Irrigation Method and Volume for Korla Fragrant Pear: Impact on Soil Water and Salinity, Yield, and Fruit Quality
, Ping Gong 1,2,*, Xinlin He 1,2, Jiaxin Wang 1,2, Zonglan Wang 1,2 and Jingrui Zhang 1,2
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The manuscript was written on a relevant topic i.e., Irrigation method and volume for Korla fragrant pear: Impact on soil water and salinity, yield, and fruit quality. After thoroughly reading the manuscript, I have found certain correctios which might improve the manuscript further.
General corrections: The adoption of a particular technology also depends on its economic profitability. Therefore, it is highly recommended that authors must add a table on economic analysis of different treatment.
The result section should contain data for treatment comparison and avoid discussion of these results. The authors added general discussion in result section (line 235-236; line 385-387) which can be deleted.
Specific comments:
· Line 46-47: Round figure data should be given.
· Line 101: The average Temp mentioned is maximum temperature or minimum temperature? Clear it.
· Line 104-107: The citation for soil nutrient analysis should be added.
· Line 104-107: Sine root growth is influenced by soil bulk density. So, depth-wise soil bulk density should be added.
· Line 104-107. The moisture content at PWP and AWC should be given.
· Line 207, 2012, 2016: The references of equations 2,3 and 4 must be added.
Author Response
List of Responses
Dear Reviewer, Associate Editor and Reviewers,
Thank you for your letter and for the reviewers’ comments concerning our manuscript entitled “Irrigation method and volume for Korla fragrant pear: Impact on soil water and salinity, yield, and fruit quality”. (ID: agronomy-1860748).
Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our manuscript, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We thank the reviewers for acknowledging the strong performance of this work and the quality of the presentation. We agree with the reviewers that the details of the submitted manuscript should be improved and we have studied comments carefully and have made corrections which we hope meet with approval. Revised portions are marked in red in the manuscript. Omitted comments will be fixed in revision if accepted. The main corrections in the manuscript and the response to the reviewers’ comments are as follows:
General corrections: The adoption of a particular technology also depends on its economic profitability. Therefore, it is highly recommended that authors must add a table on economic analysis of different treatment.
Response: It has added a table on economic analysis of different treatment.
The result section should contain data for treatment comparison and avoid discussion of these results. The authors added general discussion in result section (line 235-236; line 385-387) which can be deleted.
Response: It has deleted.
- Line 46-47: Round figure data should be given.
Response: It has revised.
- Line 101: The average Temp mentioned is maximum temperature or minimum temperature? Clear it.
Response: The average daily temperature was measured by 24 hours average method, and then the average daily temperature was used to calculate the average annual temperature.
- Line 104-107: The citation for soil nutrient analysis should be added.
Response: Before the experiment, soil samples in 0-100 cm soil layer were taken out by soil drill in the experimental site, numbered respectively and sent to the testing institution for soil nutrient content determination. Finally, the average soil nutrient in 0-100 cm soil layer was taken.
- Line 104-107: Sine root growth is influenced by soil bulk density. So, depth-wise soil bulk density should be added.
响应： 增加了土壤容重。
- 104-107号线。 应给出PWP和AWC的水份含量。
响应： 它增加了“PWP和AWC”。
- 207、212、216 号线：必须添加等式 2、3 和 4 的引用。
响应： 它增加了引用。
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The research topic is very interesting and may have great importance. The manuscript contains many valuable results. However, the manuscript needs some improvements and corrections.
1、 Line 27: Please, check “spaces” between words, parentheses, numbers, units etc. along the entire text.
2、 Line 54: What is the "strictest water management regime"? World level or China's domestic policy. Make it clear. It is suggested to add Korla fragrant pear flood irrigation water consumption and pear tree irrigation international world average level of comparison.
3、 Line 62~62: Use only the last name in the text. Please check and correct.
4、 Line 68~70: What is infiltration irrigation.
5、 Line 88: Why does it exacerbate salinization? It is suggested that increasing the flood irrigation of fragrant pear will lead to the aggravation of soil salinization.
6、 Line 97~98: Area description is not clear, please rephrase.
7、 Line 115: What is blank area of CK small area, whether to protect go? What is the dimensioning?
8、 Line 180: Does Shang measure water or salt, or can both be monitored? And is there manual sampling for correction?
9、 Line 189~190: Is it random?
10、Line 192~193: How are the leaves selected?
11、Line 196: How are the fruits selected?
12、Line 204: The specific manufacturer and address should be added in the text of the test equipment model.
13、Line 236: Water change is a dynamic process. What is the water profile before or after irrigation in FIG 5?
