Forage Crop Water Use and Production Under Dryland Conditions

Forage Crop Production

Improving water use in crop production.

Globally, agriculture accounts for 80-90% of all freshwater used by humans, and most of that is in crop production. In many areas, this water use is unsustainable; water supplies are also under pressure from other users and are being affected by climate change. Much effort is being made to reduce water use by crops and produce 'more crop per drop'. This paper examines water use by crops, taking...

Alternative crop rotations under Mediterranean no-tillage conditions: Biomass, grain yield and water-use efficiency

Estimated Water Requirements and Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni Crop Coefficient in Semi-Dry Climate under Lysimetric Conditions

Exactly estimating of water requirement is essential for water balance studies, design and management of irrigation systems and water resources management. Because of limited soil and water resources in Iran, for optimal use of water resources in the agricultural sector, it is necessary to determine the amount of water requirement by different plants in different climatological conditions. In o...

Impacts of manure application on soil environment, rainfall use efficiency and crop biomass under dryland farming

Because of inadequate nutrient and water supply, soils are often unproductive in Northwest China. We studied the effects of manure application at low (LM 7.5  t ha(-1)), medium (MM 15 t ha(-1)), and high (HM 22.5 t ha(-1)) rates combined with fixed levels of chemical fertilizers on maize growth and rainfall use efficiency compared with chemical fertilizers (CK) under semi-arid conditions over a...