A framework for quantifying water extraction and water stress responses of perennial lucerne
Hamish E. Brown A C , Derrick J. Moot B , Andrew L. Fletcher A and Peter D. Jamieson AA New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, New Zealand.
B Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, PO Box 7647, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.
C Corresponding author. Email: brownH@crop.cri.nz
Crop and Pasture Science 60(8) 785-794 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP08415
Submitted: 19 November 2008 Accepted: 7 May 2009 Published: 5 August 2009
Abstract
A generic framework was developed and validated for predicting the water extraction and water stress responses of perennial lucerne (Medicago sativa) to improve existing crop models. Perennial forages have roots established throughout a soil profile so require a different approach to quantify water extraction patterns than annual crops. Two years of experimental data from two fields in New Zealand, each containing dryland and irrigated lucerne crops, were analysed to develop the theory of the water extraction framework. This showed that the temporal pattern of water extraction was consistent and each year commenced in the shallowest layer and progressed downward. Water extraction from each soil layer was quantified as the minimum of soil water supply and crop demand for that layer. For each soil layer, water demand was represented by transpiration demand (the product of potential evapotranspiration and crop cover) minus the sum of water extraction in overlying layers. This approach gave accurate descriptions of water extraction patterns over a range of rainfall and irrigation situations. Water supply from each soil layer (l) was quantified as the product of plant-available water and an extraction rate constant (kll). The kll of lucerne could not be calculated using the traditional curve-fitting procedure so kll was calculated by integrating the water extraction framework described above with a soil water balance and fitting kll to minimise residuals for water extraction predictions in each soil layer. This gave kll values that decreased from 0.035/day in the 0–0.2 m layer of soil to 0.01/day in the deepest layer measured (1.8–2.3 m). The water extraction framework was validated against another 3 years of dryland and irrigated lucerne data and gave accurate predictions of water extraction patterns throughout the soil profile. Water stress was quantified from actual transpiration relative to transpiration demand (T/TD). The most sensitive variable was leaf area expansion, which decreased from an optimum at T/TD = 1 to zero at T/TD = 0.2, followed by radiation-use efficiency, which decreased from an optimum at T/TD = 1 to zero at a T/TD of zero. The framework for quantifying water extraction and the techniques determined for identifying appropriate parameters to measure and characterise the framework are expected to be generally applicable to perennial forages in a wide range of environments.
Additional keywords: alfalfa (syn. lucerne), leaf area index, mechanistic simulation, radiation-use efficiency, soil water content, transpiration, water extraction depth.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial contributions for this research from Meat and Wool New Zealand Ltd and the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
Bland WL, Dugas WA
(1989) Cotton root growth and soil water extraction. Soil Science Society of America Journal 53, 1850–1855.
Brisson N,
Gary C,
Justes E,
Roche R,
Mary B,
Ripoche D,
Zimmer D,
Sierra J,
Bertuzzi P,
Burger P,
Bussiere F,
Cabidoche YM,
Cellier P,
Debaeke P,
Gaudillere JP,
Henault C,
Maraux F,
Seguin B, Sinoquet H
(2003) An overview of the crop model STICS. European Journal of Agronomy 18, 309–332.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brown HE,
Moot DJ, Pollock KM
(2005a) Herbage production, persistence, nutritive characteristics and water use of perennial forage crops grown over six years on a Wakanui silt loam. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 48, 423–439.
Brown HE,
Moot DJ, Teixeira EI
(2005b) The components of lucerne (Medicago sativa) leaf area index respond to temperature and photoperiod in a temperate environment. European Journal of Agronomy 23, 348–358.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brown HE,
Moot DJ, Teixeira EI
(2006) Radiation use efficiency and biomass partitioning of lucerne (Medicago sativa) in a temperate climate. European Journal of Agronomy 25, 319–327.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Chapman SC,
Hammer GL, Meinke H
(1993) A sunflower simulation model: I. Model development. Agronomy Journal 85, 725–735.
Dardanelli JL,
Bachmeier OA,
Sereno R, Gil R
(1997) Rooting depth and soil water extraction patterns of different crops in a silty loam Haplustoll. Field Crops Research 54, 29–38.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dardanelli JL,
Ritchie JT,
Calmon M,
Andriani JM, Collino DJ
(2004) An empirical model for root water uptake. Field Crops Research 87, 59–71.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Douglas JA
(1986) The production and utilization of lucerne in New Zealand. Grass and Forage Science 41, 81–128.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dunin FX,
Smith CJ,
Zegelin SJ,
Leuning R,
Denmead OT, Poss R
(2001) Water balance changes in a crop sequence with lucerne. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 52, 247–261.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Eitzinger J,
Trnka M,
Hosch J,
Zalud Z, Dubrovsky M
(2004) Comparison of CERES, WOFOST and SWAP models in simulating soil water content during growing season under different soil conditions. Ecological Modelling 171, 223–246.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Evans PS
(1978) Plant root distribution and water use patterns of some pasture and crop species. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 21, 261–265.
