Plant Water Consumption Research Articles

An Improved Transformer Model for Sap Flow Prediction that Efficiently Utilizes Environmental Information

AbstractAs an important reference for assessing plant water consumption and estimating plant transpiration, it is of great significance to achieve accurate prediction of plant sap flow. A number of deep learning models were established and compared using approximately 3 years of continuous eucalyptus flow time series data collected from the SAPFLUXNET open dataset and 6 environmental factors, including shortwave solar incident radiation, air temperature, air relative humidity, net radiation, vapor pressure deficit, and photosynthetic photon flux density. The experimental results show that the improved Transformer model, with the introduction of a two-step self-attention mechanism and simplified design, maintains significant predictive performance advantages compared to the original Transformer model, long short-term memory, gated recurrent unit, and temporal convolutional neural network models. In the shorter 1-h forecast, the mean squared error and coefficient of determination (R2) of the improved Transformer model are 0.0191 and 0.965, respectively. Compared to the suboptimal typical Transformer model, the MSE is reduced by 22.9%, and R2 is increased by 1.0%. Additionally, the improved model maintains stable predictive performance advantages in long-term plant flow prediction. In the longest 8-h advance prediction, the MSE is reduced by 14.9% compared to the suboptimal Transformer model, and R2 increases by 3.0% compared to the Transformer model. The comprehensive experimental results show that the improved Transformer model makes more effective use of environmental information to achieve more accurate and long-term plant flow prediction. This study emphasizes the basic principle and validity of the two-step self-attention network structure and provides a valuable basis for developing more effective methods for predicting plant sap flow.

Determination of Salt Stress by Plant Leaf Temperature and Thermal Imaging in Black Cumin Grown Under Different Salt Sources

ABSTRACT Thermal imaging has been used in recent years to determine salinity stress in certain crops. However, no information is available on this regarding black cumin (Nigella sativa L.). The main purpose of this study was to investigate the determinability of the salt stress on black cumin by thermal imaging. The leaf temperature values were obtained by acquiring the thermal images for black cumin grown under different irrigation water salinity levels (0.6 as control, 1.5, 2.5, and 5.0 dS/m) prepared for different salt sources (CaCl2, MgCl2, NaCl, Ca(NO3)2, MgSO,4 and Na2SO4). Plant leaf temperatures averaged over all irrigation water salinity levels did not show a significant difference among salt sources. On the other hand, plant leaf temperatures independent of the salt sources significantly increased with increasing salinity levels. The order for salinity levels in terms of their effect on the leaf temperature of black cumin was determined as 5.0 dS/m > 2.5 dS/m > 1.5 dS/m ≥ 0.6 dS/m. The highest leaf temperature was obtained under 5.0 dS/m salinity level with CaCl2, MgCl2, Ca(NO3)2, MgSO4, and Na2SO4 salt sources, but the values for MgSO4 and Na2SO4 salt sources were not significantly different from those under 2.5 dS/m salinity. In addition, a strong-negative relationship between plant water consumption and leaf temperature under CaCl2 and MgSO4 and a moderate-negative relationship under MgCl2 and NaCl salt sources were determined. The results of this study showed that the plant leaf temperature values obtained by thermal imaging reflected salt stress conditions, especially under high salinity levels.

Projections of oil palm area in Malaysia and Indonesia to assess the relationship between plant growth and water consumption

Projections of oil palm area in Malaysia and Indonesia to assess the relationship between plant growth and water consumption

Determination of drought resistance of miniature rose varieties

ABSTRACT The researchers aimed to determine the effects of different irrigation levels on plant water consumption (ET), physiological, morphological and biomass traits of four different miniature rose varieties (Rosa Spp, cv. Mandarin, Orange Juwel, Zwergen Fee 09 and Zwergkönig 78). Four different irrigation levels (100% (control), 75%, 50%, 25%) were created in the experiment. The research was carried out at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Crop Stress Monitoring and Thermography Laboratory in 2020–2021. Water stress negatively affected the physiological and morphological traits measured in all four varieties. The six-month ET values of Mandarin, Orange Juwel, Zwergen Fee 09 and Zwerkönig 78 miniature rose varieties were 255.7–642.3 mm, 293.6–796.3 mm, 277.3–736.2 mm and 261.8–675.9 mm, respectively. Mandarin is more resistant to drought because its ET values are lower than other varieties.

