Abstract
Farmers in Mediterranean-type environments should plant annual crops as early as possible to maximise yield. Greater rainfall variability at the start of the growing season potentially exposes early-sown crops to water deficit, which may be severe enough to cause crop mortality or to reduce potential productivity. This paper shows that in a typical Mediterranean-type environment at Merredin, Western Australia, much longer dry periods between rainfall events are likely in April rather than in May or June, but with a sowing rule based on farmer behaviour the likelihood of damaging water deficit is small. Soil water at sowing is a good indicator of this likelihood. The implications of early water deficit for crop productivity were investigated for faba bean in two experiments at Merredin in 1997 and 1998. In 1997 simulated plant available water in the top 40 cm (PAW40) at sowing was 24 mm and 8-week-old plants displayed severe wilting after 6 weeks without rain. There was no crop mortality even after 8 weeks without rain and plants recovered quickly when rewatered. Water deficit reduced grain yield through lower evapotranspiration since withholding water reduced total supply but also because severely stressed plants could not extract water from as deep in the soil as less stressed plants. In 1998 simulated PAW40 at sowing was 41 mm and no wilting was observed when water was withheld for 8 weeks. Apparent transpiration efficiency was not affected by mild water deficit in either year, but was reduced by 35% by delaying sowing in 1998. This was due to higher atmospheric vapour pressure deficit during reproductive growth of the later-sown crop. These results suggest that delaying sowing in faba bean is more likely to reduce faba bean grain yield unless there is a strong likelihood of severe water deficit soon after sowing. This likelihood can be judged from the amount of soil water at sowing.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Long dry periods at Merredin were more likely in April than May or June.
- Taxon
- faba bean
Vicia fabat0 - Outcome
- dry periods between rainfall eventse0
- Direction
- longere0
- Comparator
- May or Junee0
- Setting
- Merredin, Western Australiae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“at Merredin, Western Australia, much longer dry periods between rainfall events are likely in April rather than in May or June”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Under the farmer-based sowing rule, damaging water deficit was unlikely.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- likelihood of damaging water deficite0
- Direction
- smalle0
- Qualifier
- sowing rule based on farmer behavioure0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with a sowing rule based on farmer behaviour the likelihood of damaging water deficit is small”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil water at sowing was a good indicator of damaging deficit likelihood.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- likelihood of damaging water deficite1
- Setting
- Soil water at sowinge0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil water at sowing is a good indicator of this likelihood”
e1“likelihood of damaging water deficit is small”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
In 1997, eight-week-old plants wilted severely after six weeks without rain at 24 mm simulated PAW40.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Organ / stage
- 8-week-old plantse0
- Outcome
- severe wiltinge0
- Value
- 24 mme0
- Qualifier
- after 6 weeks without raine0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 1997 simulated plant available water in the top 40 cm (PAW40) at sowing was 24 mm and 8-week-old plants displayed severe wilting after 6 weeks without rain”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
No faba bean mortality occurred after eight rainless weeks, and plants recovered rapidly on rewatering.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- no crop mortalitye0
- Qualifier
- after 8 weeks without raine0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“There was no crop mortality even after 8 weeks without rain and plants recovered quickly when rewatered”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Faba bean plants recovered quickly after rewatering.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- rewaterede0
- Outcome
- recovered quicklye0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“plants recovered quickly when rewatered”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit reduced faba bean grain yield.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- Water deficite0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water deficit reduced grain yield through lower evapotranspiration”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed reduced grain yield partly to lower evapotranspiration under water deficit.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- Water deficite0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Qualifier
- lower evapotranspiratione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Water deficit reduced grain yield through lower evapotranspiration”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Severely stressed plants extracted water from shallower soil than less stressed plants, contributing to yield loss.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- extract water from as deep in the soile0
- Qualifier
- severely stressed plantse0
- Comparator
- less stressed plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“severely stressed plants could not extract water from as deep in the soil as less stressed plants”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
In 1998, no wilting was observed after eight weeks without water at simulated PAW40 of 41 mm.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- no wiltinge0
- Value
- 41 mme0
- Qualifier
- water was withheld for 8 weekse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In 1998 simulated PAW40 at sowing was 41 mm and no wilting was observed when water was withheld for 8 weeks”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Mild water deficit did not affect apparent transpiration efficiency in either year.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- mild water deficite0
- Outcome
- Apparent transpiration efficiencye0
- Direction
- not affectede0
- Qualifier
- either yeare0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Apparent transpiration efficiency was not affected by mild water deficit in either year”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
Delaying sowing in 1998 reduced apparent transpiration efficiency by 35%.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Treatment
- delaying sowinge0
- Outcome
- Apparent transpiration efficiencye0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 35%e0
- Qualifier
- 1998e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Apparent transpiration efficiency was not affected by mild water deficit in either year, but was reduced by 35% by delaying sowing in 1998”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed the lower transpiration efficiency of later sowing to higher vapour pressure deficit during reproductive growth.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabat0
- Outcome
- Apparent transpiration efficiencye1
- Qualifier
- higher atmospheric vapour pressure deficit during reproductive growth of the later-sown crope0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This was due to higher atmospheric vapour pressure deficit during reproductive growth of the later-sown crop”
e1“Apparent transpiration efficiency”
t0“faba bean”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend against delaying faba bean sowing unless severe early water deficit is strongly likely.
- Taxon
- faba beanVicia fabae0
- Outcome
- delaying sowing in faba beane0
- Qualifier
- unless there is a strong likelihood of severe water deficit soon after sowinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“delaying sowing in faba bean is more likely to reduce faba bean grain yield unless there is a strong likelihood of severe water deficit soon after sowing”
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