Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-7pwfn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-15T22:52:30.382Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of Dated Soil Moisture Stress on Crop Yields

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

S. Nairizi
Affiliation:
Irrigation Engineering Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Southampton
J. R. Rydzewski
Affiliation:
Irrigation Engineering Research Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Southampton

Summary

Crop yield response to soil moisture deficiency varies for different crops and also depends on the time of its occurrence in the growth cycle. Many attempts have been made to derive a single relationship between total water consumption and yield for various crops, but this has proved of limited use, because the effect of time was omitted from such production functions. Jensen (1968) derived two expressions, for determinate and indeterminate crops, bringing the time element into his expressions indirectly by a parameter (λi) which defines the relative sensitivity of the crop to soil moisture stress at different growing stages. The usefulness of this approach depends on the accuracy with which this parameter can be determined. The aim of this paper is to derive λi for a number of crops from available experimental data and subsequently to find a way of computing the quantitative contribution of each single irrigation application to the crop yield. This should lead to a more rational use of irrigation water resources.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable