Water use and water use efficiency of old and modern wheat cultivars in a Mediterranean-type environment

1990 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
KHM Siddique ◽  
D Tennant ◽  
MW Perry ◽  
RK Belford
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Harvest Index ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Wheat Cultivars ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Modern Cultivar ◽  
Modern Wheat ◽  
Use Efficiency

Water use and water use efficiency of old and modern wheat cultivars and one barley cultivar were measured in a Mediterranean environment at Merredin, W.A. Water use efficiency for grain increased substantially from old to modern cultivars, with little difference among modern cultivars. Water use efficiency for dry matter was similar between cultivars. Barley had the highest water use efficiency of both grain and dry matter. Improved water use efficiency for grain in modern cultivars was associated with faster development, earlier flowering, improved canopy structure and higher harvest index. Modern cultivars used slightly less water than old cultivars. The pattern of water use was also different, with late-maturing old cultivars using more water in the pre- than the post-anthesis period. The ratio of pre- to post-anthesis water use was highest with the late-maturing, old cultivar Purple Straw (5.2:1) and lowest with early-maturing, modern cultivar Gutha (3.0:1). Soil evaporation estimates showed that modern cultivars had lower rates of soil evaporation in the early part of the growing season. This was associated with their faster leaf area development and improved light interception. About 40% of the total water use was lost by soil evaporation with very little difference between wheat cultivars. Barley had 15% less soil evaporation than wheat. Water use efficiency for grain based on transpiration (transpiration efficiency) for the four modern cultivars was 15.8 kg ha-1 mm-1, similar to other studies in comparable environments. Some further improvement in water use efficiency appears possible through improvement in crop biomass and harvest index. However, given the frequent and severe limitations of total water supply at low rainfall sites such as Merredin, there appears to be more scope for improvement in yield and water use efficiency in the medium and high rainfall areas of the wheatbelt.

Water Use, Grain Yield, and Osmoregulation in Wheat

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Morgan ◽  
AG Condon
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Harvest Index ◽  
High Water ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Turgor Maintenance ◽  
Use Efficiency

Genotypic differences in turgor maintenance in wheat were shown to be associated with differences in grain yield in the field at both high and Low water deficits. High water deficits were produced by growing plants in field plots using water stored in the soil at sowing, and excluding rain with a rain cover. At low water deficits plants received rainfall, and irrigation was supplied before and immediately after sowing, at tillering, at jointing, at ear emergence, and during grain filling. Yield differences were analysed in terms of harvest index, water use, and water use efficiency. Water use was calculated from changes in soil water contents. At high water deficits all three factors were associated with differences in turgor maintenance. However, only the variations in water use and harvest index could be logically associated with differences in turgor maintenance. Analysis of the soil water extraction data showed that the differences in water use efficiency were due solely to differences in water use at depth while surface water losses were the same, i.e. the ratio of transpiration to soil evaporation would have been higher in low-osmoregulating genotypes. At low water deficits, no differences were observed in harvest index, though there were non-significant correlations between turgor maintenance and total water use efficiency or total water use. A similar result was obtained when the water use and yield data were related to osmoregulation measurements made in the glasshouse. It is therefore concluded that effects of turgor maintenance or osmoregulation on grain yield were primarily associated with differences in water use which were, in turn, due to differences in water extraction at soil depths between 25 and 150 cm.

Growth, development, and yield of three oilseed Brassica species in a water-limited environment

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
GJ Lewis ◽  
N Thurling
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Seed Yield ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Dry Matter Production ◽  
Open Flower ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Oilseed Brassicas

Representative lines of Brassica napus, B. campestris, and B. juncea were compared at East Beverley in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia on the basis of agronomic and physiological characters known to affect seed yield. Seed yield of B. juncea line 81794 was 32% higher than the locally adapted B. napus cv. Wesbrook (76 g/m2). Yields of B. napus cv. Eureka and the 2 B. campestris populations were not significantly different from Wesbrook and were lower than 81794. The higher yield of 81794 was due to higher dry matter production, particularly after first open flower. Yield superiority of 81794 was not associated with any single yield component. Under the water-stressed conditions of this experiment, seed yield had a strong positive correlation with dry matter production after first open flower. Differences in dry matter production during this period were due to variation in crop growth rates among the lines, not to variations in duration of the period. There was no relationship between flowering time and seed yield in this experiment, suggesting earlier reproductive development is not obligatory for high yield of oilseed Brassicas in low rainfall mediterranean environments. Total water use throughout the season differed little among populations, but there were differences in water use patterns over time. The greater rate of dry matter accumulation of 81794 is due to its ability to extract more water from the soil profile after anthesis; postanthesis water use of 81794 was 20% higher than that of Wesbrook. Water use efficiency of 81794 was also higher than that of Wesbrook, because soil evaporation comprised a smaller proportion of evapotranspiration. Further increases in seed yield of oilseed brassicas in this environment should be possible if higher postanthesis water use could be combined with lower soil evaporation and improved water use efficiency.