Conserved responses of water use to evaporative demand in mixed forest across seasons in low subtropical China

The positive correlation between diversity and production has been extensively documented. Given the intrinsic relationship between production and plant water consumption, it was anticipated that mixed forests would exhibit different water use compared to pure forests. In this study, the responses of water use to vapour pressure deficit were analyzed by monitoring the sap flow of Schima superba in both pure and mixed forests, as well as Castanopsis chinensis in mixed forest. Additionally, the relationships among leaf and stem traits were examined by measuring specific leaf area (SLA), N and P concentration per unit leaf mass, leaf δ18O and δ13C and wood density of sapwood (WD) during both wet and dry seasons. The results showed that S. superba demonstrated a comparable regulation of water use during both wet and dry seasons in mixed forest, whereas it exhibited less strict water use regulation during the wet season in comparison to the dry season in pure forest. Regardless of whether the forests were pure or mixed, both leaf δ13C and WD remained consistent across seasons, while there was an increase in SLA during the wet season compared to the dry season for S. superba. There was a different seasonal change in leaf δ18O for S. superba in pure and mixed forests. Water use and leaf economic spectrum may determine the adaptive strategies of coexisting species, and the coexisting tree species in mixed forest exhibited a resource-use differentiation, as indicated by seasonal variations in leaf and stem traits, likely explaining the conserved responses of sap flow to evaporative demand. Our research might provide insights into the impact of tree interaction on water use strategies and the water use-based forest management under current climate change.

Effect of Anti-Transpiration and Potassium on Water Use Efficiency and Water Consumption under Water Stress Conditions to Climate Change Resistance

Climate change impact serious threats to global food security due to changes in water requirements resulting from the variation and instability of the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall and the lack of water availability. Therefore, our research aims to use anti-transpiration agents that reduce plant water consumption, thus providing adequate amounts of water for agriculture in arid areas. A field experiment was conducted under water stress conditions during the winter seasons 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. The study included three levels of water stress, which are depletion of 40, 55 and 70% of the available water at a depth of 20 cm for the first three irrigations and a depth of 30 cm for the remaining irrigations and for the three treatments in succession. Anti-transpiration was added from different sources, which are kaolin, paraffin wax, silicon and potassium, in addition to the comparison treatment (spraying with water only). The results showed significant differences between the depletion treatments, as the 40% depletion treatment of the available water was significantly superior in most of the characteristics of the crop and its components, as the amount of increase in the grain yield was 62.24 and 64.22% for the two seasons in succession, compared to the 70% depletion treatment of the available water, which gave the lowest averages for all the studied characteristics. The irrigation treatment after depleting 40% of the available water was characterized by the best water use efficiency of 1.60 and 1.44 kg m-3 for the two seasons respectively, compared to the treatment of depleting 70% of the available water, which gave the lowest water use efficiency of 1.14 and 1.02 kg m-3 for the two seasons respectively. Spraying with anti-transpiration and potassium led to a significant increase in the yield and all its components compared to the comparison treatment (spraying with water only), which gave the lowest averages for all the studied traits, as spraying with potassium and kaolin gave a significant increase in most of the studied traits. Also, anti-transpiration and potassium, represented by potassium and kaolin, had a significant effect on water use efficiency, as the increase amount when spraying with potassium was 45.87 and 46.93% for the two seasons respectively compared to the comparison treatment (spraying with water only). As for the actual water consumption, we find an increase in the values ​​of water consumption and the number of irrigations in the comparison treatment (spraying with water only) compared to the anti-transpiration and potassium treatments, as the anti-transpiration and potassium provided water at a depth of 550, 414 and 405 m3 ha-1 for the first season and 615, 375 and 393 m3 ha-1 for the second season for the depletion treatments of 40, 55 and 70% of the available water, respectively, compared to the comparison treatment (spraying with water only). This increase is not small when applied to large areas and providing additional agricultural areas that can be invested. These findings suggest that targeted use of these treatments can effectively mitigate the effects of water stress, improving wheat production and resource efficiency in water-limited environments.

