Effects of limited irrigation on lettuce and chinese cabbage yields

Summary

Yield response of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. Group pekinensis) to eight different drip irrigation rates was determined in 1980–1984 at Lalamilo, Hawaii. Treatments were arranged in a gradient irrigation design replicated three times and were irrigated daily with amounts ranging from 0.76 mm to 6.09 mm. Yield response from a 0 treatment, equal to rainfall, was also measured. Marketable yield increased linearly with increased water application up to 49.7 Mg/ha for lettuce and 73.1 Mg/ha for Chinese cabbage with an associated seasonal evapotranspiration of 205 mm and 209 mm for lettuce and Chinese cabbage, respectively. The relationship between deficit relative yield (yield divided by maximum yield) and deficit relative evapotranspiration (evapotranspiration divided by maximum evapotranspiration) was linear with a deficit response coefficient of 1.07 for lettuce and 1.35 for Chinese cabbage. Marketable percentage of total potential biomass production decreased linearly with a decrease in marketable yield. Lettuce head size also decreased linearly with a decrease in marketable yield. Water use efficiency (yield divided by water applied) was 24 and 36 kg/m3 of water for lettuce and Chinese cabbage, respectively.