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Long-term growth, water consumption and yield of date palm as a function of salinity

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  • Tripler, Effi
  • Shani, Uri
  • Mualem, Yechezkel
  • Ben-Gal, Alon

Abstract

Actual measurements of water uptake and use, and the effect of water quality considerations on evapotranspiration (ET), are indispensable for understanding root zone processes and for the development of predictive plant growth models. The driving hypothesis of this research was that root zone stress response mechanisms in perennial fruit tree crops is dynamic and dependent on tree maturity and reproductive capability. This was tested by investigating long-term ET, biomass production and fruit yield in date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L., cv. Medjool) under conditions of salinity. Elevated salinity levels in the soil solution were maintained for 6 years in large weighing-drainage lysimeters by irrigation with water having electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.8, 4, 8 and 12dSm−1. Salinity acted dynamically with a long-term consequence of increasing relative negative response to water consumption and plant growth that may be explained either as an accumulated effect or increasing sensitivity. Sensitivity to salinity stabilized at the highest measured levels after the trees matured and began producing fruit. Date palms were found to be much less tolerant to salinity than expected based on previous literature. Trees irrigated with low salinity (EC=1.8dSm−1) water were almost twice the size (based on ET and growth rates) than trees irrigated with EC=4dSm−1 water after 5 years. Fruit production of the larger trees was 35–50% greater than for the smaller, salt affected, trees. Long term irrigation with very high EC of irrigation water (8 and 12dSm−1) was found to be commercially impractical as growth and yield were severely reduced. The results raise questions regarding the nature of mechanisms for salinity tolerance in date palms, indicate incentives to irrigate dates with higher rather than lower quality water, and present a particular challenge for modelers to correctly choose salinity response functions for dates as well as other perennial crops.

Suggested Citation

  • Tripler, Effi & Shani, Uri & Mualem, Yechezkel & Ben-Gal, Alon, 2011. "Long-term growth, water consumption and yield of date palm as a function of salinity," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 128-134.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:99:y:2011:i:1:p:128-134
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2011.06.010
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    1. Ben-Gal, Alon & Ityel, Eviatar & Dudley, Lynn & Cohen, Shabtai & Yermiyahu, Uri & Presnov, Eugene & Zigmond, Leah & Shani, Uri, 2008. "Effect of irrigation water salinity on transpiration and on leaching requirements: A case study for bell peppers," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(5), pages 587-597, May.
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    1. Giulia Marino & Daniele Zaccaria & Richard L. Snyder & Octavio Lagos & Bruce D. Lampinen & Louise Ferguson & Stephen R. Grattan & Cayle Little & Kristen Shapiro & Mahesh Lal Maskey & Dennis L. Corwin , 2019. "Actual Evapotranspiration and Tree Performance of Mature Micro-Irrigated Pistachio Orchards Grown on Saline-Sodic Soils in the San Joaquin Valley of California," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Al-Dakheel, Abdullah J. & Hussain, M. Iftikhar & Abdulrahman, Abdulqader & Abdullah, AlHarith, 2022. "Long term assessment of salinity impact on fruit yield in eighteen date palm varieties," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    3. Serret, Maria D. & Al-Dakheel, Abdullah J. & Yousfi, Salima & Fernáandez-Gallego, Jose A. & Elouafi, Ismahane A. & Araus, José L., 2020. "Vegetation indices derived from digital images and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope signatures as indicators of date palm performance under salinity," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    4. Al-Muaini, Ahmed & Green, Steve & Dakheel, Abdullah & Abdullah, Al-Hareth & Sallam, Osama & Abou Dahr, Wasel Abdelwahid & Dixon, Steve & Kemp, Peter & Clothier, Brent, 2019. "Water requirements for irrigation with saline groundwater of three date-palm cultivars with different salt-tolerances in the hyper-arid United Arab Emirates," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 213-220.
    5. Zhen, Jingbo & Lazarovitch, Naftali & Tripler, Effi, 2020. "Effects of fruit load intensity and irrigation level on fruit quality, water productivity and net profits of date palms," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    6. Haj-Amor, Zied & Kumar Acharjee, Tapos & Dhaouadi, Latifa & Bouri, Salem, 2020. "Impacts of climate change on irrigation water requirement of date palms under future salinity trend in coastal aquifer of Tunisian oasis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    7. Meir, M. & Zaccai, M. & Raveh, E. & Ben-Asher, J. & Tel-Zur, N., 2014. "Performance of Ziziphus jujuba trees correlates with tissue mineral content under salinity conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 47-55.
    8. Mishari A. Alnaim & Magdy S. Mohamed & Maged Mohammed & Muhammad Munir, 2022. "Effects of Automated Irrigation Systems and Water Regimes on Soil Properties, Water Productivity, Yield and Fruit Quality of Date Palm," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, February.
    9. Hu, Yanzhe & Kang, Shaozhong & Ding, Risheng & Zhao, Qing, 2021. "A crude protein and fiber model of alfalfa incorporating growth age under water and salt stress," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    10. Al-Muaini, Ahmed & Green, Steve & Abou Dahr, Wasel Abdelwahid & Kennedy, Lesley & Kemp, Peter & Dawoud, Mohamed & Clothier, Brent, 2019. "Water use and irrigation requirements for date palms on commercial farms in the hyper-arid United Arab Emirates," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    11. Tripler, Effi & Shani, Uri & Ben-Gal, Alon & Mualem, Yechezkel, 2012. "Apparent steady state conditions in high resolution weighing-drainage lysimeters containing date palms grown under different salinities," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 66-73.

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