Assessing Barriers in Adaptation of Water Management Innovations under Rotational Canal Water Distribution System

This study assessed problems associated with irrigation water provisions and the potential barriers to the adaptation of the interventions (soil moisture sensors, on-farm water storage facilities and the drip method) under rotational canal water distribution in Punjab, Pakistan. Three groups of stakeholders were individually surveyed during September–December 2020: (i) 72 farmers, (ii) 15 officials, and (iii) 14 academicians. We used descriptive statistical analysis, cross-tabulation and the Fisher test to explore the pattern of responses across the groups. The main problems in the canal water distribution system were expressed by the farmers as limited water allocation, while academicians were concerned mostly with inflexibility and officials indicated discussion among neighbors. According to the farmers’ responses, the conventional depth/interval of irrigation is flooding the field with water and observing the plants, indicating over-irrigation behavior. Moreover, the most important barriers in the adaptation of the interventions that were highly rated by the three groups were low awareness, lack of training and financial resources. Additionally, farmers’ education revealed a statistically significant influence on awareness of soil moisture sensors and water storage facilities, while large farm holders showed a positive relationship to conducting a joint experiment with scientists and farmers’ associations on part of their land to improve water use efficiency.

Impacts of zebra chip disease and irrigation on leaf physiological traits in potato

Zebra chip disease (ZC) is caused by the fastidious, phloem-limited, bacterial pathogen ' Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso), which is transmitted from plant to plant by the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc)). Understanding how ZC impacts potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) physiology, could help growers in making more informed crop management decisions. Measurements of instantaneous leaf physiological responses, such as photosynthetic CO 2 uptake and transpiration on the leaf surface, can be used not only for fast screening of affected plants in the field but also for optimizing irrigation management. Over the 2019 and 2020 field seasons, we characterized time-course photosynthetic physiological responses of potato plants infested by potato psyllids (B. cockerelli (Sulc)) carrying the Lso haplotypes A+B. Potato plants were subjected to different variable-rate irrigation (VRI) treatments (100%, 80%, and 60% of field capacity of the soil) through a center-pivot sprinkler system to examine the impact of the disease on key physiological parameters of photosynthesis and transpiration. Leaf and air temperatures, and hyperspectral profiles of the canopy were also measured and compared. The measurements were made during midday weekly from 25 to 50 days after plant infestation (DAI) with bacteriliferous psyllids. The results showed that many of the measured variables, including stomatal conductance, photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, quantum yields, and normalized difference in vegetation index started to decrease beginning approximately 28–35 DAI, gradually worsening until 50 DAI, in both 2019 and 2020, as the infection proceeded. The decreases in stomatal conductance in infected plants led to decreases in photosynthesis and transpiration. In turn, reduced transpiration resulted in increased leaf temperature due to decrease in evaporative cooling on the leaf surface. Higher leaf temperatures under hot and dry conditions with high light intensity during the daytime would further reduce photosynthetic light harvesting, which is supported by our data, indicating the damage to the photosynthetic pigment formation and machinery. These findings support the previous report that increased leaf temperature in infected plants may have been derived from the closure of stomata in hypersensitive reactions to infection. These stomatal responses were detected within 28 DAI, a week earlier than the differences in hyperspectral profiles observed 35 DAI, and could be implemented in early disease detection strategiesusing measurements of leaf temperature. • Stomata in zebra chip (ZC) diseased potatoes closed and did not recover over time. • Closed stomata caused leaf temperature to increase, damaging ZC diseased potatoes. • ZC disease symptoms can be differentiated from those under water deficit. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Agricultural Water Management is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Response of Summer Maize Growth and Water Use to Different Irrigation Regimes

Summer maize crop development, yield, and water use characteristics under water deficit conditions at different growth stages were investigated in this study using different irrigation regime treatments at the seedling (S), jointing (J), tasseling (T), and grain filling stages (F) in 2018 and 2019 in China. Ten different irrigation treatments were set, including three-irrigation application intervals (JTFi, STFi, SJFi, SJTi), two-irrigation applications (STi, JTi, JFi), and single-irrigation applications (Ti, Ji). These were compared to the control treatment (CK), which had sufficient irrigation provided at four intervals (SJTFi). The results showed that compared to CK, a water deficit at the seedling and jointing stages had a greater effect on plant height, whereas a water deficit at the tasseling and filling stages had a greater effect on the leaf area index, and a continuous water deficit had an effect on the stem diameter of summer maize. Limitations in terms of the growth and development of summer maize increased with less frequent irrigation. As irrigation decreased, the grain yield decreased, and the water use efficiency increased, and a water deficit at the tasseling stage had the greatest effect on the yield and water use efficiency. The JTFi treatment was the optimal irrigation regime with a yield decline, and its water consumption was reduced by 16.9% (p < 0.05) on average. However, compared to CK, the water use efficiency of the JTFi treatment increased by 17.3% (p < 0.05). Moreover, the JTFi treatment had the smallest maize yield response factor value (Ky) of 0.16, and its comprehensive score was the second highest after CK. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Agronomy is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)