Spatiotemporal Root-Trait Plasticity Underpins Almond Yield Stability and Enhanced Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency Under Prolonged Fertigation Reduction
Abstract
The root system provides the interface between the plant and the soil that is responsible for water and nutrient uptake and transport. We hypothesized that almond trees in the commercial production environment could adjust their root acquisitive traits with distance vertically and horizontally from driplines as adaptive responses to within-orchard reductions in irrigation and nitrogen inputs. We compared the responses of root acquisitive traits under four years of treatments ranging from +W+N (15 ML ha−1 water and 300 kg ha−1 nitrogen per season) to −W−N (10.5 ML ha−1 water and 160 kg ha−1 nitrogen per season, with −W involving a 30% reduction in irrigation and −N involving a 46% reduction in nitrogen). Roots (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Irrigation Practices and Water Management
Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Plants
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 409–409
- Publication date
- 29 January 2026
- Language
- EN