CO2 enrichment and soil nitrogen effects on wheat evapotranspiration and water use efficiency

Evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) were evaluated for two spring wheat crops, grown in a well-watered, subsurface drip-irrigated field under ambient (about 370 μmol mol−1 during daytime) and enriched (200 μmol mol−1 above ambient) CO2 concentrations during 1995–1996 and 1996–1997 in Free-Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiments in central Arizona. The enriched (FACE) and ambient (Control) CO2 treatments were replicated in four, circular plots, each 25 m in diameter. Two soil nitrogen (N) treatments, ample (High N) and limited (Low N), were imposed on one-half of each circular plot. Wheat ET, determined using soil water balance procedures, was significantly greater in High N than Low N treatments starting in late-March (anthesis) during both years. Differences in ET between CO2 treatments during the seasons were generally small and not statistically significant, however, there was a tendency for the ET to be lower for FACE than Control under the High N treatment. The reduction in the cumulative seasonal ET due to FACE averaged 3.7 and 4.0% under High N and 0.7 and 1.2% under Low N in the first and second years, respectively. However, WUE (grain yield per unit seasonal ET) was significantly increased for the FACE treatment under both soil N treatments. For the High N treatment, the WUE was 19 and 23% greater for FACE than Control and for the Low N treatment the WUE was 12 and 7% greater for FACE than Control in the 2 years, respectively.