The effect of deficit irrigation, partial root drying and mulching on tomato yield, and water and energy saving*

Abstract

Partial root drying (PRD) is a modified irrigation strategy form of deficit irrigation (DI) to improve water productivity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of PRD, DI and organic mulching on water and energy conservation, as well as tomato yield. A field trial was carried out during the 2019 and 2020 summer seasons in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt. The main plots were assigned for the irrigation treatments, full irrigation with 100% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc (I 1 ), deficit irrigation with 85% of ETc (I 2 ) and 70% of ETc (I 3 ), meanwhile the subplots were allocated for irrigation strategies of irrigating plants from one side only (P 1 ), PRD (P 2 ), and continuous irrigation plants from both sides (P 3 ), and sub-subplots were allocated for no mulching (M 1 ) and mulching (M 2 ) treatments. The results showed that, compared to I 1 , tomato growth parameters and yield were reduced significantly for the I 2 and I 3 treatments. The tomato yield and water consumptive use were reduced by 3.4 and 5.3%, respectively, for the I 2 treatment and 28.1 and 18.2%, respectively, for the I 3 treatment. Water and energy productivity (WEP) increased by 34 and 47% for the I 2 and I 3 treatments, respectively. Organic mulching and PRD enhanced tomato growth parameters and yield, productivity of irrigation water and WEP. It was concluded, that I 2 Â P 2 Â M 2 interaction enhanced tomato yield while reducing water and energy consumption. K E Y W O R D S deficit irrigation, mulching, partial root drying, tomato, water energy productivity Résumé Le séchage partiel des racines (PRD) est une forme modifiée de stratégie d'irrigation par déficit (DI) pour améliorer la productivité de l'eau. L'objectif de cette étude était d'étudier les effets du PRD, DI et du paillage biologique sur la conservation de l'eau et de l'énergie, ainsi que sur la promotion du rendement des tomates. Un essai sur le terrain a été réalisé pendant les saisons d'été 2019 et 2020 dans le gouvernorat de Kafr el-cheikh, en Egypte. Les principales * L'effet de l'irrigation déficitaire, du séchage partiel des racines et du paillage sur le rendement des tomates et les économies d'eau et d'énergie.

Optimizing Deficit Irrigation Management to Improve Water Productivity of Greenhouse Tomato under Plastic Film Mulching Using the RZ-SHAW Model

“…This could be attributed to the stable tendency of yield from ET95 to ET225 (Figure 6b), in which increased irrigation rates played the dominant role in the change in WP. Compared to previous studies, the optimal DI levels for max WP appeared in the range of 50-100% ET [10][11][12][13][14]. The optimal DI scenario in this study (i.e., ET95) was also in this range.…”

“…Many studies focused on exploring the optimal DI managements without tomato WP penalties [9]. However, the optimal DI level ranged widely in most studies, e.g., 50% crop evapotranspiration (ET) [10], 70% ET [11], 75% ET [12], 80% ET [13] and 100% ET [14]. These different observations were mainly because, in addition to the DI levels, other factors also affected the yield change after DI adoption, e.g., tomato cultivars [15], soil types [16], local climate [17] and fertilizers [18].…”

Appropriate supply of irrigation and nitrogen produced higher yields of cherry tomatoes

“…Adequate irrigation and nitrogen application amount (T 5 ) produced the highest FDM and PDM in both years. Moderate irrigation and nitrogen levels could promote efficient water and nitrogen usage and vegetative and reproductive growth through the contribution of enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism, and induce the growth of the lateral roots and increase root quality, which improved the absorption of water and nutrient in the root zone, thereby increasing tomato FDM [40,41] .…”

Enhancing Productivity and Improving Nutritional Quality of Subtropical and Temperate Leafy Vegetables in Tropical Greenhouses and Indoor Farming Systems

“…Deficit irrigation (DI), defined as the application of water below the evapotranspiration requirements, is a practical irrigation strategy to enhance water productivity. Using DI strategy, the crop is exposed to a mild drought stress level either during the whole growing period or during a particular growth stage [93]. Studies have reported that DI strategies present significant opportunities for conserving water without sacrificing crop yield, or with only a minor reduction in yield, while also improving the quality of the produce [94][95][96][97].…”