Deficit Irrigation-Based Improvement in Growth and Yield of Quinoa in the Northwestern Arid Region in China
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Climatic Conditions
Authors state: “The effective rainfall amounts during the growth period were 119.5 mm in 2019 and 135.8 mm in 2020”; How was the effective rainfall estimated?.
2.2. Experiments
Authors state: “The sowing date was 24 April, and irrigation commenced on 29 June, with a 14-day watering cycle”; Why did irrigation only start at the end of June?. How were the crops supplied with water from sowing, more than two months ago, to the start of irrigation?. Based on what criteria was it determined that the watering cycle was 14 days?. Immediately afterwards, the authors point out: “In 2019, irrigation quotas for treatments M91, M92, and M93 were 2250 m³·ha-1, 2625m³·ha-1, and 3000m³·ha-1 respectively”; What method did the authors use to determine these quotas??, based on what soil properties or what meteorological variables??, or based on what criteria??
Later the authors state: “A control group (CK) was also included and was watered twice during the seedling stage at 150m³·ha-1, with a final irrigation quota of 3675m³·ha-1”; What method did the authors use to determine these quotas??, based on soil properties or weather variables??, or based on what criteria??.
Later the authors state: “The 2020 experiment built upon the 2019 study by investigating the impact of different irrigation quotas on quinoa growth. Three different irrigation quotas, M01, M02, and M03, were set at 2550 m³·ha-1, 2925 m³·ha-1, and 3300 m³·ha-1 respectively”; Why didn't the authors use the same values for irrigation quotas in 2019 and 2020 ??, how did the authors determine these quotas??, based on which soil properties or weather variables??.
Later the authors state: “Unlike in 2019, all treatments received two watering sessions during the seedling stage at 150m³/ha each”, Why??; What were the criteria for not doing the same in 2020 compared to 2019??.
Later the authors state: “A control group (CK) with an irrigation quota of 3675m³·ha-1 was included to determine the most suitable irrigation level for quinoa growth, as shown in Table 1”; Again, doubts arise: what method did the authors use to determine this quota??, based on soil properties or meteorological variables??.
What experimental design was used?, How many repetitions of the treatments have been performed?.
3. Results
3.2. Changes in Water Consumption during the Growth Stages of Quinoa
The authors state: “During the seedling stage, water consumption ranged between 22.80 and 52.80 mm with treatments M91, M92, and M93”; should be: “During the seedling stage, water consumption ranged between 22.80 and 52.80 mm with treatments M91, M92, M93 and CK”?.
Why, in Table 2, are the water consumption values of the treatments applied in 2019 and 2020 compared with each other? Differences in climatic conditions in the two years led to different water consumptions, so shouldn't the data be statistically analysed separately for each year?.
3.3. Quinoa Crop Coefficient (𝐾 )
Why was a statistical analysis not performed on the estimated Kc values for each treatment (see Table 3)?.
3.4. Dry Matter in Different Growth Stages of Quinoa
Table 4 should indicate the units of the values shown.
The authors state: “During the seedling stage, the dry matter accumulation per plant ranged from 0.485 to 0.980 g·plant in 2019…”; but the values do not coincide with those shown in Table 4.
Immediately afterwards the authors point out: “Variations were observed between 2019 and the control group (CK), with average values of 0.627 g·plant and 1.028 g·plant…”; Again, the indicated values do not coincide with those shown in Table 4.
Later the authors state: “During the flowering stage in both seasons, quinoa plants were irrigated with varying amounts of water, resulting in rapid growth and dry matter accumulation ranging from 24.91 to 56.07 g·plant in 2019 and from 56.08 to 70.22 g·plant in 2020…”; should be the bud stage instead of flowering stage.
3.5. Relationship between Growth Indicators of Quinoa and Water Consumption during Different Growth Stages
In Table 5, what means “Different from traditional values”???.
3.6. Factors Affecting the Yield of Quinoa
The section title does not reflect what the authors present, since the work only analyzes the effect of different amounts of water applied to the crop on various growth variables. It is suggested to modify the title of the section.
In Table 6 the title “Factors affecting the yield of quinoa” does not reflect what the authors present. Furthermore, authors must indicate what the abbreviations TGW, HI, WUE and GWUE means; and the way in which they were calculated must be indicated in the text.
