Abstract
Dry topsoil and relatively moist subsoil can occur in specific areas and times, limiting plant growth but creating conditions for hydraulic lift (HL). There is a lack of a rational water and nitrogen (N) strategy to improve cotton growth and maintain HL. This study investigated the effects of three topsoil water conditions (W0.6: 60–70%, W0.5: 50–60%, and W0.4: 40–50% of field capacity) and three N rates (N120-120, N240-240, and N360-360 kg N ha−1) plus one control treatment on cotton growth and HL under dry topsoil conditions in 2020 and 2021. The results showed that plant height and leaf area increased with increasing N rate, but the differences among topsoil water conditions were relatively small, except for leaf area in 2021. The HL water amount of all treatments increased gradually and then continued to decline during the observation period. There was a trend that the drier the topsoil or the more N applied, the greater the amount of HL water. Additionally, topsoil water conditions and N rate significantly affected the total HL water amount and root morphological characteristics (root length, surface area, and volume). Seed and lint cotton yield tended to decrease with increasing topsoil dryness at N240 or N360, except for lint yield in 2021, or with decreasing N rate, especially under W0.6. As topsoil became drier, the total evapotranspiration (ET) decreased, while with the increase in N rate, ET showed small differences. Water use efficiency increased with a higher N rate, while N partial factor productivity (PFPN) did the opposite. Furthermore, the PFPN under W0.4 was significantly lower than that under W0.6 at N240 or N120. These findings could be useful for promoting the utilization of deep water and achieving sustainable agricultural development.
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Claims 15
Claim · model-written summary
Height and leaf area increased with nitrogen rate.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“plant height and leaf area increased with increasing N rate”
Claim · model-written summary
Water condition differences in growth were small apart from 2021 leaf area.
- Treatment
- topsoil water conditionse0
- Outcome
- differencese0
- Direction
- relatively smalle0
- Qualifier
- except for leaf area in 2021e0
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“differences among topsoil water conditions were relatively small, except for leaf area in 2021”
Claim · model-written summary
Hydraulic lift rose then declined during observation.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“The HL water amount of all treatments increased gradually and then continued to decline during the observation period.”
Claim · model-written summary
Drier topsoil was associated with more hydraulic lift.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the drier the topsoil or the more N applied, the greater the amount of HL water”
Claim · model-written summary
More nitrogen was associated with more hydraulic lift.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the drier the topsoil or the more N applied, the greater the amount of HL water”
Claim · model-written summary
Topsoil water and nitrogen significantly affected total hydraulic lift.
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“topsoil water conditions and N rate significantly affected the total HL water amount and root morphological characteristics (root length, surface area, and volume).”
Claim · model-written summary
Topsoil water and nitrogen significantly affected root morphology.
- Treatment
- topsoil water conditions and N ratee0
- Outcome
- root morphological characteristics (root length, surface area, and volume)e0
Not reportedTaxonDirection
Verbatim
e0“topsoil water conditions and N rate significantly affected the total HL water amount and root morphological characteristics (root length, surface area, and volume).”
Claim · model-written summary
Seed yield tended to fall as topsoil dried at N240 or N360.
- Taxon
- cotton
Gossypium hirsutume0 - Treatment
- increasing topsoil drynesse0
- Outcome
- Seede0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Qualifier
- at N240 or N360e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seed and lint cotton yield tended to decrease with increasing topsoil dryness at N240 or N360, except for lint yield in 2021”
Claim · model-written summary
Lint yield tended to fall as topsoil dried, except in 2021.
- Taxon
- cottonGossypium hirsutume0
- Treatment
- increasing topsoil drynesse0
- Outcome
- lint cotton yielde0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Qualifier
- except for lint yield in 2021e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Seed and lint cotton yield tended to decrease with increasing topsoil dryness at N240 or N360, except for lint yield in 2021”
Claim · model-written summary
Seed and lint yield tended to fall as nitrogen rate fell.
Not reportedTaxonOutcome
Verbatim
e0“or with decreasing N rate, especially under W0.6.”
Claim · model-written summary
Evapotranspiration decreased as topsoil dried.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“As topsoil became drier, the total evapotranspiration (ET) decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen rate made little difference to evapotranspiration.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“with the increase in N rate, ET showed small differences.”
Claim · model-written summary
Water use efficiency increased with nitrogen.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“Water use efficiency increased with a higher N rate”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen partial factor productivity fell with higher nitrogen.
- Outcome
- N partial factor productivity (PFPN)e0
Not reportedTaxonTreatmentDirection
Verbatim
e0“while N partial factor productivity (PFPN) did the opposite.”
Claim · model-written summary
PFPN under W0.4 was lower than W0.6 at N240 or N120.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“the PFPN under W0.4 was significantly lower than that under W0.6 at N240 or N120.”