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    Climatic and Water Availability Effects on Water-Use Efficiency in Wheat
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    Abstract:
    In Argentina, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is cropped over a wide range of climatic conditions. Considerable variability in the ratio of dry weight produced per unit of transpired water, usually referred to as water-use efficiency (WUE), is expected as variation in climatic factors affects photosynthesis and transpiration in different ways. Also, previous studies have shown that water supply limitations may affect WUE in wheat. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of climatic environment and water availability on WUE in wheat crops. Six experiments were conducted at different locations of the Argentine wheat belt and crop dry weight and water use were measured in periods when water use was dominated by transpiration. Three of the experiments included both irrigated and rainfed treatments. Mean daily values of (i) pan evaporation, (ii) relative humidity, (iii) potential water use, and (iv) vapor pressure deficit, were used to find a general relationship that explained effects of the climatic environment on WUE. For experiments with high water availability, daytime vapor pressure deficit was better related to WUE than the other climatic factors. WUE was greater for experiments with water limitation, probably because stomatal closure to restrict transpiration rate occurred around midday when vapor pressure deficit was highest. As a consequence, relative dry weight under water limitation was not linearly related to relative water use as proposed in previous studies. A quadratic relationship that better represented this response was derived.
    Keywords:
    Water Use Efficiency
    Water use
    Pan evaporation
    This study examined the interaction between a reflective particle film and water use efficiency (WUE) response of irrigated and non-irrigated apple trees ( Malus × domestica ) over a wide range of environmental conditions. The objectives were to measure isotopic discrimination (Δ 13 C and δ 18 O), specific gas exchange, and WUE response of ‘Empire’ apple treated with a reflective particle film (PF), with and without supplemental irrigation, compared with an untreated control, with and without supplemental irrigation, over a range of leaf area indices (LAI), seasonal evapotranspiration (ETo), and vapor pressure deficits (VPD) to determine the mechanisms of action affecting WUE in apple. Short-term whole canopy gas exchange studies and isotope discrimination analysis were used to test the hypothesis that WUE was modified by the use of a PF. In whole canopy gas exchange studies, carbon assimilation (A) and transpiration tended to increase, and WUE and canopy conductance tended to decrease, with VPD within each LAI class from 2 to 6. For VPD > 1 kPa, the PF irrigated treatment consistently had the greatest WUE and other treatments were intermediate for LAI of 2 to 4. The PF irrigated and non-irrigated treatments had greater WUE than the control irrigated and non-irrigated treatments for VPD ≤ 2 kPa and there were no treatment effects for VPD > 2 kPa in the LAI range of 4 to 6. The PF non-irrigated was equivalent to the control non-irrigated treatment at VPD of 1 to 3 kPa, but was significantly lower at VPD of 3 to 4 kPa. PF irrigated and non-irrigated treatments had the greatest carbon isotope discrimination (Δ 13 C), the control non-irrigated treatment had the lowest Δ 13 C, and the control-irrigated treatment was intermediate. Oxygen isotope enrichment (δ 18 O) was positively correlated with the mean growing season VPD and mean growing season evapotranspiration. Δ 13 C was significantly and positively correlated with δ 18 O. Seasonal WUE was negatively correlated with Δ 13 C and there was an interaction with LAI. The seasonal water use of apple is better evaluated with stable isotope discrimination integrating seasonal variation rather that the use of whole canopy gas exchange measurements that measure WUE for brief periods of time. Δ 13 C was an accurate measurement of apple WUE and indicated that the PF irrigated treatment had the greatest Δ 13 C and so the lowest WUE compared with the control non-irrigated treatment at LAI from 4 to 6. The reduced WUE of the PF irrigated treatment compared with the control non-irrigated treatment is likely due to increased g S from lower canopy temperature and increased canopy photosynthetically active radiation diffusion that drove increased A. δ 18 O was an indicator of seasonal water use over six growing seasons due to its high correlation with ETo. In ‘Empire’ apple, A can be increased with PF and irrigation treatments, but at the cost of decreased WUE.
    Water Use Efficiency
    Canopy conductance
    Stomatal Conductance
    Malus
    Citations (38)
    In eastern Australia, latitudinal gradients in vapour pressure deficit (VPD), mean temperature (T), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and fraction of diffuse radiation (FDR) around the critical stage for yield formation affect wheat yield and crop water-use efficiency (WUE = yield per unit evapotranspiration). In this paper we combine our current understanding of these climate factors aggregated in a normalised phototermal coefficient, NPq = (PAR· FDR)/(T · VPD), with a shire-level dynamic model of crop yield and water use to quantify WUE of wheat in 245 shires across Australia. Three measures of WUE were compared: WUE, the ratio of measured yield and modelled evapotranspiration; WUEVPD, i.e. WUE corrected by VPD; and WUENPq, i.e. WUE corrected by NPq. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that WUENPq suits regional comparisons better than WUE or WUEVPD. Actual median yield at the shire level (1975–2000) varied from 0.5 to 2.8 t/ha and the coefficient of variation ranged from 18 to 92%. Modelled median evapotranspiration varied from 106 to 620 mm and it accounted for 42% of the variation in yield among regions. The relationship was non-linear, and yield stabilised at ~2 t/ha for evapotranspiration above 343 mm. There were no associations between WUE and rainfall. The associations were weak (R2 = 0.09) but in the expected direction for WUEVPD, i.e. inverse with seasonal rainfall and direct with off-season rainfall, and strongest for WUENPq (R2 = 0.40).We suggest that the effects of VPD, PAR, FDR, and T, can be integrated to improve the regional quantification of WUE defined in terms of grain yield and seasonal water use.
