Abstract
In the context of global warming, drought is a crucial factor affecting agricultural production, especially for the oasis farming areas of northwestern China, where water resources are extremely scarce. To reveal the response of watermelon water consumption (WC), yield, quality, and water use efficiency (WUE) to water deficit (WD) and to determine the optimal mode of irrigation in the desert oasis areas of Hexi, we applied different WD treatments on a field oasis watermelon in 2020 and 2021. The experiments employed two gradients of light (l) and moderate (m) WD treatments during the seedling (S), vine (V), expansion (E), and maturity (M) stages except for flowering and fruiting (F) stage, with full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK). The results showed that the WC of oasis watermelon at each growth stage was in the order: E > V > S > M > F, in which WC by E stage accounted for 33.15–40.33%. Compared with the CK, WD had an obvious effect on water saving, and WD during the V or E stages inhibited the growth of vine leaves to a certain extent. The Sl treatment (light WD during S stage) had the highest yield and WUE, with significant increases of 5.23–5.38% and 7.10–7.37% (p < 0.05), respectively, in the two years, while the Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage) resulted in the best overall nutritional quality of watermelon, with soluble solids, soluble sugars, vitamin C, and soluble protein contents increasing by 11.31%, 33.43%, 24.03%, and 10.31% (p < 0.05), respectively. However, an integrated evaluation that coupled grey relation analysis (GRA) with a technique for determining order preference by its similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) model, considering growth, yield, quality, and efficiency indicators, concluded that the Ml treatment (light WD during the M stage) achieved the highest comprehensive score, followed by the Sl treatment. Therefore, it is recommended that the optimal deficit irrigation mode for oasis watermelon is the Ml treatment, which can balance water savings, yields, and quality improvements, while the Sl treatment can be considered as a backup mode. This study provides theoretical and technical support for achieving efficient water-saving cultivation and scale development of watermelon production in desert oasis areas.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
Water consumption across watermelon stages ranked expansion, vine, seedling, maturity and flowering and fruiting.
- Taxon
- watermelon
Citrullus lanatuse0 - Outcome
- WC of oasis watermelone0
- Direction
- E > V > S > M > Fe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the WC of oasis watermelon at each growth stage was in the order: E > V > S > M > F”
Claim · model-written summary
Expansion-stage water consumption accounted for 33.15–40.33% of total consumption.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Outcome
- WC by E stagee0
- Value
- 33.15–40.33%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“WC by E stage accounted for 33.15–40.33%”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit saved water relative to full irrigation.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared with the CK, WD had an obvious effect on water saving”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
e2“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit during vine or expansion stages inhibited vine leaf growth.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- WD during the V or E stagese0
- Outcome
- growth of vine leavese0
- Direction
- inhibitede0
- Comparator
- CKe2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“WD during the V or E stages inhibited the growth of vine leaves”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
e2“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Light seedling-stage deficit increased yield by 5.23–5.38% relative to full irrigation across two years.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- Sl treatment (light WD during S stage)e0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 5.23–5.38%e0
- Qualifier
- in the two yearse0
- Comparator
- CKe2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The Sl treatment (light WD during S stage) had the highest yield and WUE, with significant increases of 5.23–5.38% and 7.10–7.37% (p < 0.05), respectively, in the two years”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
e2“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Light seedling-stage deficit increased water use efficiency by 7.10–7.37% relative to full irrigation across two years.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- Sl treatment (light WD during S stage)e0
- Outcome
- WUEe0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 7.10–7.37%e0
- Qualifier
- in the two yearse0
- Comparator
- CKe2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The Sl treatment (light WD during S stage) had the highest yield and WUE, with significant increases of 5.23–5.38% and 7.10–7.37% (p < 0.05), respectively, in the two years”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
e2“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate maturity-stage deficit increased soluble solids by 11.31% relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage)e0
- Outcome
- soluble solidse0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 11.31%e0
- Comparator
- CKe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage) resulted in the best overall nutritional quality of watermelon, with soluble solids, soluble sugars, vitamin C, and soluble protein contents increasing by 11.31%, 33.43%, 24.03%, and 10.31% (p < 0.05), respectively”
e1“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate maturity-stage deficit increased soluble sugars by 33.43% relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage)e0
- Outcome
- soluble sugarse0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 33.43%e0
- Comparator
- CKe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage) resulted in the best overall nutritional quality of watermelon, with soluble solids, soluble sugars, vitamin C, and soluble protein contents increasing by 11.31%, 33.43%, 24.03%, and 10.31% (p < 0.05), respectively”
e1“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate maturity-stage deficit increased vitamin C by 24.03% relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage)e0
- Outcome
- vitamin Ce0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 24.03%e0
- Comparator
- CKe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage) resulted in the best overall nutritional quality of watermelon, with soluble solids, soluble sugars, vitamin C, and soluble protein contents increasing by 11.31%, 33.43%, 24.03%, and 10.31% (p < 0.05), respectively”
e1“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
Moderate maturity-stage deficit increased soluble protein content by 10.31% relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage)e0
- Outcome
- soluble protein contentse0
- Direction
- increasinge0
- Value
- 10.31%e0
- Comparator
- CKe1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Mm treatment (moderate WD during the M stage) resulted in the best overall nutritional quality of watermelon, with soluble solids, soluble sugars, vitamin C, and soluble protein contents increasing by 11.31%, 33.43%, 24.03%, and 10.31% (p < 0.05), respectively”
e1“full irrigation during the entire growth period as the control (CK)”
Claim · model-written summary
The integrated evaluation ranked light maturity-stage deficit highest overall.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- Ml treatment (light WD during the M stage)e0
- Outcome
- comprehensive scoree0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Comparator
- Sl treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Ml treatment (light WD during the M stage) achieved the highest comprehensive score, followed by the Sl treatment”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
Claim · model-written summary
The integrated evaluation ranked light seedling-stage deficit second overall.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- Sl treatmente0
- Outcome
- comprehensive scoree0
- Direction
- followed bye0
- Comparator
- Ml treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Ml treatment (light WD during the M stage) achieved the highest comprehensive score, followed by the Sl treatment”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend light maturity-stage deficit as the optimal irrigation mode for oasis watermelon.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- Ml treatmente0
- Outcome
- optimal deficit irrigation modee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“it is recommended that the optimal deficit irrigation mode for oasis watermelon is the Ml treatment, which can balance water savings, yields, and quality improvements”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend light seedling-stage deficit as a backup irrigation mode.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- Sl treatmente0
- Outcome
- backup modee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the Sl treatment can be considered as a backup mode”
e1“watermelon in a desert oasis region”
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