Abstract
In this study, field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of two water-saving practices—partial root-zone drying (PRD) and deficit irrigation (DI)—on potato growth and yield in comparison with full irrigation (FI). The required FI amount was applied to the potato plants to enable 100% crop evapotranspiration, and the plants received 70% and 50% of the irrigation amount of FI for DI (DI70 and DI50) and PRD (PRD70 and PRD50), respectively. The physiological characteristics of the potatoes during the 2014–2015 seasons indicated that the relative chlorophyll contents were not significantly higher for the DI and PRD treatments than for the FI treatment. The DI50 had the lowest net photosynthesis rate (p < 0.05) while DI50 and PRD50 had significantly lower stomatal conductance (gs) values in both years. Meanwhile, the values of the PRD treatments were lower than those of DI treatments based on the transpiration rates. The xylem (abscisic acid) based on PRD50 had an average increase of 0.38 mol/m2 s due to decreasing gs values compared with other water-saving irrigation treatments. However, the FI and DI treatments had increased fresh tuber yields compared with the yields of PRD treatments. Furthermore, the PRD70 and PRD50 treatments significantly reduced the water productivity (WP) values by 30.16% and 41.32%, respectively, relative to that of FI.
Highlights
Significant differences were observed between irrigation treatments in the third (p < 0.01) and sixth (p < 0.05) measurements in 2014, and in the fourth (p < 0.05), fifth (p < 0.05), and sixth (p < 0.01) measurements in 2015
The effects of deficit irrigation (DI) and partial root-zone drying irrigation (PRD) on the physiological characteristics, yield, and water productivity (WP) of potato were studied in comparison with full irrigation (FI) in an arid area of Saudi Arabia
PRD do not affect the relative chlorophyll contents of potato plants compared with FI, but have negative impacts on the gas-exchange
Summary
The utilization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Hermes) in human nourishment and the manufacture of starch distinguishes it among other vital crops on the planet [1]. Water-saving irrigation methods such as deficit irrigation (DI) and partial root-zone drying irrigation (PRD) permit a crop to tolerate some water deficit degrees to decrease the irrigation budget and increase potential revenue. These strategies have been successful for many crops all over the world. Such crops fairly avoid water stress either due to their nature or by deep rooting, which allows their roots to have access to soil moisture in the soil profile. The whole root-zone is Agronomy 2019, 9, 172; doi:10.3390/agronomy9040172 www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy
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