A novel modeling approach on the water–electricity–climate nexus in the context of resource sustainability

AbstractWater and energy have become essential resources and must be wisely managed for a sustainable future. This paper explores the relationship between water consumption and electricity generation in hydropower plants with dams under different climate change scenarios to contribute to the policy perspectives with a new tool and method to sustain the future. Still, as a reliable forecasting tool, the evaluation of the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system model has not been tested for forecasting water consumption during electricity generation. Thus, this study uses this modeling approach to generate reliable water consumption estimates based on electricity generation. The operational data of 78 hydroelectric power plants with dams and meteorological parameters were used as input variables, while water consumption was the output parameter in the model. The dataset was randomly divided into training and testing sets, and 85–15% data splitting presented the best-fitted model. The lowest mean average percent error of the hydroelectric power plants' model resulted in 9.59%, and the coefficient of determination of the model was 0.97, which showed that the developed model presented acceptable prediction performance. Various climate change scenarios are applied to analyze the effects of climate parameters on the water consumption of hydropower plants. The annual hydroelectric power plant water consumption and water intensity were estimated between 2,609 million m3 and 4,393 million m3, and 50,768 m3/GWh and 85,487 m3/GWh, respectively, based on climate change scenarios. The study concludes with significant policy suggestions to endorse this approach. Graphical abstract

Effects of Various Salinity and Water Stress Levels on Physiological and Biochemical Traits of Pepper

ABSTRACT Salinity and drought are among the most important abiotic stress factors with vital impacts on plant growth and development. Effects of different salinity and water stress levels on physiological and biochemical traits of pepper were investigated in this study. Five different salinity (S1: 0.3 dS/m; S2: 2.5 dS/m; S3: 5dS/m; S4: 7.5 dS/m; S5: 10 dS/m) and three different irrigation levels (I100: full irrigation; I75: 25% deficit; I50: 50% deficit) were used. Plant water consumption (ET) values decreased in increasing salinity levels. Pepper yield was significantly affected by both salinity and water stress. There was a 62.8% yield loss under salt stress as compared to the control treatment and a 70.1% yield loss under 50% water deficit (I50) as compared to full irrigation (I100). Irrigation water salinity and water deficits caused significant differences in physiological and photosynthetic parameters (plant height, plant fresh and dry weight, leaf area, chlorophyll, and carotenoid content). Salinity and water stress had significant impacts on enzymatic and non-enzymatic contents such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxide (POD), catalase (CAT), proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). It was concluded based on present findings that irrigation waters with a salinity level up to 5 dS/m could be used in pepper cultivation, but water deficits should be avoided.

Effects of Irrigation Approaches and Mulching on Greenhouse Melon Production and Water Use in Northern China

To explore the effects of different irrigation approaches, mulching, and their interaction on greenhouse melon (Cucumis melo L.) production and water use, a field experiment was conducted in Northern China using four treatments: mulching drip irrigation (MDI), mulching furrow irrigation (MFI), drip irrigation (DI), and furrow irrigation (FI; CK). The plant biomass, yield, water consumption, and water use efficiency (WUE) of melons were measured at different growth stages. The results showed that mulching has significant positive impacts on the growth as well as the fruit yield of melons. However, the water use characteristics of the plant were more greatly determined by the various irrigation approaches, and there was a significant interaction between the irrigation approach and mulching for both the total water consumption and WUE of the greenhouse melon. Of these treatments, MDI resulted in the highest yield of 38.49 t/hm2, which was significantly higher than the yields obtained with DI (32.36 t·hm−2) and FI (CK, 30.34 t·hm−2). In addition, the water consumption under MDI was 45.80% lower than FI (CK), which resulted in the promotion of WUE under MDI. The WUE range of the greenhouse melon is as follows: MDI (334.77 kg·mm−1·hm−2) > DI (244.84 kg·mm−1·hm−2) > MFI (189.78 kg·mm−1·hm−2) > FI (CK; 142.94 kg·mm−1·hm−2). The findings of this study indicate that mulching can boost melon yield, and drip irrigation can limit water consumption. This study provides a reference point for policymakers, indicating that drip irrigation with plastic mulching could be a feasible adaptation strategy for increasing greenhouse melon production in Northern China, as well as other agriculture regions that suffer from water shortages.

