Gross Primary Production of Rainfed and Irrigated Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the Colombian Andean Region Using Eddy Covariance Technique

Fabio Ernesto Martínez-Maldonado,Fabio Ricardo Marin,Gerardo Antonio Góez-Vinasco,Angela María Castaño-Marín

doi:10.3390/w13223223

Fabio Ernesto Martínez-Maldonado, Fabio Ricardo Marin + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223223

Copy DOI

Abstract

Potato farming is relevant for global carbon balances and greenhouse emissions, of which gross primary productivity (GPP) is one of the main drivers. In this study, the net carbon ecosystem exchange (NEE) was measured using the Eddy Covariance (EC) method in two potato crops, one of them with an irrigation system, the other under rainfed conditions. Accurate NEE partition into GPP and ecosystem respiration (RECO) was carried out by fitting a light response curve. Direct measurements of dry weight and leaf area were performed from sowing to the end of canopy life cycle and tuber bulking. Agricultural drought in the rainfed crop resulted in limited GPP rate, low leaf area index (LAI), and low canopy carbon assimilation response to the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Hence, in this crop, there was lower efficiency in tuber biomass gain and NEE sum indicated net carbon emissions to atmosphere (NEE = 154.7 g C m−2 ± 30.21). In contrast, the irrigated crop showed higher GPP rate and acted as a carbon sink (NEE = −366.6 g C m−2 ± 50.30). Our results show, the environmental and productive benefits of potato crops grown under optimal water supply.

Highlights

Published: 13 November 2021According to Agrimonde (Scenarios and Challenges for Feeding the World in 2050), the increasing rate of agricultural production will be considerably lower than in previous decades, with an estimate of 1.15% per year for the 2003–2050 period [1]
Water management practices are an important factor for gross primary productivity (GPP) gain or loss in productive systems, in crops grown under rainfed conditions, where there are inherent limitations related to drought-induced GPP losses [40]
Our results show that GPP in Irrigated was 337.5% higher than in Rainfed, and the sum of net carbon ecosystem exchange (NEE) was negative in Irrigated and positive in Rainfed, which evidences the influence of soil water conditions on carbon dynamics [41,42]

Summary

Introduction

According to Agrimonde (Scenarios and Challenges for Feeding the World in 2050), the increasing rate of agricultural production will be considerably lower than in previous decades, with an estimate of 1.15% per year for the 2003–2050 period [1]. Potato crops have been increasing their production since 2012, more in the developing world than in developed countries [4]. [6] This is the paradox of agriculture, from the point of view of climate change, which can contribute to both climate change and its mitigation. A key ecosystem process to decrease the atmospheric CO2 is to remove it from the atmosphere by increasing the vegetation carbon sequestration or uptake [7]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion