Modeling Plant Response to Deficit Irrigation with Saline Water: Separating the Effects of Water and Salt Stress in the Root Uptake Function

Standard salinity management theory, derived from blending thermodynamic and semi- empirical considerations leads to an erroneous perception regarding compensative interaction among salinity stress factors. The current approach treats matric and osmotic components of soil water potential separately and then combines their effects to compute overall response. With deficit water a severe yield decrease is expected under high salinity, yet little or no reduction is predicted for excess irrigation, irrespective of salinity level. Similarly, considerations of competition between chloride and nitrate ions have lead to compensation hypothesis and to application of excess nitrate under saline conditions. The premise of compensative interaction of growth factors behind present practices (that an increase in water application alleviates salinity stress) may result in collateral environmental damage. Over-irrigation resulting in salinization and elevated ground water threatens productivity on a global scale. Other repercussions include excessive application of nitrate to compensate for salinity, unwillingness to practice deficit irrigation with saline water, and under-utilization of marginal water. The objectives for the project were as follows: 1) To develop a database for model parameterization and validation by studying yield and transpiration response to water availability, excessive salinity and salt composition. 2) To modify the root sink terms of an existing mechanism-based model(s) of water flow, transpiration, crop yield, salt transport, and salt chemistry. 3) To develop conceptual and quantitative models of ion uptake that considers the soil solution concentration and composition. 4) To develop a conceptual and quantitative models of effects of NaCl and boron accumulation on yield and transpiration. 5) To add a user interface to the water flow, transpiration, crop yield, salt transport, chemistry model to make it easy for others to use. We conducted experiments in field plots and lysimeters to study biomass production and transpiration of com (Zeamays cv. Jubilee), melon (Cucumismelo subsp. melo cv. Galia), tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum Mill. cv. 5656), onion (Alliumcepa L. cv. HA 944), and date palms (Phoenix Dactylifera L. cv. Medjool) under salinity combined with water or with nitrate (growth promoters) or with boron (growth inhibitor). All factors ranged from levels not limiting to plant function to severe inhibition. For cases of combined salinity with water stress, or excess boron, we observed neither additive nor compensative effects on plant yield and transpiration. In fact, yield and transpiration at each combination of the various factors were primarily controlled by one of them, the most limiting factor to plant activity. We proposed a crop production model of the form Yr = min{gi(xi), where Yr = Yi ym-1 is relative yield,Ym is the maximum yield obtained in each experiment, Xi is an environmental factor, gi is a piecewise-linear response function, Yi is yield of a particular treatment. We selected a piecewise-linear approach because it highlights the irrigation level where the response to one factor ceases and a second factor begins. The production functions generate response "envelopes" containing possible yields with diagonal lines represent response to Xi alone and the lines parallel to the X-axis represent response to salinity alone. A multiplicative model was also derived approximating the limiting behaviour for incorporation in a hydrochemical model. The multiplicative model was selected because the response function was required to be continuous. The hydrochemical model was a better predictor of field-measured water content and salt profiles than models based on an additive and compensative model of crop response to salinity and water stress.