Growth and Yield of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa) in Varying Irrigation Water Salinity and Leaching Fractions

This study aimed to determine the response of yield and yield parameters of the ‘Cospirina’ lettuce plant, known to be moderate salinity tolerant, to different levels of salt water applications and different leaching rates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Hatay Province, Türkiye. Lettuce was irrigated at three different irrigation water salinity levels (EC0 = 0.5 dS m-1-control, EC2 = 2 dS m-1, EC4 = 4 dS m-1) and four different leaching fractions (LF0 = 0%, LF1 = 10%, LF2 = 20%, LF3 = 30%). Irrigation water salinity was adjusted by adding different amounts of NaCl salt to the tap water (EC0, control) with an EC value of 0.5 dS m-1. Plant water consumption (PWC) increased as the leaching fraction increased but decreased as salinity increased. PWC ranged from 7.32 – 10.5 L for EC0, 7.0 – 8.46 L for EC2, and 5.0 – 6.46 L for EC4. The mean water use efficiency (WUEy) was calculated as 31.43 g L-1, 32.12 g L-1, and 34.77 g L-1 in EC0, EC2, and EC4, respectively. Lettuce yield decreased with increasing soil salinity and the leaching fraction. Yield ranged from 182 g plant-1 (EC4LF0) to 282 g plant-1 (EC0LF2). When soil salinity increased from 0.82 dS m-1 (EC0) to 1.31 dS m-1 (EC2) and 2.09 dS m-1 (EC4), yields decreased by 10% and 28%, respectively. Increasing salinity significantly decreased the root length, root width, leaf number, number of commercial leaves, leaf width, leaf length, and biomass, while commercial head length and commercial head diameter remained unaffected.

Potential use of crop water stress index (CWSI) and spectral vegetation indices for black cumin under deficit irrigation

This study was carried out in 2022 to examine the yield, yield components and changes in crop water stress index (CWSI) and vegetation index in black cumin with deficit irrigation. Five different irrigation water levels (I0, I25, I50, I75, I100) were used. The amount of irrigation water applied changed between 20 and 276 mm. Plant water consumption (ET) values varied between 182 and 425 mm. The highest seed yields were obtained from I100 treatments (692 t ha−1) and the lowest from I0 treatments (25 t ha−1). Biological yield, plant height, stem diameter, first capsule height, number of capsules per plant, number of branches per plant, number of seeds per capsule and 1000-seed weight of black cumin were affected by deficit irrigation. CWSI lower limit equation to be used in irrigation scheduling was identified Tc−Ta = − 1.7524 × VPD + 0.7698 (R2 = 0.54) and the upper limit 10.9 ℃. For black cumin plants, irrigation is recommended when the CWSI value is between 0.08 and 0.12. 9 different spectral vegetation indices were evaluated in this study. It has been determined that there are significant correlations between yield, yield components and CWSI and spectral vegetation indices.

Improving canopy transpiration model performance by considering concurrent hot and dry conditions

CONTEXTThe Jarvis-Stewart model has commonly been used to estimate transpiration. However, its assumption regarding independent effects from different influencing factors has seldom been explored. OBJECTIVEThe aim is to test whether the Jarvis-Stewart model can well estimate transpiration under concurrent hot and dry conditions with strong environmental interactions. A secondary objective was to test was to propose a new coupling method without the environmental-independence assumption for transpiration estimation. METHODSThis study tested and compared 24 Jarvis-Stewart models composed of various constraint functions to determine the optimal model structure for an orange orchard under concurrent hot and dry conditions. Meanwhile, a new coupling equation that considers interactive environmental effects on transpiration was proposed, and a total of 48 configurations were examined to determine the most effective configuration. A comprehensive comparison was made between the best Jarvis-Stewart model and the best coupling model based on a Bayesian framework. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSResults showed that with fewer parameters, the best new coupling model significantly improved model performance compared with the best Jarvis-Stewart model. Specifically, estimation accuracy was slightly improved, with the average mean relative error decreased from 11.79% to 11.06%, and the average coefficient of determination increased from 0.67 to 0.72. More importantly, estimation uncertainty was significantly decreased, with the average uncertainty band width reduction of 42%. Moreover, the new model generated some water use information that was much more consistent with measured data and did not suffer from over-fitting problems as the Jarvis-Stewart model suffered from. Furthermore, the new model did not require additional data or computational cost. SIGNIFICANCEThe results of our study emphasize the necessity for studying environmental interaction effects on plant water consumption, particularly under the possibility of concurrent hot and dry conditions that are likely to occur under future climate conditions.

