根系分区交替滴灌对苹果幼苗生理特性和水分利用效率的影响

以矮化红富士苹果幼苗为试验材料,采用交替滴灌(ADI)、固定滴灌(FDI)和常规滴灌(CDI)3种滴灌方式和3种灌水量对苹果幼苗的生理特性和水分利用效率进行了研究,以阐明根系分区交替灌溉下苹果幼苗生理特性和节水机理.结果表明:与CDI方式相比,当灌水定额由20 mm增大到30 mm时,ADI方式提高了苹果幼苗根干重、根系导水率、叶水势和净光合速率,降低了其蒸腾速率、棵间蒸发量和蒸散量,从而使得ADI方式下的叶片水分利用效率、总水分利用效率和灌溉水分利用效率较CDI方式大大提高;3种滴灌方式的根系导水率均存在显著的季节变化,并以8月份最大,12月份最小;与CDI方式相比, ADI和FDI方式在节水达33.3%时的平均根系导水率仅分别降低了5.81%和14.7%,但水分利用效率、灌溉水利用效率分别较CDI方式高出16.31%和14.48%、40.52%和27.65%.可见,局部根区灌溉方式能促进苹果幼苗生长和光合作用,并主要通过提高根系导水率的途径来提高水分利用效率.     

间套作提高农田水分利用效率的节水机理

综合国内外多学科的研究成果,从地表水向土壤水的转化效率、农田水分的有效性、植物冠层结构、灌溉用水量和作物产量等方面,论述了间套作提高农田水分利用效率的节水机理.结果表明:间套作能够促进植物根系对农田水分的充分利用,有利于增加根层土壤的贮水量;间套作一方面减小棵间蒸发、抑制无效蒸腾,另一方面优化作物系统的源-库关系,创造出有利于植物生长发育的小气候,为资源在时间和空间上的集约利用和高产打好基础,在不增加农田灌溉水的同时大幅度提高单位面积产量,促进作物水分利用效率明显提高.     

根区交替地下滴灌对马铃薯产量及水分利用效率的影响

采用田间试验方法,研究了根区交替地下滴灌（APRI）对马铃薯生理指标、产量及水分利用效率的影响.结果表明：在马铃薯块茎生长期,与对照处理（CDI）相比,APRI处理的马铃薯叶片光合速率的降低不显著（4.7%）,而蒸腾速率和气孔导度则明显降低,降幅分别达15.8%和15.4%,CDI处理略高的光合速率是以消耗更多的水分为代价;与CDI处理相比,APRI处理的马铃薯产量仅降低5.4%,但灌溉水量却节省了25.8%,使灌溉水分利用效率和总水分利用效率分别提高了27.5%和15.3%.对于马铃薯来说,根区交替地下滴灌是一种切实可行的节水灌溉技术.     

稳定同位素技术在植物水分利用研究中的应用

近20a稳定同位素技术在植物生态学研究中的应用得到了长足发展,使得对植物与水分关系也有了更深一步的了解。介绍稳定同位素性碳、氢、氧同位素在研究植物水分关系中的应用及进展,以期能为国内植物水分利用研究提供参考。由于植物根系从土壤中吸收水分时并不发生同位素分馏,对木质部水分同位素分析有助于对植物利用水分来源,生态系统中植物对水分的竞争和利用策略的研究,更好地了解生态系统结构与功能。稳定碳同位素作为植物水分利用效率的一个间接指标,在不同水分梯度环境中,及植物不同代谢产物与水分关系中有着广泛的应用。同位素在土壤-植被-大气连续体水分中的应用,有助于了解生态系统的水分平衡。随着稳定同位素方法的使用,植物与水分关系的研究将取得更大的进展。     

不同沟灌模式对沙漠绿洲区葡萄生长和水分利用的效应

在甘肃河西荒漠绿洲区研究了覆膜与不覆膜条件下隔沟交替灌溉、常规沟灌对葡萄生长和水分利用的影响.结果表明,隔沟交替灌溉可以保证作物一部分根区处于比较湿润状态,另一部分根区处于相对干燥状态,湿润与干燥区域的交替出现可诱导葡萄的补偿生长效应.隔沟交替灌溉条件下葡萄叶片气孔开度减小,光合速率略有降低或下降不显著,而蒸腾速率明显下降,水分利用效率增大.光合作用日变化也表现出类似规律.隔沟交替灌溉与地膜覆盖技术相结合能显著提高水分利用效率,为在田间实施气孔最优化调控提供了一种有效途径.     

