The control of Soil drought and the Use Limit of Soil Water
Resources by red plum apricot.
As the air temperature increase in the spring, red plum apricot tree
planted in the spring begins to bloom on the last teen-day of March and
the first teen-day of April. Because of low temperature and frost, all
flowers of red plum apricot tree freeze to death on the morning of April
7. Red plum apricot tree germinates on April 30, and then spread and
growth. Because some water irrigation and the precipitation in 2018 is
536.2, is 120.6 mm higher than the average of 415.6 mm, see fig.1. and
the volumetric water content in the 0 to 290cm soil profile is more than
the wilting point, see fig.5 and soil water resources in in the MID is
more than the soil water resources use limit by plant, the red plum
apricot tree grow well. Up to June 16, new vimen grow up to 45 cm. By
the end of the growing season on the October, the width of 1-year-old
tree crown reached up to the range from 100 to 120 with an average 110
cm in width, and the longth of 1-year-old tree crown reached up to the
range from 120cm to 140 cm with average 130 cm, 1-years-old red plum
apricot tree grow well, which lay the foundation for the next years
blooming and fruiting.
(Fig.5 Here)
The 23-years-old red plum apricot tree start to bloom in the end of
March and the flowers are in full bloom in the first ten-day period of
April. The fruit is in the expansion period from the second ten-day
period of May to the second ten-day period of June and mature in the in
the first ten-day period of July. Unfortunately, all of flowers wilt
and die because of serious cool temperature and frost on the April 7,
2018. The 23-years-old red plum apricot tree begins to spreading leaf on
April 30, and true leaf develop up to June 16, and grow well, leaf drop
in the end of September because some water irrigation and the
precipitation is high, the volumetric water content in the 0 to 290cm
soil profile is more than the wilting point, and soil water resources in
the MID is more than the soil water resources use limit by plant. The
precipitation changes with time in 2019 (Fig.6),and the 24-years-old red
plum apricot tree grow well and red plum apricot mature because the soil
water resource in the MID is more than SWRULP.
(Fig.6
Here)
Discussion
Governed by atmospheric demand, soil water and plant characteristics,
plant water relationship is dynamic,
complicated, and important to
effective water management, particularly to the soil water management in
the water limited regions, such as Loess plateau in China. When planting
red plum apricot trees, soil water content and the soil water resources
in soil root zone are high because the size of canopy and the root
system of red plum apricot tree is small. As the trees grow, the leaf
area index increases and height growth increases. At the same time, the
amount of soil water took up by plant roots would keep rising, which
could cause rapid decline of soil water content and soil water resources
in the soil root zone even if there are some rise after a rain event,
led to the appearance of soil drying and the dried soil layers in the
soil profile (Guo and Shao 2003; Guo 2014). Because soil drying have
accumulates effect, as the soil drying develop, dried soil layers
developed. When the soil drying develop at stage, the permanent dried
soil layers, the dried soil layers appears in the soil layer below the
MID , the soil drying develop into severe desiccation of soil and red
plum apricot cannot extract enough water from the soil to meet the
transpiration of the plant, which ultimately resulted in soil
degradation and influence the quality and effective of red plum apricot
because permanent dried soil layers may cut off the link between soil
waters in the soil layers upper than MID and soil layers deep than MID,
and affect water circle severely in land (Tian 2010) and sustainable use
of soil water resources.
Because severe desiccation of soil and soil degradation does harm to
ecological and economy benefit of red plum apricot forest and it is not
good for sustainable use of soil water resources and sustainable produce
of red plum apricot forest in water-limited regions, we should interfere
and control the degree red plum apricot forest use soil water, and evade
the severe drying of soil and soil degradation and ensure health of red
plum apricot forest ecosystems in water limited regions. Before control
of soil degradation, we should select a suitable index to difference
severe drying of soil from soil drying before control soil degradation
because soil drought is a natural phenomenon, it often happens and we
have to make plant to accommodate. Severe drying of soil is a disaster,
which causes severe soil degradation and vegetation decline, we have to
control it.
