Abstract
A study was conducted during the 1996–97 crop growth season at ICARDA in northern Syria, to investigate the influence of wheat canopy architecture on the partitioning of moisture between soil evaporation and crop transpiration, on a soil with high hydraulic conductivity. The study was conducted on the long-term two course wheat-lentil rotation trial, established on a swelling clay soil (Calcixerollic xerochrept). The wheat canopy architecture was manipulated by sowing the crop at either of two row-spacings, 0.17 or 0.30 m, both at a constant sowing rate equivalent to 120 kg ha−1. In this study, evapotranspiration from the crop was inferred from changes in soil moisture content over time, evaporation and rainfall interception were measured daily using microlysimetry, drainage was estimated as being the difference between potential daily evapotranspiration, and the evapotranspiration estimated from the soil water deficit. Between sowing and day 80 (tillering stage), evapotranspiration was calculated to consist mainly of soil evaporation. However, after day 80, transpiration became an increasingly dominant component of evapotranspiration. For both row-spacings, cumulative evapotranspiration over the season was approximately 373 mm. In the narrow-row crop, transpiration and soil evaporation were approximately 185 mm and 183 mm of water respectively. Conversely for the wide row-spaced crop, 172 mm of water was transpired while about 205 mm of water evaporated from the soil surface. While green leaf area index did not differ between row-spacings, the architecture of the crops as a result of sowing affected solar radiation penetration such that more incident radiation was intercepted at the soil surface of the wide row-spaced crop. This is likely to have made some contribution to the elevated levels of evaporation from the soil beneath the canopy of the wide-sown crop.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Ep:
-
potential evaporation measured using a Class A pan evaporation basin
- Et:
-
evapotranspiration
- T:
-
transpiration
- Es:
-
soil evaporation
- P:
-
precipitation measured at a height of 1.2 m above the ground surface
- I:
-
precipitation intercepted by the crop canopy
- Pe:
-
precipitation at the soil surface
- θv:
-
soil volumetric moisture
References
S J Allen (1990) ArticleTitleMeasurement and estimation of evaporation from soil under sparse barley crops in Northern Syria Agric. For. Meterol 49 291–309
W K Anderson (1992) ArticleTitleIncreasing grain yield and water use of wheat in a rainfed mediterranean type environment Aust. J. Agric. Res 43 1–17
C W Boast T M Robertson (1982) ArticleTitleA ‘microlysimeter’ method for determining evaporation form fallow tilled soil under spring conditions in a temperate climate Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J 46 689–695
J J T I Boesten L Stroosnijder (1986) ArticleTitleSimple model for daily evaporation from fallowed tilled soil under spring conditions in a temperate climate Neth. J. Agric. Sci 34 75–90
T P Bolger N C Turner (1999) ArticleTitleWater use efficiency and water use of Mediterranean annual pastures in southern Australia Aust. J. Agric. Res 50 1035–1046
Butler G J, Cawthray S, Castor M, Yeates S and Christian T 2001 Improving the Reliability of Sorghum Production in the Farming System. Proc. 10th Aust. Agron. Conf. http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2001/3/a/butler.htm
P J M Cooper P J Gregory (1987) ArticleTitleSoil water management in the rain-fed farming systems of the Mediterranean region Soil Use Man 3 57–2
P J M Cooper P J Gregory D Tully H C Harris (1987) ArticleTitleImproving water use efficiency of annual crops in the rainfed farming systems of West Asia and North Africa Exp. Agric 23 113–158
P J M Cooper J D H Keatinge G Hughes (1983) ArticleTitleCrop evapotranspiration – A technique for calculation of its components by field measurements Field Crops Res 7 299–313
Denmead O T 1973 Relative significance of soil and plant evaporation in estimating evapotranspiration. In Plant Response to Climatic Factors. Proceedings Uppsala Symp. pp. 505–511. UNESCO, Paris.
J Eastham P J Gregory (2000) ArticleTitleDeriving empirical models of evaporation from soil beneath crops in a Mediterranean climate using microlysimetry Aust. J. Agric. Res 51 1017–1022
J Eastham P J Gregory D R Williamson G D Watson (1999) ArticleTitleThe influence of early sowing of wheat and lupin crops on evapotranspiration and evaporation from the soil surface in a Mediterranean climate Agric. Water Man 42 205–218
Farm Resource Management Program 1994 Annual Report. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Aleppo, Syria 6 pp.