Dry matter, harvest index, grain yield and water use efficiency as affected by water supply in winter wheat

2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiying Zhang ◽  
Suying Chen ◽  
Hongyong Sun ◽  
Dong Pei ◽  
Yanmei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Harvest Index ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Use Efficiency

Canopy development modifies the water economy of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in south-western Australia

1986 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 599 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. H. M. Siddique ◽  
R. H. Sedgley
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Soil Cover ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Canopy Development ◽  
Turn On ◽  
Sowing Dates ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Plant Data

Soil water balance and plant data from a time of sowing trial, and estimates of transpiration efficiency, were used to assess the importance of soil cover, provided by developing canopies, on the water use and its partitioning between soil evaporation and transpiration. As reported in an earlier paper, time of sowing strongly affected the timing and rate of canopy development, and had little effect within years on total water use, which was 221 mm in 1982 and 185 mm in 1983. Time of sowing also modified the pattern of water use, and this was reflected in substantial effects on the partitioning of water use, between soil evaporation and transpiration, and in turn on yield and water use efficiency. Estimated water use by soil evaporation ranged from 100 to 125 mm in 1982 and from 75 to 115 mm in 1983. The majority of this, an average of 80 mm, in 1982 and 75 mm, in 1983, occurred during the winter months, June to August, and varied mildly with soil cover. Soil cover had its greatest effect on water use through transpiration during spring, when temperatures were rising rapidly. Transpiration varied between sowing dates by 20 mm in 1982, and by 40 mm in 1983. Measures to improve water use efficiency should aim to reduce soil evaporation during winter both directly, by increasing soil cover, for example, by mulches or earlier-developing canopies, and indirectly by increasing infiltration. In spring, measures to improve water use efficiency should aim at reducing transpiration by minimising canopy development to what is required by the crop to maximise harvest index.

Water use efficiency of wheat in a Mediterranean-type environment. I. The relation between yield, water use and climate

1984 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 743 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ French ◽  
JE Schultz
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Use Efficiency

The relations between wheat yield and water use were determined from field measurements in South Australia. Highest production of dry matter was 37 kg ha-1 per mm of water use and of grain was 12.7 kg ha-1 per mm. More than 70% of the total water use occurred by anthesis. Time of sowing and soil water content at sowing had a big influence on yield. The loss of water by direct evaporation was estimated to be 110 mm, equal to about one-third of the water use. The maximum efficiency of water transpired was 55 kg ha-1 mm-1 for dry matter and 20 kg ha-1 mm-1 for grain. The efficiencies of most of the crops were below this level. Yield (Y), water use (W) and evaporation (Ep) could be fitted to the de Wit formula Y = m W/Ep, but the m factor varied with the proportion of water use that was lost by direct evaporation.

WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF CORN, SUNFLOWER AND WHEAT WITH LIMITING SOIL MOISTURE

1983 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 747-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. GREEN ◽  
D. W. L. READ
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Dry Matter Production ◽  
Wheat Cultivars ◽  
Matter Production ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Limited Moisture

Corn was superior to wheat in water use efficiency (WUE) calculated by using total dry matter production. Manitou wheat under adequate soil moisture was more efficient in water use than Pitic 62 or Wascana wheats. All wheat cultivars showed improved WUE with limited moisture. Sunflowers were the most adaptive species at changing WUE in response to available moisture.Key words: Water use efficiency

The limit to wheat water-use efficiency in eastern Australia. II. Influence of rainfall patterns

2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (7) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O. Sadras ◽  
D. Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Harvest Index ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Soil Evaporation ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Rainfall Patterns

