Deficit Irrigation as a Sustainable Practice in Improving Irrigation Water Use Efficiency in Cauliflower under Mediterranean Conditions

Pascual-Seva Pascual-Seva,Pascual Pascual,Abdelkhalik Abdelkhalik,Nájera Nájera,Baixauli Baixauli

doi:10.3390/agronomy9110732

Pascual-Seva Pascual-Seva, Pascual Pascual + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9110732

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Abstract

Water shortage is one of the major constraints in vegetable production. Deficit irrigation is a sustainable technique that improves irrigation water use efficiency. Field studies were conducted during two growing seasons to evaluate the effects of deficit irrigation on plant growth, plant water status, productive response (curd yield and quality), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and crop profitability of cauliflower. Nine irrigation treatments were used, applying 100%, 75% (moderate), or 50% (severe) of the irrigation water requirements (IWR) during the entire growing season (Continued Deficit Irrigation, CDI), or 75% and 50% of IWR during one of the following stages (Regulated Deficit Irrigation, RDI): Juvenility, curd induction, and curd growth. Severe deficit irrigation applied during juvenility and curd induction reduced the plant size, but it only led to a significant reduction of marketable yield (22%), and average curd size and weight if it was maintained throughout the crop cycle, supposing the highest IWUE (43.6 kg m−3). Moderate CDI or severe RDI during juvenility did not reduce significantly the curd yield compared to fully irrigated plants (4.4 kg m−2), thereby obtaining similar gross revenues (16,859 € ha−1) with important water savings (up to 24.3%), improving IWUE (up to 34.2 kg m−3).

Highlights

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) is an important vegetable crop worldwide, in the Mediterranean area [1]
Sustainable water management is a key objective of sustainable agricultural practices, given that agriculture accounts for the major share of total water use, approximately 69% of the global freshwater withdrawals [4]
The analyzed irrigation strategies (IS), included to mm (T1), T2, and T3 applying 100%, 75%, and 50% of the irrigation water requirements (IWR), respectively, throughout the growing seasons (GS); T4, T5, and T6 reduced irrigation water applied (IWA) to 75% of the IWR

Summary

Introduction

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) is an important vegetable crop worldwide, in the Mediterranean area [1]. Botrytis L.) is an important vegetable crop worldwide, in the Mediterranean area [1]. It has an important role in the human diet, with medicinal and functional properties [2]. Cauliflower has a great economic importance; the global cultivated area of cauliflower and broccoli in 2017 was about 1.40 × 106 ha. China is the largest producer of cauliflower, followed by India and the USA [3]. Sustainable water management is a key objective of sustainable agricultural practices, given that agriculture accounts for the major share of total water use, approximately 69% of the global freshwater withdrawals [4]. Drought stress is one of the major constraints threatening crop production [5]

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