R J French J E Schultz (1984a) ArticleTitleWater use efficiency of wheat in a mediterranean-type environment. I. The relation between yield, water use and climate Aust J. Agric. Res 35 743–764
R J French J E Schultz (1984b) ArticleTitleWater use efficiency of wheat in a mediterranean-type environment. II. Some limitations to efficiency Aust. J. Agric. Res 35 765–775
A Hamblin D Tennant M W Perry (1987) ArticleTitleManagement of soil water for wheat production in Western Australia Soil Use Manage 3 63–69
D Howell (1982) Statistical Methods in Psychology Duxbury Press Boston
R J Isbell (1996) The Australian Soil Classification CSIRO Publishing Collingwood
G G Johns (1982) ArticleTitleMeasurement and simulation of evaporation from a red earth. I Measurements in a glasshouse using a neutron moisture meter Aust. J. Soil Res 20 165–178
R J Lascano C H M Bavel Particlevan J L Hatfield D R Upchurch (1987) ArticleTitleEnergy and water balance of a sparse crop: Simulated and measured soil and crop evaporation Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J 51 1113–1121
R Leuning A G Condon F X Dunin S Zegelin O T Denmead (1994) ArticleTitleRainfall interception and evaporation from soil below wheat canopy Agric. For. Meterol 67 221–238
J Passioura (1976) ArticleTitlePhysiology of grain yield of wheat growing on stored water Aust. J. Plant Physiol 3 559–565
J R Philip (1957) ArticleTitleEvaporation, and moisture and heat fields in the soil J Meteor 14 354–366
J T Ritchie (1972) ArticleTitleModel for predicting evaporation from a row crop with incomplete cover Water Resour. Res 8 1204–1213
J T Ritchie (1983) Efficient water use in crop production: discussion on the generality of relations between biomass production and evapotranspiration H M Taylor W R Jordan T R Sinclair (Eds) Limitations to Efficient Water Use in Crop Production Am. Soc. Agron. Madison Wisconsin 29–43
J T Ritchie E Burnett (1971) ArticleTitleDryland evaporative flux in a subhumid climate: II Plant influences Agron. J 63 56–62
Routley R, Broad I, McLean G, Whish J and Hammer G 2003 The Effect of Row Configuration on Yield Reliability in Grain Sorghum: 1, Yield, Water Use Efficiency and Soil Water Extraction. Proceedings of the 11th Australian Agronomy Conference http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2003/c/9/routley.htm
J Ryan S Masri S Garabet J Diekmann H Habib (1997) Soil of ICARDA’S Agricultural Experimental Stations and Sites: Climate, Classification, Physical and Chemical Properties, and Land Use International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas Aleppo, Syria
R W Shawcroft H R Gardner (1983) ArticleTitleDirect evaporation from soil under a row crop canopy Agric. Meterol 28 229–238
K H M Siddique D Tennant M W Perry R H Belford (1990) ArticleTitleWater use and water use efficiency of old and modern wheat cul-tivars in a Mediterranean-type environment Aust J. Agric. Res 41 431–447
InstitutionalAuthorNameSoil Taxonomy (1975) Soil Conservation Service USDA , Agriculture Handbook, No 436 US Government Printing Office Washington
R R Sokal F J Rohlf (1981) Biometry EditionNumber2 Freeman and Company New York
P Suwardji P L Eberbach (1998) ArticleTitleSeasonal changes of physical properties of an Oxic Paleustalf (Red Kandasol) after 16 years of direct drilling or conventional cultivation Soil Till. Res 49 65–77
C B Tanner W A Jury (1976) ArticleTitleEstimating evaporation and transpiration from a row crop during incomplete cover Agron. J 68 239–243
F J Villalobos Fereres (1990) ArticleTitleEvaporation measurements beneath corn, cotton, and sunflower canopies Agron. J 82 1153–1159
J S Wallace C R Lloyd M V K Sivakumar (1993) ArticleTitleMeasurements of soil, plant and total evaporation from millet in Niger Agric. For. Meteorol 63 149–169
I A M Yunusa R H Sedgley D Tennant R K Belford (1993a) ArticleTitleDynamics of water use in a dry mediterranean environment. I. A test of four evaporation models using microlysimetry under spring wheat Agric. Water Manage 24 225–238
I A M Yunusa R H Sedgley R K Belford D Tennant (1993b) ArticleTitleDynamics of water use in a dry mediterranean environment. I. Soil evaporation little affected by presence of plant canopy Agric. Water Manage 24 205–224
I A M Yunusa R H Sedgley K M H Siddique (1994) ArticleTitleInfluence of mulching on the pattern of growth and water use by spring wheat and moisture storage on a fine textured soil Plant Soil 160 119–130
H Zhang T Y Oweis S Garabet M Pala (1998) ArticleTitlewater-use efficiency and transpiration efficiency of wheat under rain-fed conditions and supplemental irrigation in a mediterranean-type environment Plant Soil 201 295–305 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXlvFGrs7s%3D
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eberbach, P., Pala, M. Crop row spacing and its influence on the partitioning of evapotranspiration by winter-grown wheat in Northern Syria. Plant Soil 268, 195–208 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-004-0271-y
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-004-0271-y