Abstract
Abstract Reforestation projects in semiarid lands often yield poor results. Water scarcity, poor soil fertility, and structure strongly limit the survival and growth of planted seedlings in these areas. At two experimental semiarid sites, we evaluated a variety of low‐cost planting techniques in order to increase water availability to plants. Treatments included various combinations of traditional planting holes; water‐harvesting microcatchments; stone or plastic mulches; small waterproof sheets to increase water harvesting; dry wells; buried clay pots; and deep irrigation. Some of these treatments were also combined with addition of composted biosolids. Waterproof sheets significantly enhanced water harvesting (43%) and soil moisture in the planting hole (40%), especially for low‐intensity rainfall events. Treatment effects on the survival and growth of Olea europaea seedlings varied between experimental sites. At the most water‐limited site, clay pots, and dry wells improved seedling survival, while no treatment enhanced seedling growth. At the least water‐stressed site, the application of composted sludge significantly improved seedling growth. We conclude that nutrient‐mediated stress is subordinate to water stress in arid and semiarid environments, and we suggest modifications on the microsite scale to address these limiting conditions in Mediterranean drylands .
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Waterproof sheets enhanced water harvesting by 43%.
- Taxon
- Olea europaea
Olea europaeat0 - Treatment
- Waterproof sheetse0
- Outcome
- water harvestinge0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 43%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Waterproof sheets significantly enhanced water harvesting (43%)”
t0“Olea europaea”
Claim · model-written summary
Waterproof sheets increased planting-hole soil moisture by 40%.
- Taxon
- Olea europaeaOlea europaeat0
- Treatment
- Waterproof sheetse0
- Outcome
- soil moisture in the planting holee0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Value
- 40%e0
- Qualifier
- low‐intensity rainfall eventse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Waterproof sheets significantly enhanced water harvesting (43%) and soil moisture in the planting hole (40%)”
e1“low‐intensity rainfall events”
t0“Olea europaea”
Claim · model-written summary
Clay pots improved seedling survival at the most water-limited site.
- Taxon
- Olea europaeaOlea europaeae1
- Treatment
- clay potse0
- Outcome
- seedling survivale0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Setting
- most water‐limited sitee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At the most water‐limited site, clay pots, and dry wells improved seedling survival”
e1“Olea europaea seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
Dry wells improved seedling survival at the most water-limited site.
- Taxon
- Olea europaeaOlea europaeae1
- Treatment
- dry wellse0
- Outcome
- seedling survivale0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Setting
- most water‐limited sitee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At the most water‐limited site, clay pots, and dry wells improved seedling survival”
e1“Olea europaea seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
No treatment enhanced seedling growth at the most water-limited site.
- Taxon
- Olea europaeaOlea europaeae1
- Outcome
- seedling growthe0
- Direction
- no treatment enhancede0
- Setting
- most water‐limited sitee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At the most water‐limited site, clay pots, and dry wells improved seedling survival, while no treatment enhanced seedling growth”
e1“Olea europaea seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
Composted sludge improved seedling growth at the less water-stressed site.
- Taxon
- Olea europaeaOlea europaeae1
- Treatment
- application of composted sludgee0
- Outcome
- seedling growthe0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Setting
- least water‐stressed sitee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At the least water‐stressed site, the application of composted sludge significantly improved seedling growth”
e1“Olea europaea seedlings”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest microsite modifications to address limiting conditions in Mediterranean drylands.
- Taxon
- Olea europaeaOlea europaeae1
- Outcome
- modifications on the microsite scalee0
- Setting
- Mediterranean drylandse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we suggest modifications on the microsite scale to address these limiting conditions in Mediterranean drylands”
e1“Olea europaea seedlings”
The same questions in other papers
fertilization · growth · Olea europaea (common olive)Positive and negative results
32 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- no effect
- no effect
- no effect
34 papers more in this group
See all 38 papers →organic · growth · Olea europaea (common olive)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.