Location: Water Management and Systems Research
2021 Annual Report
Accomplishments
1. Improved monitoring of spatially variable crop water stress with remote-sensing. Irrigated agriculture accounts for about half the total value of U.S. crops while occupying only 28% of U.S. harvested cropland. However, climate variability can result in management uncertainty, and the current historic drought in the Western U.S. only intensifies the need to effectively manage crops when full water allocations are not available. While many crops are currently managed uniformly within fields (e.g., same plant spacing, nutrient rates, and irrigation amounts), precision agriculture can optimize management across landscapes and on a spatial and temporal basis. However, many challenges to precision management remain such as understanding the meaning and nuance of the spatial and temporal variability and how this should influence management decisions. ARS scientists in Fort Collins, Colorado, in collaboration with Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Colorado State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and other USDA-ARS units in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bushland, Texas, and Maricopa, Arizona, demonstrated: a) how maize canopy temperature, which increases due to water stress, is related not only to crop water status but more closely to the interaction of water availability and soil characteristics; b) how a remotely-sensed soil salinity related vegetation index enhanced crop yield prediction for water stressed maize during reproductive and maturation stages; and c) how the integration of high-resolution thermal and Red-Green-Blue images taken by unmanned aerial systems provides accurate maps of maize canopy temperature spatial variability. This advancement lays the foundation for full integration of spatial data with decision support systems to create streamlined variable rate irrigation systems, which assist farmers in fully optimizing crop productivity with limited water supplies on large spatial scales not before realized.
2. Discovered potential long-term effects of water limitation on soil function. Water limits crop production in arid and semi-arid systems around the world but also impacts soil health through several interacting processes. While conserving water resources is critical, little was known about how deficit irrigation (a management strategy applying less than full irrigation) impacts crop roots and critical soil characteristics. ARS researchers in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Colorado State University assessed the impacts of soil water availability on corn root growth, soil carbon storage, and soil microbial communities across deficit irrigation treatments with different timing of water availability. When water was limited early in the season, root growth increased deeper in the soil profile and resulted in increased soil organic carbon stores deep in the soil profile. Cumulative years of deficit irrigation reduced microbial biomass, but, importantly, shifted microbial communities to more drought tolerant groups. Limited water availability early in the season had lasting effects, regardless of water availability during the rest of the season, indicating potential impacts beyond the relatively short timeframe during the season that treatments were in effect. This research shows that water availability affects crop root growth and distribution, carbon dynamics, and soil biological activity in critical ways that should be considered alongside potential water savings when setting irrigation management goals. This scientific advancement (with more than 790 citations) provides valuable considerations for policy formulation (e.g., Natural Resources Conservation Service Farm Bill programs) and management guidelines (e.g., State Extension programs and soil health non-governmental organizations).
Review Publications
Drobnitch, S.T., Comas, L.H., Flynn, N.E., Ibarra De Caballero, J., Barton, R.W., Wenz, J.A., Person, T., Bushey, J.A., Jahn, C.E., Gleason, S.M. 2021. Drought-induced root pressure in Sorghum bicolor. Frontiers in Plant Science. 12. Article e571072. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.571072.
Liang, W., Qiao, X., Possignolo, I., Irmak, S., Heeren, D., Rudnick, D., DeJonge, K.C. 2021. Utilizing digital image processing and two-source energy balance model for the estimation of evapotranspiration of dry edible beans in western Nebraska. Irrigation Science. 39:617-631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-021-00721-7.
Zhang, H., Ma, L., Douglas-Mankin, K.R., Han, M., Trout, T.J. 2021. Modeling maize production under growth-stage based deficit irrigation management with RZQWM2. Agricultural Water Management. 248. Article e106767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106767.
Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Sima, M.W., Trout, T.J., Malone, R.W., Wang, L. 2020. Simulated deficit irrigation and climate change effects on sunflower production in Eastern Colorado with CSM-CROPGRO-Sunflower in RZWQM2. Agricultural Water Management. 246. Article e106672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106672.
Zhang, L., Zhang, H., Han, W., Niu, Y., Chávez, J.L., Ma, W. 2021. The mean value of gaussian distribution of excess green index: A new crop water stress indicator. Agricultural Water Management. 251. Article e106866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106866.
Zhang, D., Wang, D., Zhang, H., Zhang, J., Liang, D., Gu, C. 2021. Fusion of deep convolution and shallow features to recognize the severity of wheat fusarium head blight. Frontiers in Plant Science. 11. Article e599886. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.599886.
Flores, L., Bailey, R.T., Harmel, R.D. 2021. Using nutrient transport data to characterize and identify the presence of surface inlets in regions with subsurface drainage. Journal of Environmental Quality. 50(2):396-404. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20188.
Niu, Y., Zhang, H., Wenting, H., Zhang, L. 2021. A fixed-threshold method for estimating fractional vegetation cover of maize under different levels of water stress. Remote Sensing. 13(5). Article e1009. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13051009.