根系分区交替灌溉不同交替周期对苹果树

以11~12年生苹果树为研究对象,于2006~2007年在烟台市农科院果树研究所试验果园进行了根系分区交替灌溉（APRI）试验,研究了APRI灌溉模式下不同交替灌溉周期对苹果树生长、产量、品质及水分利用效率的影响。结果表明,APRI处理的苹果树湿润一侧土壤含水量随深度增加而减少,并出现明显拐点,交替周期愈短拐点愈接近地表,干旱一侧则随深度增加而增大,二者含水量最大差值出现在土壤表层0~10 cm。每2周交替灌溉1次的APRI1处理的叶水势、净光合速率、蒸腾速率和气孔导度稍有降低,但与对照均没有明显差异,而每4周交替灌溉1次的APRI2和APRI3处理的上述指标则显著低于对照（P < 0.05）。APRI处理显著抑制植株的新梢生长,但对果实直径没有显著影响。APRI1和APRI2处理的苹果产量比对照和APRI3下降了11.1 %~14.8 %,但供水量减少了50 %,水分利用效率提高了71 %~80 %,而且显著提高了可溶性固形物含量和果实干物质含量,使果实含酸量降低,果实硬度增加,果实品质明显改善。由此可以推断采用根系分区交替灌溉并进行适宜的交替周期处理（如本试验中的APRI1）可以达到大量节水、提高苹果品质而不明显降低产量的目的,是苹果生产中一种切实可行的灌溉方式,值得旱地苹果园大力推广。     

根区交替控制灌溉条件下玉米根系吸水规律

为了阐明根区交替控制灌溉(CRDAI)条件下玉米根系吸水规律,通过田间试验,在沟灌垄植模式下采用根区交替控制灌溉研究玉米根区不同点位(沟位、坡位和垄位)的根长密度(RLD)及根系吸水动态。研究表明,根区土壤水分的干湿交替引起玉米RLD的空间动态变化,在垄位两侧不对称分布,并存在层间差异;土壤水分和RLD是根区交替控制灌溉下根系吸水速率的主要限制因素。在同一土层,根系吸水贡献率以垄位最大,沟位最低;玉米营养生长阶段,10—30 cm土层的根系吸水速率最大;玉米生殖生长阶段,20—70 cm为根系吸水速率最大的土层,根系吸水贡献率为43.21%—55.48%。研究阐明了交替控制灌溉下根系吸水与土壤水分、RLD间相互作用的动态规律,对控制灌溉下水分调控机理研究具有理论意义。     

不同膜下滴灌方式对设施黄瓜生理特性及水分利用效率的影响

为了探明黄瓜膜下分根交替滴灌的节水效果,为设施黄瓜节水灌溉提供理论依据和技术参数,以‘津优3号’黄瓜为试材,采用随机区组设计,以土壤田间持水量的65%为灌水下限,田间持水量的90%为灌水上限,研究了分根交替滴灌(APDI)、固定1/2根区滴灌(FPDI)和传统滴灌(CDI)3种灌溉模式对黄瓜生长、生理特性、产量与品质及水分利用效率的影响,结果表明:(1)随灌溉处理时间的延长,3种灌溉模式的单株叶面积和株高的差异越来越显著,而茎粗和叶片数差异不显著;(2)与传统滴灌相比,分根交替滴灌模式下黄瓜叶片净光合速率略有下降而蒸腾速率显著降低,水分利用效率显著提高;(3)分根交替滴灌处理下黄瓜可溶性蛋白、可溶性糖含量与传统滴灌相比差异不显著,Vc含量却显著增加;(4)分根交替滴灌模式下黄瓜产量比传统滴灌下降1.5%,而灌水量减少17%,水分利用效率提高18.6%,节水效果显著。综上所述,分根交替滴灌可以在保证设施黄瓜产量没有显著下降的前提下,改善品质和显著提高水分利用效率,可作为设施节水提质增效的一种灌溉模式,推广应用前景广阔。     

