Silberbush and Alon Ben-Gal

Agricultural Water Management, 2012, vol. 105, issue C, 13-20

Abstract: Reduced water availability and increased salinity result in similar plant responses including reduced root mass and conductivity with consequential reduced transpiration and biomass production. We hypothesized that the increased soil matric head created by a capillary barrier (CB) positioned at the bottom of the root-zone would improve plant production, especially when irrigated with brackish water. Field and lysimeter studies were conducted with bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants, comparing root-zones with and without an underlying CB, irrigated either with desalinated (DW, EC=0.2dSm−1) or brackish (SW, EC=3.8dSm−1) water, at various rates.

Keywords: Capsicum annuum; Water availability; Transpiration; Biomass production; Yield; Salinity; Capillary barrier; Lysimeter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:105:y:2012:i:c:p:13-20

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2011.12.016

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