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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Earth Sciences

University of Kentucky

2024

Water use efficiency

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Sunn Hemp As An Alternative Forage In The Texas High Plains Region, S. A. O’Shaughnessy, H. M. Mosqueda, D. K. Brauer Feb 2024

Sunn Hemp As An Alternative Forage In The Texas High Plains Region, S. A. O’Shaughnessy, H. M. Mosqueda, D. K. Brauer

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Forage production in the Texas High Plains, a semi-arid region, is critical to sustain the local cattle industry. However, the main source of water for irrigation is the highly depleted Ogallala Aquifer, making forage crop water productivity (CWP) of high importance. In this one-year study, three types of forages were cultivated under deficit irrigation treatments of 80% and 50% of full crop water use. The forages were: a non-brown midrib forage sorghum; a legume, sunn hemp; and a sorghum/sunn hemp mix. The experiment was conducted in Bushland, Texas in 2019. Treatment plots were arranged in a split plot design with …


Differences In Carbon Sequestration And Water Use Between A Semi-Arid Native Grassland And Encroaching Vachellia Karroo Woodland, C. Weideman, A. R. Palmer, G. Carolyn, Kathleen Smart Feb 2024

Differences In Carbon Sequestration And Water Use Between A Semi-Arid Native Grassland And Encroaching Vachellia Karroo Woodland, C. Weideman, A. R. Palmer, G. Carolyn, Kathleen Smart

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Tree and shrub encroachment and proliferation in global grasslands and savannas is widely considered to imply a trade-off between ecosystem C and H2O regulating functions, based on the premise that increased C sequestration associated with higher woody biomass ostensibly drive declines in water production through concomitant increases in evapotranspiration (ET), but evidence for this across climatic and environmental gradients is equivocal. To evaluate these claims, we ran a paired eddy covariance experiment in a native semi-arid C4 grassland and adjacent encroaching Vachellia karroo woodland on the eastern seaboard of South Africa and compared ecosystem C and H2O budgets over nearly …


Effects Of Stocking Rates On Water Use Efficiency Of Established Species In Stipa Breviflora Desert Steppe, M. Zhao, G. M. Yin, S. B. Liu, W. J. Meng Feb 2024

Effects Of Stocking Rates On Water Use Efficiency Of Established Species In Stipa Breviflora Desert Steppe, M. Zhao, G. M. Yin, S. B. Liu, W. J. Meng

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Plant water use efficiency reflects the survival adaptation strategies adopted by plants to obtain maximum carbon harvest. Understanding the water and resource utilization strategies of Stipa breviflora in desert steppe will help people understand its growth mechanism, and it is of great significance to analyze the ecological countermeasures of Stipa breviflora to cope with disturbance. In this study, the water use efficiency (WUE) of the established populations of Stipa breviflora in desert steppe was measured by stable carbon isotope method and photosynthometer method, and the adaptation mechanism of Stipa breviflora under different stocking rates was discussed based on the basic …


Irrigation Effects On Forage Dry Matter Yield And Nutritive Value Of Alfalfa, Rudra Baral, Doohong Min Jan 2024

Irrigation Effects On Forage Dry Matter Yield And Nutritive Value Of Alfalfa, Rudra Baral, Doohong Min

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is among the top four field crops in United States (U.S.) in terms of acreage harvested and economic value. Several studies have documented that alfalfa requires high amount of water compared to other major field crops. However, more than 65% alfalfa in the U.S. is grown under rainfed condition where severe to moderate drought condition has been pronounced during alfalfa growing season. The magnitude of yield loss due to water-limited conditions is still unknown. In this context, the objective of our study is to evaluate the forage dry matter yield and forage nutritive value of …