Strategies for Improved Water Use Efficiency (WUE) of Field-Grown Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) under a Semi-Arid Climate

Nicola Michelon,Francesco Orsini,Giorgio Gianquinto,Nang Ohn Myint,Giuseppina Pennisi

doi:10.3390/agronomy10050668

Nicola Michelon, Francesco Orsini + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10050668

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Abstract

Water use efficiency is a main research target in agriculture, which consumes 70% of global freshwater. This study aimed at identifying sustainable water management strategies for the lettuce crop in a semi-arid climate. Three independent experiments were carried out on a commercial variety of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) by applying different irrigation levels based on crop evapotranspiration (ETc), estimated through both the Hargreaves–Samani and Penman–Monteith equations. In the first experiment, one treatment was also guided by soil moisture sensors. In the second and third experiments, a factorial combination was used, combining the different irrigation levels with two soil mulching treatments, namely soil without mulch, and soil mulched with dried rice straw residues. The application of different irrigation levels significantly affected plant growth, yield, and physiology. Both the adoption of sensors for guiding irrigation and the application of mulching with straw promoted higher yield. As the irrigation water level was reduced, the WUE (water use efficiency) increased. WUE was also increased by covering the soil with mulch. The experiments point out that accurate management of irrigation water using a drip irrigation system associated with soil mulching increases yield and improves the WUE of lettuce crops in the Central Dry Zone, Myanmar.

Highlights

Water is essential for agricultural production and the food security of the world population
No rainfall occurred during the first experiment (Table 1)
The application of different irrigation strategies significantly affected the growth, yield, and some physiological parameters of lettuce grown in Central Dry Zone, Myanmar

Summary

Introduction

Water is essential for agricultural production and the food security of the world population. A growing number of regions will face increasing water scarcity [1] while, due to the expectation that the global population will reach more than 9 billion people by 2050, demand for food is expected to surge by more than 50% [2]. Considering that about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are directly used in agriculture [3], accurate management of agricultural water resources to increase crop water use efficiency (WUE) is one of the main targets in research on plant–soil–water relations. Different strategies are available to predict soil water availability for plants and maximize crop WUE, including wireless soil moisture sensors [4].

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