不同灌水模式对冬小麦籽粒产量和水、氮利用效率的影响

在田间试验条件下,以冬小麦品种泰农18为材料,设置灌底墒水(CK)、底墒水+拔节水(W1)、底墒水+拔节水+越冬水与灌浆水交替灌溉(越冬/灌浆水交替灌溉模式,W2)、底墒水+拔节水+开花水(优化传统灌溉模式,W3)、底墒水+越冬水+拔节水+灌浆水(传统灌溉模式,W4)5种灌溉模式,每处理每次灌水量均为600 m3·hm-2,研究了山东泰安偏旱年份(2009-2010年)不同灌溉模式对小麦籽粒产量、水分利用效率和氮素利用效率的影响.结果表明:在小麦全生育期119.7 mm降水量条件下,越冬/灌浆水交替灌溉模式(W2)与传统灌溉模式(W4)籽粒产量差异不显著,但水分利用效率显著高于传统灌溉模式,与灌水量相同的优化传统灌溉模式(W3)相比,其小麦籽粒产量明显提高,水分利用效率无显著差异;越冬/灌浆水交替灌溉模式和传统灌溉模式的氮肥偏生产力最高,且籽粒收获后越冬/灌浆水交替灌溉模式在0 ～100 cm土层的硝态氮积累量显著高于传统灌溉模式和优化传统灌溉模式,降低了硝态氮的淋溶损失.在本试验条件下,越冬/灌浆水交替灌溉模式(W2)是可以兼顾小麦籽粒产量、水分利用效率和氮素利用效率的最佳灌溉模式.     

植物叶片水分利用效率研究综述

植物能否适应当地的极限环境条件,最主要的看它们能否很好地协调碳同化和水分耗散之间的关系,即植物水分利用效率(WUE)是其生存的关键因子.就近来研究最多的叶片水平上的WUE,从叶片WUE的定义,方法,进展等方面对其进行总结概括,并就今后植物叶片水分利用效率的研究提出了几点看法:方法上,叶片碳同位素方法是目前植物叶片长期水分利用效率研究的最佳方法,而δ13C的替代指标将继续是方法研究中的一个方向,前景乐观;研究内容上,要加强极端干旱区河岸林木的δ13C和WUE的研究;结合植物生理生态学,生物学和稳定同位素技术,探究植物叶片长期水分利用效率的机理,特别是要加强运用双重同位素模型加深和理解植物叶片长期水分利用效率变化规律和内在机制的研究;要结合多种方法,加强多时空尺度植物叶片WUE及其之间的转换研究.     

Effect of Rural Sewage Irrigation Regime on Water-Nitrogen Utilization and Crop Growth of Paddy Rice in Southern China

Reclaimed water irrigation has become an effective mean to alleviate the contradiction between water availability and its consumption worldwide. In this study, three types of irrigation water sources (rural sewage’s primary treated water R1 and secondary treated water R2, and river water R3) meeting the requirements of water quality for farmland irrigation were selected, and three types of irrigation water levels (low water level W1 of 0–80 mm, medium water level W2 of 0–100 mm, and high water level W3 of 0–150 mm) were adopted to carry out research on the influence mechanismS of different irrigation water sources and water levels on water and nitrogen use and crop growth in paddy field. The water quantity indicators (irrigation times and irrigation volume), soil ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), rice yield indicators (thousand-grain weight, the number of grains per spike, and the number of effective spikes), and quality indicators (the amount of protein, amylose, vitamin C, nitrate and nitrite content) of rice were measured. The results showed that, the average irrigation volume under W3 was 2.4 and 1.9 times of that under W1 and W2, respectively. Compared with R3, the peak consumption of rice was lagged behind under R1 and R2, and the nitrogen form in 0–40 cm soil layers under rural sewage irrigation was mainly NH₄⁺-N. The changes of NO₃⁻-N and NH₄⁺-N in the 0–40 cm soil layer showed the trend of declining and then increasing. The water level control only had a significant effect on the change of NO₃⁻-N in the 60–80 cm soil layer. Both irrigation water use efficiency and crop water use efficiency were gradually reduced with the increase of field water level control. The nitrogen utilization efficiency under rural sewage irrigation was significantly higher than that under R3. Compared with the R3, rural sewage irrigation could significantly increase the yield of rice, and as the field water level rose, the effect of yield promotion was more obvious. It was noteworthy that the grain of rice under R1 monitored the low nitrate and nitrite content, but no nitrate and nitrite was discovered under R2 and R3. Therefore, reasonable rural sewage irrigation (R2) and medium water level (W2) were beneficial to improve nitrogen utilization efficiency, crop yield and crop quality promotion.