Determination of the Effects of Different Irrigation Levels and Vermicompost Doses on Water Consumption and Yield of Greenhouse-Grown Tomato

This study was conducted in pots under a polycarbonate greenhouse to determine the effects of different irrigation levels and vermicompost doses on the morphological and phenological characteristics, water consumption, water use efficiency, and yield parameters of tomato plants. For this purpose, different irrigation levels of 100%, 75%, 50% (I100: full irrigation, I75, I50) and vermicompost (VC) doses of 0, 10% and 20% (VC0, VC10 and VC20, w/w) were applied as the treatments. The study’s results determined the irrigation levels and vermicompost doses affected the tomato plants’ morphological and fruit quality parameters. The highest and lowest plant water consumption (ET) values for the treatments were determined as 47.8 L (I100VC10) and 21.2 L (I50VC0), respectively. Moreover, irrigation water levels and vermicompost doses significantly influenced the total yield of tomatoes. The highest and lowest total and marketable yields were obtained from the I100VC20 and I50VC0 irrigation levels and vermicompost doses. Similarly, the highest and lowest total water use efficiencies were achieved from the I100VC20 (21.9 g L−1) and I50VC0 (11.0 g L−1) treatments. Furthermore, the highest and lowest marketable water use efficiencies were obtained from the I100VC20 (21.9 g L−1) and I50VC0 (7.8 g L−1) treatments. The yield response factor (ky) was found to be 1.42. Although the highest efficiency was achieved from 100% full irrigation and a 20% vermicompost dose in the study, it is suggested that 75% irrigation level and 10% fertilizer doses can also be applied in places where water is limited and fertilizer is expensive. The results revealed that the appropriate irrigation level and vermicompost doses could reliably be used to enhance tomato yield.

Plant water source effects on plant-soil feedback for primary succession of terrestrial ecosystems in a glacier region in China

Despite the extensive research conducted on plant-soil-water interactions, the understanding of the role of plant water sources in different plant successional stages remains limited. In this study, we employed a combination of water isotopes (δ2H and δ18O) and leaf δ13C to investigate water use patterns and leaf water use efficiency (WUE) during the growing season (May to September 2021) in Hailuogou glacier forefronts in China. Our findings revealed that surface soil water and soil nutrient gradually increased during primary succession. Dominant plant species exhibited a preference for upper soil water uptake during the peak leaf out period (June to August), while they relied more on lower soil water sources during the post-leaf out period (May) or senescence (September to October). Furthermore, plants in late successional stages showed higher rates of water uptake from uppermost soil layers. Notably, there was a significant positive correlation between the percentage of water uptake by plants and available soil water content in middle and late stages. Additionally, our results indicated a gradual decrease in WUE with progression through succession, with shallow soil moisture utilization negatively impacting overall WUE across all succession stages. Path analysis further highlighted that surface soil moisture (0– 20 cm) and middle layer nutrient availability (20– 50 cm) played crucial roles in determining WUE. Overall, this research emphasizes the critical influence of water source selection on plant succession dynamics while elucidating underlying mechanisms linking succession with plant water consumption.

Increase of the Efficiency of Heat Supply Units of the CHP Plants Due to the Choice of Rational Heat Release Modes

The possibilities of increasing the efficiency of heat supply turbines of CHPPs due to the choice of rational modes of operation of network water heaters are analyzed. With the help of a software and computing complex developed at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and adapted by the authors to the operating conditions of CHPP generating equipment with one or two network heaters, a set of calculation studies of various ways of connecting them depending on the outdoor air temperature is conducted in the paper. Areas of positive effect associated with increase in the electric power of the power plant have been established. The calculation study was carried out at typical power plant water consumption from 1000 t/h to 4500 t/h, in the range of changes in the outdoor air temperature from -11 ºС to 10 ºС (heating season) and more than 10 ºС (hot water supply). The load change of the power unit was carried out due to the consumption of fresh steam at a constant pressure and temperature at the turbine inlet. As shown by the results of the operation of the T-100/120-130 heat supply turbine in operating conditions with one or two heat supply steam selections, in the area of positive outdoor air temperatures above 2 ºС, it is advisable to use one lower selection (with the upper one turned off) for all network water consumption. At the same time, additional electric power in the area of outdoor air temperatures above 6ºС can be from 0.25 MW to 2.15 MW. However, when the outdoor air temperature is less than 2 ºС, work with one lower heating selection becomes irrational. From the point of view of choosing rational modes of operation of turbine plants, the most important are the results of determining the optimal distribution of heat load between network heaters. The gain in electrical power of the turbine can be up to 2.46 MW in the nominal mode of operation with two heaters, and up to 7.84 MW in comparison with the use of single-stage heating. The nature of the influence of the distribution of the heat load indicates that during deprivation from the instructional uniform distribution of the heat load between network heaters, it is possible to obtain additional electricity.