Wagner, K.L., Gentry, T.J., Harmel, R.D., Pope, E.C., Redmon, L.A. 2021. Grazing effects on bovine-associated and background fecal indicator bacteria levels in edge-of-field runoff. Water. 13(7). Article e928. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13070928.
Lambers, H., Wright, I.J., Pereria, C., Bellingham, P., Bentley, L.P., Cernusak, L.A., Foulds, W., Gleason, S.M., Gray, E.F., Hayes, P.E., Kooyman, R., Malhi, Y., Read, J., Richardson, S.J., Shane, M.W., Staudinger, C., Stock, W.D., Swarts, N.D., Turner, B.L., Turner, J., Wasaki, J., Westoby, M. 2020. Leaf manganese concentrations as a tool to assess belowground plant functioning in phosphorus-impoverished environments. Plant and Soil. 461:43-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04690-2.
Lo, T.H., Rudnick, D.R., DeJonge, K.C., Bai, G., Nakabuye, H.N., Katimbo, A., Ge, Y., Franz, T.E., Qiao, X., Heeren, D.M. 2020. Maize differences in soil moisture changes and canopy temperature under varying water × nitrogen treatments. Irrigation Science. 38:519-534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-020-00683-2.
Shao, G., Han, W., Zhang, H., Liu, S., Wang, Y., Zhang, L., Cui, X. 2021. Mapping maize crop coefficient Kc using random forest algorithm based on leaf area index and UAV-based multispectral vegetation indices. Agricultural Water Management. 252. Article e106906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106906.
Zadworny, M., Mucha, J., Jagodzinski, A.M., Koscielniak, P., Lakomy, P., Modrzejewski, M., Ufnalski, K., Zytkowiak, R., Comas, L.H., Rodríguez-Calcerrada, J. 2020. Seedling regeneration techniques affect root systems and the response of Quercus robur seedlings to water shortages. Forest Ecology and Management. 479. Article e118552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118552.
Zhang, L., Han, W., Niu, Y., Chávez, J.L., Li, G., Sho, G., Zhang, H. 2021. Evaluating the sensitivity of water stressed maize chlorophyll and structure based on UAV derived vegetation indices. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 185. Article e106174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2021.106174.
Comas, L.H., Gleason, S.M., Drobnitch, S.T. 2020. Measuring root flow rate as a surrogate for root pressure. Acta Horticulturae. 1300:147-152. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1300.19.
Freschet, G.T., Roumet, C., Comas, L.H., Weemstra, M., Bengough, A., Rewald, B., Bardgett, R.D., De Deyn, G.B., Johnson, D., Klimešová, J., Lukac, M., McCormack, L.M., Meier, I.C., Pagès, L., Poorter, H., Prieto, I., Wurzburger, N., Zadworny, M., Bagniewska-Zadworna, A., Blancaflor, E.B., Brunner, I., Gessler, A., Hobbie, S.E., Iversen, C.M., Mommer, L., Picon-Cochard, C., Postma, J.A., Rose, L., Ryser, P., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Soudzilovskaia, N.A., Sun, T., Valverde-Barrantes, O.J., Weigelt, A., York, L.M., Stokes, A. 2020. Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: Current understanding, pitfalls and future research needs. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17072.
Gleason, S.M., Nalezny, L.A., Hunter, C., Comas, L.H., Bensen, R., Chintamanani, S. 2021. Growth and grain yield of eight maize hybrids are aligned with water transport, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis in a semi-arid irrigated system. Physiologia Plantarum. 172(4):1941-1949. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.13400.
Aritsara, A., Razakandrainibe, V.M., Ramananantoandro, T., Gleason, S.M., Cao, K. 2020. Increasing axial parenchyma fraction allowed for the improvement of hydraulic efficiency during the evolution of Malagasy Magnoliids. New Phytologist. 229(3):1467-1480. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16969.
Olson, M.E., Anfodillo, T., Gleason, S.M., McCulloh, K.A. 2020. Tip-to-base xylem conduit widening as an adaptation: Causes, consequences, and empirical priorities. New Phytologist. 229(4):1877-1893. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16961.
Zieminska, K., Rosa, E., Gleason, S.M., Holbrook, N.M. 2020. Wood day capacitance is related to water content, wood density, and anatomy across 30 temperate tree species. New Phytologist. 43(12):3048-3067. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.13891.
Liu, H., Gleason, S.M., He, P., Ye, Q. 2020. Weak tradeoff between xylem hydraulic efficiency and safety: Climatic seasonality matters. New Phytologist. 229(3):1440-1452. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16940.
Ocheltree, T.W., Gleason, S.M., Jiang, G., Cao, K. 2020. Loss and recovery of leaf hydraulic conductance: Root pressure, embolism, and extra-xylary resistance. Journal of Plant Hydraulics. 7. Article e001. https://doi.org/10.20870/jph.2020.e-001.
Volaire, F., Gleason, S.M., Delzon, S. 2020. What do you mean “functional” in ecology? Patterns versus processes. Ecology and Evolution. 10(21):11875-11885. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6781.