    Water Use Efficiency
    Photosynthetically active radiation
    Water use
    Crop coefficient
    Citations (17)
    In Argentina, wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is cropped over a wide range of climatic conditions. Considerable variability in the ratio of dry weight produced per unit of transpired water, usually referred to as water‐use efficiency (WUE), is expected as variation in climatic factors affects photosynthesis and transpiration in different ways. Also, previous studies have shown that water supply limitations may affect WUE in wheat. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of climatic environment and water availability on WUE in wheat crops. Six experiments were conducted at different locations of the Argentine wheat belt and crop dry weight and water use were measured in periods when water use was dominated by transpiration. Three of the experiments included both irrigated and rainfed treatments. Mean daily values of (i) pan evaporation, (ii) relative humidity, (iii) potential water use, and (iv) vapor pressure deficit, were used to find a general relationship that explained effects of the climatic environment on WUE. For experiments with high water availability, daytime vapor pressure deficit was better related to WUE than the other climatic factors. WUE was greater for experiments with water limitation, probably because stomatal closure to restrict transpiration rate occurred around midday when vapor pressure deficit was highest. As a consequence, relative dry weight under water limitation was not linearly related to relative water use as proposed in previous studies. A quadratic relationship that better represented this response was derived.
    Water Use Efficiency
    Water use
    Pan evaporation
    Citations (23)
    The ratio of carbon assimilation to water evapotranspiration (ET) of an ecosystem, referred to as ecosystem water use efficiency (WUEeco), is widely expected to increase because of the rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (Ca). However, little is known about the interactive effects of rising Ca and climate change on WUEeco. On the basis of upscaled estimates from machine learning methods and global FLUXNET observations, we show that global WUEeco has not risen since 2001 because of the asymmetric effects of an increased vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which depressed photosynthesis and enhanced ET. An undiminished ET trend indicates that rising temperature and VPD may play a more important role in regulating ET than declining stomatal conductance. Projected increases in VPD are predicted to affect the future coupling of the terrestrial carbon and water cycles.
    Saturation (graph theory)
    Water saturation
    Water Use Efficiency
    Citations (108)
    Limitations and utility of three measures of water use characteristics were evaluated: water use efficiency (WUE), intrinsic WUE and marginal water cost of carbon gain ( ∂E/∂A ) estimated, respectively, as ratios of assimilation (A) to transpiration (E), of A to stomatal conductance (gs ) and of sensitivities of E and A with variation in gs . Only the measure ∂E/∂A estimates water use strategy in a way that integrates carbon gain relative to water use under varying environmental conditions across scales from leaves to communities. This insight provides updated and simplified ways of estimating ∂E/∂A and adds depth to understanding ways that plants balance water expenditure against carbon gain, uniquely providing a mechanistic means of predicting water use characteristics under changing environmental scenarios.
    Water Use Efficiency
    Water use
    Carbon assimilation
    Stomatal Conductance
    Water balance
    Citations (9)
    In Argentina, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is cropped over a wide range of climatic conditions. Considerable variability in the ratio of dry weight produced per unit of transpired water, usually referred to as water-use efficiency (WUE), is expected as variation in climatic factors affects photosynthesis and transpiration in different ways. Also, previous studies have shown that water supply limitations may affect WUE in wheat. The objective of this study was to quantify the effects of climatic environment and water availability on WUE in wheat crops. Six experiments were conducted at different locations of the Argentine wheat belt and crop dry weight and water use were measured in periods when water use was dominated by transpiration. Three of the experiments included both irrigated and rainfed treatments. Mean daily values of (i) pan evaporation, (ii) relative humidity, (iii) potential water use, and (iv) vapor pressure deficit, were used to find a general relationship that explained effects of the climatic environment on WUE. For experiments with high water availability, daytime vapor pressure deficit was better related to WUE than the other climatic factors. WUE was greater for experiments with water limitation, probably because stomatal closure to restrict transpiration rate occurred around midday when vapor pressure deficit was highest. As a consequence, relative dry weight under water limitation was not linearly related to relative water use as proposed in previous studies. A quadratic relationship that better represented this response was derived.
    Water Use Efficiency
    Water use
    Pan evaporation
    Citations (108)
    ABSTRACT AN analytical investigation of the effect of atmos-pheric pressure level on air-water psyohrometric re-lationships is reported. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is shown to be essentially independent of atmospheric pressure level in the range of atmospheric pressures nor-mally encountered in postharvest handling of horticul-tural commodities. Water loss potential from horticul-tural commodities is shown to exist at low atmospheric pressures and negligible VPD since water vapor diffusiv-ity into air increases exponentially as pressure is reduced.
    Density of air
    Citations (3)