Cowpea Ecophysiological Responses to Accumulated Water Deficiency during the Reproductive Phase in Northeastern Pará, Brazil

Water Stress Thresholds and Evaluation of Coefficient Ks for Perennial Ryegrass in Tropical Conditions

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is the predominant forage crop in the equatorial highland zones of Colombia due to its high nutritional value and versatility to produce both milk and meat. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the relative depletion of usable soil water and the Ks values of canopy expansion and closure stomatal of perennial ryegrass, as well as to identify the threshold values of water stress. The experiment was carried out in pots under a controlled environment condition. These pots were arranged in a completely randomized manner. The experiment consisted of five treatments—including control treatment—of water deficits in the soil that progressively increased the depletion level as the crop cycle developed. This generated a wide range of conditions in the growth stages. For each treatment, four repetitions were performed Biomass production was significantly affected by water stress. The results show that the upper and lower thresholds of Ks were 0.28 and 1.3 of the depletion level (p) of the total available water (TAW) in the soil for the expansion of the canopy (CE), and 0.25 and 1.1 p of the TAW for stomatal closure (gs). Quadratic functions were fitted for both the CE (R2 = 0.72) and CS (R2 = 0.73); moreover, the Ks function of FAO-AquaCrop with positive shape factor (sf) was as follows: sf = 11, RMSE 0.22 for CE, and sf = 4.3, RMSE 0.19 for gs. Our results indicate that ryegrass is moderately sensitive to water stress. The differences found between the Ks function of FAO and the experimental data call for the need to use modeling with parameters adapted for each case.

Performance of Cowpea under Different Water Regimes in Amazonian Conditions

Water availability is a crucial factor in the final productivity of cowpea. The objective of this work was to evaluate the production and productivity components of cowpea under different irrigation depths in Amazonian conditions. The experiment was carried out at the School Farm of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia, in the municipality of Castanhal-PA, using the cultivar BR3 Tracuateua, from September to November 2014, 2015, and 2016. The experimental design was conducted on six blocks and four treatments, where the four irrigation depths of 0, 25, 50, and 100% of crop evapotranspiration were tested. The productivity analysis was performed when 90% of the plants were in the phenological stage R9. The evaluated production components were pod length, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, mass of one hundred grains, and harvest index. There was a statistical difference among all treatments for the components of production and among productivities. An average reduction of 827 kg ha−1 in cowpea productivity was observed during the three years of study, when the treatment without irrigation was compared with the treatment irrigated with 100% of the crop’s water demand. It was found in this research that the simple fulfillment of the nutritional and phytosanitary demands of the crop, associated with an adequate planning of when to plant in the region, would already help in the improvement of local production when choosing times where the water deficit in the reproductive phase is less than 33 mm.