14、Line 242: Suggest a rewording.
15、Line 246: Suggest a rewording.
16、Line 263: What is the period before or after the infusion?
17、Line 319~320: The format of all tables in the text should be uniform.
18、Line 355~356: The standard error values in all tables are recommended to keep two digits, consistent with the measured decimal place.
Author Response
List of Responses
Dear Reviewer, Associate Editor and Reviewers,
Thank you for your letter and for the reviewers’ comments concerning our manuscript entitled “Irrigation method and volume for Korla fragrant pear: Impact on soil water and salinity, yield, and fruit quality”. (ID: agronomy-1860748).
Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our manuscript, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We thank the reviewers for acknowledging the strong performance of this work and the quality of the presentation. We agree with the reviewers that the details of the submitted manuscript should be improved and we have studied comments carefully and have made corrections which we hope meet with approval. Revised portions are marked in red in the manuscript. Omitted comments will be fixed in revision if accepted. The main corrections in the manuscript and the response to the reviewers’ comments are as follows:
1、 Line 27: Please, check “spaces” between words, parentheses, numbers, units etc. along the entire text.
Response: It has revised.
2、 Line 54: What is the "strictest water management regime"? World level or China's domestic policy. Make it clear. It is suggested to add Korla fragrant pear flood irrigation water consumption and pear tree irrigation international world average level of comparison.
Response: In May 2013, the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region issued the "Implementation of the Strict-est Water Resources Management System" to the Manas County Administration Office Notice of "Three Red Lines" Control Indicators (New Deal Letter [2013] No. 111) document. It is China’s domestic policy.
Korla fragrant pear is a unique fruit in Xinjiang, China, and the irrigation amount should be customized according to its actual needs.
www.ggpsxb.com/jgpxxb/ch/reader/view_abstract.aspx?file_no=20180919&flag=1
3、 Line 62~62: Use only the last name in the text. Please check and correct.
Response: The name of the quotation has been corrected to retain only the surname.
4、 Line 68~70: What is infiltration irrigation.
Response: The technical description of infiltration irrigation has been added.
5、 Line 88: Why does it exacerbate salinization? It is suggested that increasing the flood irrigation of fragrant pear will lead to the aggravation of soil salinization.
Response: It has added ‘Xinjiang region is dry and high temperature, soil water evaporation is rapid, flood irrigation will make the groundwater level rise, the formation of rising capillary water, resulting in the salt in the soil with water movement to the surface soil, resulting in soil salinization’.
6、 Line 97~98: Area description is not clear, please rephrase.
Response: It has revised.
7、 Line 115: What is blank area of CK small area, whether to protect go? What is the dimensioning?
Response: The blank area is an isolated row to avoid flooding irrigation water flowing to other experimental areas, which will affect the experimental results. The standard size is the length and width of the test plot.
8、 Line 180: Does Shang measure water or salt, or can both be monitored? And is there manual sampling for correction?
Response: Shang can monitor soil moisture and salinity at the same time, which will be corrected by sampling several times in the experiment.
9、 Line 189~190: Is it random?
Response: It is random.
10、Line 192~193: How are the leaves selected?
Response: 12 leaves were randomly selected from the four directions (East, south, west and north) of the upper, middle and lower parts of the tree.
11、Line 196: How are the fruits selected?
Response: Twenty-four fruits were randomly selected from four directions (east, south, west and north) in the middle and lower parts of the marked trees.
12、Line 204: The specific manufacturer and address should be added in the text of the test equipment model.
Response: A manufacturer has been added.
13、Line 236: Water change is a dynamic process. What is the water profile before or after irrigation in FIG 5?
Response: The soil moisture data after the last irrigation was selected. At this time, irrigation was finished and soil properties tend-ed to be stable. The soil moisture data at this time could better represent the influence of irrigation on soil moisture of the orchard.
14、Line 242: Suggest a rewording.
Response: It has revised.
15、Line 246: Suggest a rewording.
Response: It has revised.
16、Line 263: What is the period before or after the infusion?
Response: The data of soil salinity and desalting rate after the last irrigation were selected. At this point, irrigation ends and soil properties tend to stabilize. The data of soil salinity and desalting rate can reflect the effect of irrigation on soil salinity and desalting rate of orchard.
17、Line 319~320: The format of all tables in the text should be uniform.
Response: The table format in the text has been unified.
18、Line 355~356: The standard error values in all tables are recommended to keep two digits, consistent with the measured decimal place.
Response: It has revised the standard error values in all tables are recommended to keep two digits, consistent with the measured decimal place.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