     

Assessment of Nutrient Leaching Losses and Crop Uptake with Organic Fertilization,Water Saving Practices and Reduced Inorganic Fertilizer

The increasing world population has forced excessive chemical fertilizer and irrigation to complete the global food demand, deteriorating the water quality and nutrient losses. Short-term studies do not compile the evidences; therefore, the study aimed to identify the effectiveness of reduced doses of inorganic fertilizer and water-saving practices, hence, a six-year experiment (2015–2020) was conducted in China to address the knowledge gap. The experimental treatments were: farmer accustomed fertilization used as control (525:180:30 kg NPK ha⁻¹), fertilizer decrement (450:150:15 kg NPK ha⁻¹), fertilizer decrement + water-saving irrigation (450:150:15 kg NPK ha⁻¹), application of organic and inorganic fertilizer + water-saving irrigation (375:120:0 kg NPK ha⁻¹ + 4.5 tones organic fertilizer ha⁻¹), and application of controlled-release fertilizer (80:120:15 kg NPK ha⁻¹). Each treatment was replicated thrice following a randomized complete block design. The results achieved herein showed that control has the highest losses in the six-year study for total nitrogen (225.97 mg L⁻¹), total soluble nitrogen (121.58 mg L⁻¹), nitrate nitrogen (0.93 mg L⁻¹), total phosphorus (0.57 mg L⁻¹), and total soluble phosphorus (0.57 mg L⁻¹) respectively. Reduced fertilizer and water application improved crop nutrient uptake, nitrogen concentration was significantly enhanced with organic and inorganic fertilizer + water-saving irrigation, P concentration was increased with fertilizer decrement + water-saving irrigation, and K concentration was improved with fertilizer decrement + water-saving irrigation. Hence, this study concludes that reduced inorganic fertilizer dose combined with water-saving practices is significantly helpful in reducing nutrient leaching losses and improving nutrient uptake and water pollution. Further studies are needed to explore the impacts of reduced fertilization and water-saving irrigation on leaching losses. The benefits at different climatic conditions, soil types, and fertilizer types with application methods are also a research gap.

     

Salt Tolerance and Crop Potential of Halophytes

Although they represent only 2% of terrestrial plant species, halophytes are present in about half the higher plant families and represent a wide diversity of plant forms. Despite their polyphyletic origins, halophytes appear to have evolved the same basic method of osmotic adjustment: accumulation of inorganic salts, mainly NaCl, in the vacuole and accumulation of organic solutes in the cytoplasm. Differences between halophyte and gly-cophyte ion transport systems are becoming apparent. The pathways by which Na⁺ and Cl^? enters halophyte cells are not well understood but may involve ion channels and pinocytosis, in addition to Na⁺ and Cl^? transporters. Na⁺ uptake into vacuoles requires Na⁺/H⁺ antiporters in the tonoplast and H⁺ ATPases and perhaps PP_i ases to provide the proton motive force. Tonoplast antiporters are constitutive in halophytes, whereas they must be activated by NaCl in salt-tolerant glycophytes, and they may be absent from salt-sensitive glycophytes. Halophyte vacuoles may have a modified lipid composition to prevent leakage of Na⁺ back to the cytoplasm. Becuase of their diversity, halophytes have been regarded as a rich source of potential new crops. Halophytes have been tested as vegetable, forage, and oilseed crops in agronomic field trials. The most productive species yield 10 to 20 ton/ha of biomass on seawater irrigation, equivalent to conventional crops. The oilseed halophyte, Sali-cornia bigelovii, yields 2?t/ha of seed containing 28% oil and 31% protein, similar to soybean yield and seed quality. Halophytes grown on seawater require a leaching fraction to control soil salts, but at lower salinities they outperform conventional crops in yield and water use efficiency. Halophyte forage and seed products can replace conventional ingredients in animal feeding systems, with some restrictions on their use due to high salt content and antinutritional compounds present in some species. Halophytes have applications in recycling saline agricultural wastewater and reclaiming salt-affected soil in arid-zone irrigation districts.     