Effects of Nutrient Solution Application Rates on Yield, Quality, and Water-Fertilizer Use Efficiency on Greenhouse Tomatoes Using Grown-in Coir.

The yield, quality, and water-fertilizer use efficiency of crops are important parameters for assessing rational water and fertilizer management. For an optimal water and fertilizer system with respect to the nutrient solution irrigation of greenhouse tomatoes using cultivation substrates, a two-year greenhouse cultivation experiment was conducted from 2022 to 2023. Three drip fertigation treatments (T1, T2, and T3) were implemented in the experiment, where nutrient solutions were supplied when the substrate's water content reached 60%, 70%, and 80%. The frequency of nutrient solution applications is based on weighing coconut coir strips in the morning and evening at 7:00 to determine the daily water consumption of plants. Nutrient solutions were supplied when the substrate's water content reached the lower limit, and the upper limit for nutrient supply was set at 100% of the substrate water content. The nutrient solution application was carried out multiple times throughout the day, avoiding the midday heat. The nutrient solution formula used was the soilless tomato cultivation formula from South China Agricultural University. The results show that plant height and the leaf area index rapidly increased in the early and middle stages, and later growth tended to stabilize; the daily transpiration of tomatoes increased with an increase in nutrient solution supply, and it was the greatest in the T3 treatment. Between the amount of nutrient solution application and the number of years, the yield increased with the increase of the amount of nutrient solution, showing T3 > T2 > T1. Although the average yield of the T2 treatment was slightly lower than that of the T3 treatment by 3.65%, the average irrigation water use efficiency, water use efficiency, and partial fertilizer productivity of the T2 treatment were significantly higher than those of the T3 treatment by 29.10%, 19.99%, and 28.89%, respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, soluble solid, vitamin C, and soluble sugar contents and the sugar-acid ratio of tomatoes in the T2 treatment were greater than those in the other two treatments (p < 0.05). Using the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) method, it was concluded that the nutrient solution application rate of 70% can significantly increase water and fertilizer use efficiency and markedly improve the nutritional and flavor quality of the fruit without a significant reduction in yield. This finding provides significant guidance for the high-yield, high-quality, and efficient production of coconut coir-based cultivated tomatoes in greenhouses.

Historical and ecological aspects of hydro-reclamation research at the Kirov Meadow-Swamp Experimental Station (&lt;i&gt;to the 105th anniversary of the Station's formation&lt;/i&gt;)

The article presents the history of the origin and development of hydromodule research at the Kirov Meadow-Swamp Experimental Station, their practical implementation and ecological significance in the development of the principles of a saving, soil-protective and environment-forming system of agriculture on organic soils in the conditions of the North-East of the European part of the Russian Federation. The main object of long-term research is a typical lowland peatland «Gadovskoye», located on the territory of the Kotelnich peat base of the Kirov region. Special attention is paid to the search for the most effective ways to regulate the water regime of drained swamps used in feed production. It has been established that the most operational, efficient and environmentally friendly method is sluicing, when additional moisture is supplied to the root layer from below. The most optimal range of groundwater regime for annual and perennial forage grasses is shown. The correlation dependence of yield on the degree of drainage of peat deposits is presented. A significant contribution to the reclamation science was made by hydromodule studies on the cutover bogs of the Kirov region. The chemical composition of groundwater and waste swamp waters has been studied on the «Gadovskoye», «Zenginskoye», «Bakhtinskoye», «Pishchalskoye» peatlands, and others, the relationship of the water-physical properties and water regime of the residual deposit with food and temperature regimes, as well as with the coefficient of water consumption of plants and the bearing capacity of the soil of cutover bogs has been established. Agroecological monitoring of the developed peatlands, which have been in culture for more than 40−60 years, shows that during the operation of these facilities there is a gradual decrease in their productivity, due to a decrease in the total agricultural background, partial and even complete violation of the hydrological functions of the drainage network. In order not to completely lose these anthropogenic formations from the sphere of cultural nature management, it is necessary, first of all, periodic repairs of the entire drainage system. Further restructuring within the landscape shell will make it possible to construct fundamentally new post-swamp forest-meadow agroecosystems, where other alternative fields to forage production (hunting, forestry activity, berry-officinal, mushroom, etc.) can be provided.