3.7. Relationship among Yield, Water Consumption, and Water Use Efficiency
The authors state: “In the management of crop production, crop water use efficiency (WUE) and grain water use efficiency (GWUE) are important indicators for measuring the efficiency of crop water management…”; what was the difference between WUE and GWUE??. Authors must indicate in the text how they were calculated.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe work presented presents interesting data on the cultivation of irrigated quinoa.
The methodology needs to be improved. As this is an irrigation study, all the irrigation management during the experiment should be described in detail.
Some of the discussions/conclusions are not scientifically advanced, as they are results that have already been defined in the literature.
Comments and suggestions have been included in the attached file.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
English is easy to read.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Climatic Conditions
“Figure1,The region” add space between words.
Which soil classification system was worshiped???
“0.3m, 1600kg·ha-1, 2250m³·ha-1” add space between words. 0.3 m, 1600 kg·ha-1, 2250 m³·ha-1 apply space between numbers and unit.
"A control group (CK) with a final irrigation quota of 3,675m³·ha-1." In this case, was full irrigation carried out? Water to meet 100% of the crop’s water needs? What management method was used? What is the field capacity of the soil? What is the permanent wilting point? Soil density? Soil composition? Sand, silt and clay??? Soil information is important for understanding the behavior of water in the soil.
Details on the use of irrigation are missing. How long did you spend irrigating? What is the irrigation application rate??? mm h-1? What is the flow rate of each dripper in the hose???
3. Results
3.1. Reference Crop Evapotranspiration (ET0)
The authors talk a lot about relative humidity and precipitation, but they do not mention the very strong influence of 𝑅n is the radiation (MJ·m-²·day-1).
Table 3: I suggest that the authors of the article insert a graph showing the crop coefficient results throughout the cycle in complementary material. This provides a much clearer visualization, better presented than in table form. Just a suggestion that will enrich the article.
Discussion:
“Water is crucial for the growth of crops, as it participates in physiological and biochemical processes and serves as a medium for energy conversion and material exchange throughout the various stages of the crop growth cycle.” what is the quote??? Where did the authors get this correct information?
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
ok
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors have made the suggested changes and modifications, so I have no further comments on the manuscript
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Thank you so much for your valuable comments and suggestions during the review of my paper. Your expert advice has been crucial in improving my work.
As a soon-to-be PhD graduate and a mother of a 15-month-old baby, your recognition of my paper has greatly encouraged and delighted me. This is very significant to me.
Thank you once again for your attention and assistance towards my work. I wish you success in your career and good health.
Sincerely,
MuKeran Awa
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe corrections have been made. The work is approved for publication.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Thank you so much for your valuable comments and suggestions during the review of my paper. Your expert advice has been crucial in improving my work.
As a soon-to-be PhD graduate and a mother of a 15-month-old baby, your recognition of my paper has greatly encouraged and delighted me. This is very significant to me.
Thank you once again for your attention and assistance towards my work. I wish you success in your career and good health.
Sincerely,
MuKeran Awa
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Editor,
The authors made a major improvement to the manuscript.
A flaw in the article was that the efficiency of using WUE water was little explained and little discussed. The authors have now offered more details and a better discussion and conclusion on the topic.
Figures 1, 3 and Table 1 were better presented.
Figure 4 was inserted, fundamental for a better understanding of the manuscript.
Discussions and conclusions were enriched.
I recommend accepting the article!!!
Comments on the Quality of English Languageok
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the invaluable feedback you provided during the review process. Your expert advice has been crucial in improving my paper.
In response to your previous comments regarding the insufficient explanation and discussion of Water Use Efficiency (WUE), I have added relevant content to sections 3.6 and 4 of the manuscript. Attached is the revised full manuscript for your convenience and further review.
Please take some time to review it again and provide additional comments. I look forward to your valuable feedback to further refine my research.
As a soon-to-be PhD graduate and the mother of a 15-month-old baby, your approval of my thesis would greatly encourage and delight me. This is very significant to me.
Thank you once again for your attention and assistance towards my work. I hope my revisions meet your expectations. Wishing you professional success and good health.
Sincerely,
MuKeran Awa
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
