Effects of drip-irrigation regimes with saline water on pepper productivity and soil salinity under greenhouse conditions

Rameshwaran, Ponnambalam ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8972-953X; Tepe, Akin; Yazar, Attila; Ragab, Ragab ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2887-7616. 2016 Effects of drip-irrigation regimes with saline water on pepper productivity and soil salinity under greenhouse conditions. Scientia Horticulturae, 199. 114-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2015.12.007

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Abstract/Summary

The aim of this study was to investigate the response of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to saline irrigation water and various irrigation regimes. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse with two sweet pepper varieties (ONUR F1 and ADA F1) over two cropping seasons: spring and autumn on the Mediterranean coast at Antalya, Turkey. The irrigation regimes comprised four levels of Class A pan-evaporation and were applied using a drip irrigation system when evaporation reached a target value of around 10 mm. These four levels represented 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25 of Class A pan-evaporation. In each irrigation regime the sweet pepper plants were exposed to four salinity treatments with electrical conductivities of 1.0, 2.5, 3.5 and 6.0 dS m−1 respectively. The study showed that both pepper varieties generally performed in a similar manner (except in terms of vegetative biomass production). The amount of salt accumulation within the root-zone was higher in spring compared to autumn; and therefore related to the total amount of irrigated water usage between seasons due to climatic variability. Increased salinity induced higher levels of salt accumulation within the pepper plant’s root-zone, while an increased amount of saline irrigation water increased the size of the affected layer within the root-zone. Overall, an increased level of salinity alongside increased irrigation considerably depressed both vegetative growth and yield. Higher irrigation water productivities were attained with a regime comprising 0.50 of Class A pan-evaporation and which appeared to fulfil crop water requirements. It was found that sweet pepper varieties ONUR F1 and ADA F1 are moderately sensitive to salinity with a threshold value of 1.43 dS m−1 and a decreasing slope value of 11.1%. Although both seasons revealed a single salinity response function, there were considerable differences in the actual fresh pepper yield. This study demonstrates that for pepper crops irrigated with saline water (or grown on salt-affected soils), pepper growers must consider the salinity response function and seasonal productivity alongside an appropriate irrigation regime.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2015.12.007
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Acreman Rees (from October 2014)
ISSN:	0304-4238
Additional Keywords:	Capsicum annuum L., class A pan-evaporation, modelling, sweet pepper varieties, salinity response function, salinity tolerance index, season, irrigation water productivity, yield
NORA Subject Terms:	Hydrology Agriculture and Soil Science
Date made live:	20 Jan 2016 12:02 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/512529

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