The plant growth, water and electricity consumption, and nutrients uptake are influenced by different light spectra and nutrition of lettuce

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different replacement methods of nutrient solution (complete replacement, electrical conductivity (EC)- based replacement, and replacing based on the plant needs) and different LED light spectra (monochromic white, red, blue, and a combination of red/blue) on the uptake of mineral nutrients, water and electricity consumption and biomass production of two varieties of lettuce (Lollo Rossa and Lollo Bionda; Lactuca sativa var. crispa) in the hydroponic systems. The results showed that replacement methods based on the plant needs and based on EC increased shoot fresh mass and yield index in the NFT system. Also, results showed that the combination of red/blue light increased shoot fresh mass and yield index in the NFT system and in the plant factory under treatment by replacement method based on plant needs. Increasing the concentrations of N, K, and Zn and loss of Fe in nutrient solution were observed in all three replacement methods of nutrient solution in the NFT system. Water consumption was decreased under plant nutrition based on plant needs and based on EC. In the plant factory, the application of LED light spectrum also decreased electricity consumption and cost against fluorescent lamps. In general, it is concluded that nutrient solution replacement based on the plant needs and based on EC and the use of different LED light spectra (especially the combination of red and blue light) can be used to reduce the consumption of water and nutrients in the hydroponic cultivation of lettuce.

The Evaluation of the Water Consumption and the Productive Parameters of a Table Grapevine, Cardinal Cultivar, Grafted onto Two Rootstocks

This trial was carried out over two years in southern Italy. Two grapevine rootstocks, 110R and SO4, were compared to evaluate their ability to extract water from the soil and the effect on the yield and quality of the Cardinal grapevine table cultivar. Therefore, a new approach to plant water consumption based on sap flow was adopted. The earlier and faster water refilling of the xylem in Cardinal onto 110R (C/110R) appears responsible for the earlier evolution of the phenological phases than Cardinal onto SO4 (C/SO4). The maximum length of the principal shoot was reached in Cardinal/110R compared to the C/SO4, while a higher number of lateral shoots with lower internode changed the canopy architecture and light distribution in the C/SO4. The 110R used more water compared to the SO4. It was possible to quantify the real transpired flux of the plant per day: the sap flow was 12.3 L.plant−1.d−1 and 11.7 L.plant−1.d−1 in C/110R in the first and second year, respectively, while it was 14% lower in the alternative graft combination. The overall lower C/SO4 water status does not compromise the production result, with similar or higher-quality aspects compared to the alternative graft combination C/110R, which can be also attributed to the strong resilience of Cardinal to water deficit.

Nocturnal Water Use Partitioning and Its Environmental and Stomatal Control Mechanism in Caragana korshinskii Kom in a Semi-Arid Region of Northern China

As an important aspect of plant water consumption, nocturnal water use (En) behavior provides reliable information on the effect of plantation carbon and water budgets at stand and regional scales. Therefore, quantifying En and its environmental and stomatal controlling mechanisms is urgent to establish adaptation strategies for plantation management in semiarid regions. With the help of the sap flow technique, our study investigated the seasonal variations in canopy transpiration and canopy conductance in a Caragana korshinskii Kom plantation. Environmental variables were measured concurrently during the growing seasons of 2020 and 2021. The results indicated that the average En values were 0.10 mm d−1 and 0.09 mm d−1, which accounted for 14% and 13% of daily water use, respectively, over two years. The proportions of nocturnal transpiration (Tn) to En were approximately 49.76% and 54.44%, while stem refilling (Re) accounted for 50.24% and 45.56% of En in 2020 and 2021, respectively, indicating that C. korshinskii was able to draw on stored stem water to support transpiration. En was predominantly affected by nocturnal canopy conductance (Gc–n), air temperature (Ta–n) and wind speed (u2-n). In contrast, Gc–n and Ta–n explained the highest variation in Tn and nocturnal vapor pressure (VPDn), and u2-n explained the highest variation in Re. Total effects of the five environmental and stomatal variables explained 50%, 36% and 32% of En, Tn and Re variation, respectively. These findings could enable a better understanding of nocturnal water use dynamics and their allocation patterns in C. korshinskii plantations on the Bashang Plateau. Moreover, our results reveal the water use strategies of artificial shrubs and highlight the importance of incorporating nocturnal water use processes into large-scale ecohydrological models in semiarid regions.