There are some soil water deficit indices, such as crop moisture index
(Palmer 1968) , soil moisture deficit index, evapotranspiration deficit
index, plant water deficit index (Shi and others 2015) .These drought
indices divides into meteorological, hydrological and agricultural
drought index (Mishra and Singh 2010).Because most of the drought
indices are based on meteorological variables (Mckee and others 1993) or
on a water balance equation, they do not account for water deficit
accumulation or soil water storage (Martínez-Fernández and others 2015),
they can not act as a suitable index for distinguishing severe drying of
soil from soil drought phenomenon in the red plum apricot forest in the
water-limited regions because soil drought is a nature phenomenon, a
water deficit accumulation or a decrease in soil water storage in a given
soil depth. We have to develop a new index.
Because soil water resources are the soil water storage in soil root
zone and can account for soil accumulation drought (Guo 2014),we can
use soil water resources in the MID under extreme condition, soil water
use control limit by red plum apricot to express the severe drying of
soil and act as an suitable soil water management index, that is to say,
when the soil depth of DSL equals MID in which soil water resources
equal SWRULP, we reduce soil water use by plant to avoid the form of
permanent dried soil layers in the soil layers below MID.
Digging method can measure the infiltration depth in farmland, but it
cannot be used to determine the depth of infiltration and maximal
infiltration depth in the nature soil profile because it destroy soil
structure. Two curves method was used to estimate the depth of
infiltration and soil water supply for a rain event proposed by Guo
(2004), . A series of two curves methods for maximal infiltration depth
for a long time infiltration process (Guo and Shao 2009, Guo 2014,
2020).
SWRULP is one of the most important criteria for plants to use soil
water rationally (Guo 2010, 2014, 2020,2021a,2021b) , for it integrate
soil depth, infiltration depth, wilting point and soil water management
requirement and better difference the serious drying of soil from light
drying of soil in the forest land. When the soil water resources in the
MID equal to SWRULP, we should estimate the
SWCCV , especially SWCCV in the
kay period of plant water relation regulation (Guo 2021a and 2021b) and
regulate the RBSWPG because the environment in which plants are growing
is complex, and roots distribution varies with soil depth, and plants
absorb water from different soil depth at the same time, and soil water
deficit index cannot describe this kind of severe drying of soil. And
soil water in the kay period of plant water relation regulation
seriously affects plant growth and maximum yield and beneficial results
when the soil water resources in the MID equals or smaller than SWRULP.
Conclusion
Soil desiccation is a natural
phenomenon and often happens in water-limited regions. Soil desiccation
and infiltration has an accumulative effect. When soil desiccation
accumulates to a limit, which severely influences the plant growth,
causing soil degradation and threatening the quality and economic
benefits of red plum apricot. At this time, we should regulate the
RBSWPG. For better management of soil water, control of soil degradation
and realize sustainable use of soil water resources and high quality
production of red plum apricot, we must have a better understanding of
the difference between soil desiccation and serious desiccation of soil
and determine Soil Water Resources Use Limit by Plant and SWCCV in the
key period of plant water relationship regulation and prepare to
regulate the RBSWPG when soil desiccation develops to serious
desiccation of soil.
The SWRULP can serve as a standard to determine whether or not plant
have excessively used soil water resources as well as the theoretic
foundation to determine start time of
regulating
RBSWPG.
The Soil Water Resources Use Limit by red plum apricot is 212.7 mm.
Because The annual precipitation in 2018 is 536.2 mm, which is 120.6 mm
more than the mean precipitation 415.6 mm and the soil water resources
is more than the Soil Water Resources Use Limit by red plum apricot of
212.7 mm and red plum apricot grow well, we do not need to regulating
RBSWPG. When the soil water resources in the MID of 290 cm has reached
the limit, the use of soil water resources by red plum apricot will
reach their limit. We have to consider regulate the RBSWPG and realize
sustainable use of soil water resources and high quality production of
red plum apricot in water-limited regions.
Because the interannual and seasonal variation of precipitation is great
in the study site, and the study of soil desiccation and soil
degradation effect on red plum apricot need to be continue.
Acknowledgements
This project is supported by National key Research & Development
plan(Project No. 2016YFC0501702)and the National Science Foundation of
China (Project No: 41071193) .
Additional Information
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available on
request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly
available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
Competing Financial Interests statement :
There is not Competing Financial and non-financial interests
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