Adapting Root Distribution and Improving Water Use Efficiency via Drip Irrigation in a Jujube ( Zizyphus jujube Mill.) Orchard after Long-Term Flood Irrigation

Zhaoyang Li, Rui Zong, Tianyu Wang, Zhenhua Wang and Jinzhu Zhang
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Zhaoyang Li: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Rui Zong: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Tianyu Wang: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Zhenhua Wang: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Jinzhu Zhang: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Jujube tree yields in dryland saline soils are restricted by water shortages and soil salinity. Converting traditional flood irrigation to drip irrigation would solve water deficit and salt stress. The root distribution reacts primarily to the availability of water and nutrients. However, there is little information about the response of jujube roots to the change from flood irrigation to drip irrigation. In this context, a two–year experiment was carried out to reveal the effects of the change from long–term flood irrigation to drip irrigation on soil water, root distribution, fruit yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of jujube trees. In this study, drip irrigation amounts were designed with three levels, i.e., 880 mm (W1), 660 mm (W2), 440 mm (W3), and the flood irrigation of 1100 mm was designed as the control (CK). The results showed that replacing flood irrigation with drip irrigation significantly altered soil water distribution and increased soil moisture in the topsoil (0–40 cm). In the drip irrigation treatments with high levels, soil water storage in the 0–60 cm soil layer at the flowering and fruit setting, and fruit swelling stages of jujube trees increased significantly compared with the flood irrigation. After two consecutive years of drip irrigation, the treatments with higher irrigation levels increased root length density (RLD) in 0–60 cm soil depth but decreased that in the 60–100 cm depth. In the horizontal direction, higher irrigation levels increased RLD in the distance of 0–50 cm, while reducing RLD in the distance of 50–100 cm. However, the opposite conclusion was obtained in W3 treatment. Additionally, in the second year of drip irrigation, W2 treatment (660 mm) significantly improved yield and WUE, with an increasing of 7.6% for yield and 60.3% for WUE compared to the flood irrigation. In summary, converting flood irrigation to drip irrigation is useful in regulating root distribution and improving WUE, which would be a promising method in jujube cultivation in arid regions.

Keywords: drip irrigation; root length density; jujube tree; soil moisture; water use efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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