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Drip irrigation frequency leads to plasticity in root water uptake by apple trees

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  • Brighenti, Stefano
  • Tagliavini, Massimo
  • Comiti, Francesco
  • Aguzzoni, Agnese
  • Giuliani, Nicola
  • Ben Abdelkader, Ahmed
  • Penna, Daniele
  • Zanotelli, Damiano

Abstract

Stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen are used in agriculture to investigate the water sources used by crops. Yet, isotopic research on irrigated orchards is still scarce. We investigated the isotopic variability in an apple tree plantation in the Eastern Italian Alps (South Tyrol) during the growing seasons 2020 and 2021. The orchard was subject to an irrigation trial, whereby a drip system was triggered at different soil water potential thresholds at two treatment types: full irrigation (FI, −30 kPa) and deficit irrigation (DI, −60 kPa). On a bi-weekly basis, we sampled precipitation, river water, and groundwater used for irrigation. At both FI and DI, we sampled soil at different depths and bark-devoid branches, and cryogenically extracted their water. Isotopic analyses revealed large differences in δ18O values of soil water belonging to the two irrigation treatments, particularly during the irrigation period (up to 8.9‰). In xylem water, the differences were much smaller (up to 1.6‰). Mixing models (EEMMA) estimated a larger groundwater (vs. rainwater) fraction in the shallow soil (5–10 cm) at FI (25–55%) than at DI (0–5%), compatible with a larger presence of irrigation water in the former. DI plants had a deeper root water uptake (32.0 ± 11.9 cm) than FI ones (19.3 ± 14.5 cm) during the irrigation period. This agreed with the results of mixing models (IsoSource) that estimated a larger use of deeper (60–65 cm) soil water (42 ± 18%) and a lower use of shallow soil water (13 ± 6%) for DI than for FI (34 ± 26% and 27 ± 26%) during the same period. This root water uptake plasticity explains the lacking evidence of physiological stress in sap flux records at DI and supports the potential for further improvements of precision irrigation in similar climatic and edaphic settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Brighenti, Stefano & Tagliavini, Massimo & Comiti, Francesco & Aguzzoni, Agnese & Giuliani, Nicola & Ben Abdelkader, Ahmed & Penna, Daniele & Zanotelli, Damiano, 2024. "Drip irrigation frequency leads to plasticity in root water uptake by apple trees," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:298:y:2024:i:c:s0378377424002051
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108870
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aguzzoni, A. & Engel, M. & Zanotelli, D. & Penna, D. & Comiti, F. & Tagliavini, M., 2022. "Water uptake dynamics in apple trees assessed by an isotope labeling approach," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    2. Cao, Xiaoqing & Yang, Peiling & Engel, Bernard A. & Li, Pingfeng, 2018. "The effects of rainfall and irrigation on cherry root water uptake under drip irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 9-18.
    3. Goebel, Timothy S. & Lascano, Robert J., 2019. "Rainwater use by cotton under subsurface drip and center pivot irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 1-7.
    4. Giuliani, Nicola & Aguzzoni, Agnese & Penna, Daniele & Tagliavini, Massimo, 2023. "Estimating uptake and internal transport dynamics of irrigation water in apple trees using deuterium-enriched water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    5. Wang, Peng & Song, Xianfang & Han, Dongmei & Zhang, Yinghua & Liu, Xin, 2010. "A study of root water uptake of crops indicated by hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes: A case in Shanxi Province, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(3), pages 475-482, March.
    6. Sokalska, D.I. & Haman, D.Z. & Szewczuk, A. & Sobota, J. & Deren, D., 2009. "Spatial root distribution of mature apple trees under drip irrigation system," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(6), pages 917-924, June.
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