Crop production and management under saline conditions

Summary This review evaluates management practices that may minimize yield reduction under saline conditions according to three strategies: (I) control of root-zone salinity; (II) reduced damage to the crop; (III) reduced damage to individual plants. Plant response to salinity is described by an unchanged yield up to a threshold soil salinity (a), then a linear reduction in relative yield (b), to a maximum soil salinity that corresponds to zero yield (Y_o). Strategies I and II do not take into consideration any change in the parameters of the response curve, while strategy III is aimed at modifying them.Control of root zone salinity is obtained by irrigation and leaching. From the review of existing data it is concluded that the effective soil salinity parameter should be taken as the mean electrical conductivity of the saturated paste extract or of the soil solution over time and space. Several irrigation and leaching practices are discussed. It is shown that intermittent leaching is more advantageous than leaching at each irrigation. Specific cultivation and irrigation practices that result in soil salinity reduction adjacent to young seedlings and the use of water of low salinity at specifically sensitive growth stages may be highly beneficial. Recent data do not show that reduced irrigation intervals improve crop response more under saline than under nonsaline irrigation. Alternate use of water of different salt concentrations results in mixing in the soil and the crop responds to the mean water salinity.Reduced damage at the fiel level when soil or irrigation water salinity is too high to maintain full yield of single plants requires a larger crop stand. For row crops reduced inter-row spacing is more effective than reduced intra-row spacing.Reduced damage at the plant level while the salinity tolerance of the plants remains constant shows up in the response curve parameters as larger threshold and slope and constant salinity at zero yield. This is the effect of a reduced atmospheric water demand that results in reduced stress in the plant under given salinity. Management can also change the salt tolerance of the crop. This will show up as higher salinity at zero yield, as well as changes in threshold and slope. Such changes in the response curve were found at different growth stages, under different atmospheric CO₂, under different fertilization, and when sprinkler irrigation was compared with drip irrigation.Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. No. 1111-E 1984 series.     

Semiarid Crop Production from a Hydrological Perspective: Gap between Potential and Actual Yields

Rapid population growth in the dry climate regions, arable land scarcity, and irrigation expansion limitations direct our interest to possibilities of yield increase in rainfed agriculture. Literature, however, indicates large differences between actual and potential yields, and between yields on farmers’ fields and research stations. This article focuses on the determinants of these yield gaps and the windows of opportunity for yield increase on the farmer's field together with the agricultural challenges involved. The study links the conventional approach to estimate crop water requirements and dry spell effects on biomass production to a conceptual Green Water Crop Model. This model addresses the effects on crop yields of the sequential diversions of infiltrating rainfall (rainwater partitioning into runoff, plant available soil water, and deep percolation) and of different relations between nonproductive evaporation flow and productive transpiration flow, defined together as green water flow. Also, the effects of droughts and dry spells are analyzed. The model is used to demonstrate typical situations for semiarid and dry subhumid conditions (lengths of growing period (LGP) of 90 and 179 days, respectively) for maize (Zea mays (L.)) under on-station agricultural conditions. Based on detailed water flow analysis in a 3-year on-farm case study in the Sahel on pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Br.), the model is used to clarify the large scope for improved yield levels, achievable through land and water management securing that runoff losses and deep percolation are reduced and nonproductive evaporation losses minimized. The analysis indicates that poor rainwater partitioning and low plant water uptake capacity alone reduces estimated on-farm grain yields to 1/10th of the potential yields. This suggests that lack of water per se not necessarily is the primary constraint to crop growth even in drought prone areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The conclusion is that even a doubling of crop yields would be agro-hydrologically possible with relatively small manipulations of rainwater partitioning in the water balance.     

Crop performance, nitrogen and water use in flooded and aerobic rice

Irrigated aerobic rice is a new system being developed for lowland areas with water shortage and for favorable upland areas with access to supplementary irrigation. It entails the cultivation of nutrient-responsive cultivars in nonsaturated soil with sufficient external inputs to reach yields of 70–80% of high-input flooded rice. To obtain insights into crop performance, water use, and N use of aerobic rice, a field experiment was conducted in the dry seasons of 2002 and 2003 in the Philippines. Cultivar Apo was grown under flooded and aerobic conditions at 0 and at 150 kg fertilizer N ha^–1. The aerobic fields were flush irrigated when the soil water potential at 15-cm depth reached –30 kPa. A ¹⁵N isotope study was carried out in microplots within the 150-N plots to determine the fate of applied N. The yield under aerobic conditions with 150 kg N ha^–1 was 6.3 t ha^–1 in 2002 and 4.2 t ha^–1 in 2003, and the irrigation water input was 778 mm in 2002 and 826 mm in 2003. Compared with flooded conditions, the yield was 15 and 39% lower, and the irrigation water use 36 and 41% lower in aerobic plots in 2002 and 2003, respectively. N content at 150 kg N ha^–1 in leaves and total plant was nearly the same for aerobic and flooded conditions, indicating that crop growth under aerobic conditions was limited by water deficit and not by N deficit. Under aerobic conditions, average fertilizer N recovery was 22% in both the main field and the microplot, whereas under flooded conditions, it was 49% in the main field and 36% in the microplot. Under both flooded and aerobic conditions, the fraction of ¹⁵N that was determined in the soil after the growing season was 23%. Since nitrate contents in leachate water were negligible, we hypothesized that the N unaccounted for were gaseous losses. The N unaccounted for was higher under aerobic conditions than under flooded conditions. For aerobic rice, trials are suggested for optimizing dose and timing of N fertilizer. Also further improvements in water regime should be made to reduce crop water stress.     