We investigated the influence of rainfall patterns on the water-use efficiency of wheat in a transect between Horsham (36°S) and Emerald (23°S) in eastern Australia. Water-use efficiency was defined in terms of biomass and transpiration, WUEB/T, and grain yield and evapotranspiration, WUEY/ET. Our working hypothesis is that latitudinal trends in WUEY/ET of water-limited crops are the complex result of southward increasing WUEB/T and soil evaporation, and season-dependent trends in harvest index. Our approach included: (a) analysis of long-term records to establish latitudinal gradients of amount, seasonality, and size-structure of rainfall; and (b) modelling wheat development, growth, yield, water budget components, and derived variables including WUEB/T and WUEY/ET. Annual median rainfall declined from around 600 mm in northern locations to 380 mm in the south. Median seasonal rain (from sowing to harvest) doubled between Emerald and Horsham, whereas median off-season rainfall (harvest to sowing) ranged from 460 mm at Emerald to 156 mm at Horsham. The contribution of small events (≤ 5 mm) to seasonal rainfall was negligible at Emerald (median 15 mm) and substantial at Horsham (105 mm). Power law coefficients (τ), i.e. the slopes of the regression between size and number of events in a log-log scale, captured the latitudinal gradient characterised by an increasing dominance of small events from north to south during the growing season. Median modelled WUEB/T increased from 46 kg/ha.mm at Emerald to 73 kg/ha.mm at Horsham, in response to decreasing atmospheric demand. Median modelled soil evaporation during the growing season increased from 70 mm at Emerald to 172 mm at Horsham. This was explained by the size-structure of rainfall characterised with parameter τ, rather than by the total amount of rainfall. Median modelled harvest index ranged from 0.25 to 0.34 across locations, and had a season-dependent latitudinal pattern, i.e. it was greater in northern locations in dry seasons in association with wetter soil profiles at sowing. There was a season-dependent latitudinal pattern in modelled WUEY/ET. In drier seasons, high soil evaporation driven by a very strong dominance of small events, and lower harvest index override the putative advantage of low atmospheric demand and associated higher WUEB/T in southern locations, hence the significant southwards decrease in WUEY/ET. In wetter seasons, when large events contribute a significant proportion of seasonal rain, higher WUEB/T in southern locations may translate into high WUEY/ET. Linear boundary functions (French-Schultz type models) accounting for latitudinal gradients in its parameters, slope, and x-intercept, were fitted to scatter-plots of modelled yield v. evapotranspiration. The x-intercept of the model is re-interpreted in terms of rainfall size structure, and the slope or efficiency multiplier is described in terms of the radiation, temperature, and air humidity properties of the environment. Implications for crop management and breeding are discussed.

scholarly journals WATER USE EFFICIENCY, GROWTH AND YIELD OF WHEAT CULTIVATED UNDER COMPETITION WITH Setaria

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.Z. IHSAN ◽  
F.S. EL-NAKHLAWY ◽  
S.M. ISMAIL
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Harvest Index ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Yield Losses ◽  
Wheat Production ◽  
Use Efficiency

ABSTRACT Understanding the critical period of weed competition is indispensable in the development of an effective weed management program in field crops. Current experiment was planned to evaluate the critical growth period ofSetaria and level of yield losses associated with delay in weeding in rain-fed drip irrigated wheat production system of Saudi Arabia. Field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of weeding interval (07-21, 14-28, 21-35, 28-42 and 35-49 days after sowing) and drought stress (75% and 50% of field capacity) on Setaria growth, wheat yield and water use efficiency. Season long weedy check and wellwatered (100% FC) plots were also maintained for comparison. Weeding interval and drought stress significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected the growth and yield of Setaria and wheat. Drought stress from 75% to 50% FC resulted in reductions of 29-40% in Setaria height, 14-27% in Setaria density and 11-26% in Setaria dry biomass. All weeding intervals except 35-49 DAS significantly suppressedSetaria growth as compared with control. Delay in weeding increased weed-crop competition interval and reduced wheat yield and yield contributors. Therefore, the lowest yield of 1836 kg ha-1 was attained for weeding interval of 35-49 DAS at 50% FC. Water use efficiency and harvest index increased with decreasing FC levels but reduced with delay in weeding. Correlation analysis predicted negative association ofSetariadensity with wheat yield and yield contributors and the highest negative association was for harvest index (-0.913) and water use efficiency (-0.614). Early management of Setaria is imperative for successful wheat production otherwise yield losses are beyond economical limits.

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