Search results for "IRRIGATION"
showing 10 items of 342 documents
Wastewater management using a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system in Western Sicily (Italy) for irrigation of Paspalum vaginatum Sw. turf
2017
The reuse of treated wastewater represents an attractive prospect for sustainable water management in urban areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reuse of treated wastewater from constructed wetland systems for the irrigation of Seashore paspalum turf (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) and assess the effects of treated wastewater on the soil and turfgrass. The research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) in a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system (HSSF). Seashore paspalum plots were irrigated with freshwater and treated wastewater. In treated wastewater-irrigated plots, we estimated the amounts of nitrogen and potassium, supplied by irrigating with treated wastewater. The productive …
Investigating soil-plant relationships for sustainable management of irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard.
2009
Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the shortage of water. In such regions, competition for scarce water resources among users will inevitably reduce the supplies of freshwater available for crop irrigation. Detailed studies and experimental projects are needed to develop management scenarios aimed at preventing desertification and conflicts for use of the increasingly limited water resources and cultivable land. This paper illustrates soil-plant responses to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard loca…
Monitoring Soil Salinisation as a Strategy for Preventing Land Degradation: A Case Study in Sicily, Italy
2010
Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the water shortage. In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of good quality water is expanding irrigation with saline-sodic waters, thus enhancing the risk of secondary salinization and sodification. Adequate management practices are urgently needed for sustainable use of saline/sodic waters. This chapter illustrates how the Geonics EM-38 probe was used for monitoring salinization in a Sicilian area where irrigation with saline water is increasingly practiced, and the risk of salinisa…
Potential microbial risk factors related to soil amendments and irrigation water of potato crops
2007
Aims: This study assesses the potential microbial risk factors related to the use of soil amendments and irrigation water on potato crops, cultivated in one traditional and two intensive farms during two harvest seasons. Methods and Results: The natural microbiota and potentially pathogenic micro-organisms were evaluated in the soil amendment, irrigation water, soil and produce. Uncomposted amendments and residual and creek water samples showed the highest microbial counts. The microbial load of potatoes harvested in spring was similar among the tested farms despite the diverse microbial levels of Listeria spp. and faecal coliforms in the potential risk sources. However, differences in tota…
Plant response to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard: results of a three-years field investigation
2012
This paper reports the results of a three-year field investigation carried out in a vineyard located in Sicily (Mazara del Vallo, Trapani) within the framework of the Project: Evolution of cropping systems as affected by climate change (CLIMESCO). Research investigated soil-plant response to irrigation performed with water having two different salinity levels; soil hydrological characteristics, soil salinity, crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were measured in field plots. The results proved that crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were significantly affected by soil salinity conditions (expressed as electrical conductivity of the soil saturated water extract). A significan…
Impact of vine water status on berry mass and berry tissue development of Cabernet franc (Vitis vinifera L.), assessed at berry level
2019
Background Berry size is considered an important quality factor in red wine production. The objective of this work was to study the effect of vine water status on berry mass in field conditions, with a specific focus on berry tissue masses. Results The study was carried out over 2 years in a plot located in Sicily (Italy). Two irrigation treatments were established. Dynamic evolution of berry mass and berry tissue masses at harvest were recorded. Berries produced under water deficit conditions were smaller and characterized by a higher skin-to-flesh ratio. However, this ratio did not change when berry mass varied independently from vine water status, showing coordinated growth of flesh and …
The effect of complementary irrigation on fruit growth, ripening pattern and oil characteristics of olive (Olea europaea L.) cv. Carolea
1996
SummaryComplementary irrigation, 80 mm, distributed only during the third stage of fruit development, delayed ripening time and increased fruit size and oil content for fruits of the olive cv. Carolea. Prolonged water deficit reduced fruit growth, oil accumulation rate, K content of the fruit and enhanced ripening and pre-harvest fruit drop. Harvest time affected oil characteristics more than the water availability. Fatty acid composition was not affected by the water regime but polyphenol content increased and alcohol content decreased in the oil produced by irrigated trees.
Effectiveness of glycinebetaine foliar application in relieving salt stress symptoms in two turf-grasses
2014
Salinity is one of the problems that has to be dealt with in turf-grass management, due both to restrictions in freshwater use for landscape irrigation and exposition to salt stress in coastal areas. This has led to the need to select salinity tolerant genotypes and test management practices, such as the application of osmoprotectants, in order to maintain turf quality at acceptable costs. We compared the effects of irrigation with 600 mM NaCl and glycinebetaine (GB) application for 8 weeks on pot-grown weeping alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans (L.) Parl.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). We selected two easily assessable parameters, total clippings fresh weight and chlorophyll…
Modelling eco-physiological response of table olive trees (Olea europaea L.) to soil water deficit conditions
2013
Abstract The knowledge of crop response to water stress is crucial to predict transpiration reductions under limited soil water conditions and for a rational scheduling of irrigation. In order to assess whatever water stress model, it is necessary to estimate critical thresholds of soil water status, below which plant transpiration starts to decrease. The main objective of the work is to identify the shape and to determine the parameters of table olive orchards (Olea europaea, var. Nocellara del Belice) water stress function, assessed according to relative transpiration or leaf/stem water potential. In order to assess different water stress functions describing the eco-physiological field r…
Assessment of yield and water productivity of clementine trees under surface and subsurface drip irrigation
2018
Abstract Irrigation systems aimed to optimize water use efficiency in agriculture have become essential due to the increasing water limitations that agriculture is currently facing. Assessment of crop responses to different irrigation systems and strategies are therefore encouraged to find the most efficient options for each specific case. The main objective of this study was to assess the performance of a citrus crop under a surface (SI) and subsurface drip irrigation (SSI) with 7 (SI7, SSI7) or 14 emitters (SI14, SSI14) per plant, as well as a third SS treatment (SSIA), identical to SSI7 but equipped with and additional drip line buried between the tree rows. Evaluations were made in term…