亏缺灌溉对棉花生长和水分利用效率的影响研究进展

棉花是世界上最主要的农作物之一。随着全球水资源的日益紧张,灌溉用水将成为限制棉花生产的主要因素。亏缺灌溉是一种低于作物正常腾发量的灌溉方式,可以在保证棉花产量和品质的前提下提高水分利用效率,是一种有效的节水灌溉方式。本文综述了亏缺灌溉对棉花生长和水分利用效率的影响。亏缺灌溉可以通过促进棉花由营养生长向生殖生长转化,降低棉花株高、叶面积、总生物量,从而提高收获指数、茎粗和水分利用效率。最后,综合现有的研究,结合棉花生产实际,提出亏缺灌溉应用推广建议,以期为旱区棉花可持续发展提供理论指导。     

Crop tolerance to saline sprinkling water

Summary Crops sprinkled with saline irrigation water are subject to foliar salt absorption and injury as well as to injury from soil salinity. Yield reductions caused by soil salinity alone are well documented, and data are presented here for 71 agricultural crops. Factors affecting these data and their applicability to sprinkler-irrigated crops are discussed. Although foliar injury has been observed with many sprinkled crops, particularly tree crops, essentially no information is available to predict yield losses as a function of the salt concentration of the irrigation water. Salinity thresholds for sprinkling-induced foliar injury are estimated for some crops; however, climatic conditions greatly affect the onset and degree of injury. Managment strategies that minimize sprinkling injury are mentioned.     

塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘防护林和自然群落中多枝柽柳的光合特征及水分利用效率

干旱区植物的生长和生存主要受水分限制,采用滴灌方式对防护林植物进行水分补给是维持人工生态屏障稳定性的重要手段.本研究通过测定塔克拉玛干沙漠南缘防护林和自然群落多枝柽柳的气体交换参数和稳定性碳同位素值,研究不同水分来源多枝柽柳的光合特征和水分利用效率.结果表明: 滴灌群落多枝柽柳受灌溉和土壤盐分的影响水势普遍较低;自然群落多枝柽柳清晨和正午水势较其他植物低,表明其遭受到严重的水分胁迫;滴灌群落多枝柽柳叶片净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(g_s)、胞间CO₂浓度(C_i)和最大光合速率(P_{n max})均明显低于自然群落多枝柽柳,表明滴灌群落多枝柽柳光合能力弱于自然群落多枝柽柳;灌溉造成的盐分胁迫导致滴灌群落多枝柽柳比自然群落拥有较高的长期水分利用效率.总之,现行的灌溉模式虽能提供防护林植物生长所需水分,但技术的缺陷和土壤盐分的积累可能会影响防护林体系的长期稳定性.     

Water-Saving and High-Yielding Irrigation for Lowland Rice by Controlling Limiting Values of Soil Water Potential

The present study investigated whether an irrigation system could be established to save water and increase grain yield to enhance water productivity by proper water management at the field level in irrigated lowland rice （Oryza sativa L.）. Using two field-grown rice cultivars, two irrigation systems; conventional irrigation and water-saving irrigation, were conducted. In the water-saving irrigation system, limiting values of soil water potential related to specific growth stages were proposed as irrigation indices. Compared with conventional irrigation where drainage was in mid-season and flooded at other times, the water-saving irrigation increased grain yield by 7.4% to 11.3%, reduced irrigation water by 24.5% to 29.2%, and increased water productivity （grain yield per cubic meter of irrigation water） by 43.1% to 50.3%. The water-saving irrigation significantly increased harvest index, improved milling and appearance qualities, elevated zeatin-I-zeaUn riboside concentrations in root bleedings and enhanced activities of sucrose synthase, adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthase and starch branching enzyme in grains. Our results indicate that water-saving irrigation by controlling limiting values of soil water potential related to specific growth stages can enhance physiological activities of roots and grains, reduce water input, and increase grain yield.