French BK, Legg BJ
(1979) Rothamsted irrigation 1964–76. Journal of Agricultural Science, U.K. 92, 15–37.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Garrigues E,
Doussan C, Pierret A
(2006) Water uptake by plant roots: I – formation and propagation of a water extraction front in mature root systems as evidenced by 2D light transmission imaging. Plant and Soil 283, 83–98.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Goins GD, Russelle MP
(1996) Fine root demography in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Plant and Soil 185, 281–291.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Hochman Z,
Dalgliesh N, Bell K
(2001) Contributions of soil and crop factors to plant available soil water capacity of annual crops on Black and Grey Vertosols. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 52, 955–961.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jamieson PD,
Porter JR,
Goudriaan J,
Ritchie JT,
Keulen Hv, Stol W
(1998) A comparison of the models AFRCWHEAT2, CERES-Wheat, Sirius, SUCROS2 and SWHEAT with measurements from wheat grown under drought. Field Crops Research 55, 23–44.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Jodari-Karimi F,
Watson V,
Hodges H, Whisler F
(1983) Root distribution and water use efficiency of alfalfa as influenced by depth of irrigation. Agronomy Journal 75, 207–211.
Jones JW,
Hoogenboom G,
Porter CH,
Boote KJ,
Batchelor WD,
Hunt LA,
Wilkens PW,
Singh U,
Gijsman AJ, Ritchie JT
(2003) The DSSAT cropping system model. European Journal of Agronomy 18, 235–265.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Keating BA,
Carberry PS,
Hammer GL,
Probert ME,
Robertson MJ,
Holzworth D,
Huth NI,
Hargreaves JNG,
Meinke H,
Hochman Z,
McLean G,
Verburg K,
Snow V,
Dimes JP,
Silburn M,
Wang E,
Brown S,
Bristow KL,
Asseng S,
Chapman S,
McCown RL,
Freebairn DM, Smith CJ
(2003) An overview of APSIM, a model designed for farming systems simulation. European Journal of Agronomy 18, 267–288.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kobayashi K, Salam MU
(2000) Comparing simulated and measured values using mean squared deviation and its components. Agronomy Journal 92, 345–352.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Li Y, Huang M
(2008) Pasture yield and soil water depletion of continuous growing alfalfa in the Loess Plateau of China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 124, 24–32.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Luo Y,
Meyerhoff PA, Loomis RS
(1995) Seasonal patterns and vertical distributions of fine roots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Field Crops Research 40, 119–127.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meinke H,
Hammer GL, Want P
(1993) Potential soil water extraction by sunflower on a range of soils. Field Crops Research 32, 59–81.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Monteith JL
(1986) How do crops manipulate water supply and demand? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences 316, 245–259.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Passioura JB
(1983) Roots and drought resistance. Agricultural Water Management 7, 265–280.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robertson MJ,
Carberry PS,
Huth NI,
Turpin JE,
Probert ME,
Poulton PL,
Bell M,
Wright GC,
Yeates SJ, Brinsmead RB
(2002) Simulation of growth and development of diverse legume species in APSIM. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 53, 429–446.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robertson MJ,
Fukai S,
Ludlow MM, Hammer GL
(1993a) Water extraction by grain sorghum in a sub-humid environment. I. Analysis of the water extraction pattern. Field Crops Research 33, 81–97.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Robertson MJ,
Fukai S,
Ludlow MM, Hammer GL
(1993b) Water extraction by grain sorghum in a sub-humid environment. II. Extraction in relation to root growth. Field Crops Research 33, 99–112.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Teixeira EI,
Moot DJ, Brown HE
(2008) Defoliation frequency and season affected radiation use efficiency and dry matter partitioning to roots of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) crops. European Journal of Agronomy 28, 103–111.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
van Ittersum MK,
Leffelaar PA,
van Keulen H,
Kropff MJ,
Bastiaans L, Goudriaan J
(2003) On approaches and applications of the Wageningen crop models. European Journal of Agronomy 18, 201–234.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ward P,
Dunin F, Micin S
(2002) Water use and root growth by annual and perennial pastures and subsequent crops in a phase rotation. Agricultural Water Management 53, 83–97.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Welles JM, Cohen S
(1996) Canopy structure measurement by gap fraction analysis using commercial instrumentation. Journal of Experimental Botany 47, 1335–1342.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Whitfield DM,
Wright GC,
Gyles OA, Taylor AJ
(1986) Growth of lucerne (Medicago sativa, L.) in response to frequency of irrigation and gypsum application on a heavy clay soil. Irrigation Science 7, 37–52.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
