Articles
Optimizing water management in young almond orchards with heavy clay soils in southeastern Australia using proximal and remote sensors
Article number
1395_6
Pages
37 – 44
Language
English
Abstract
The area planted with almond is increasing in the Riverina region in New South Wales, Australia, at a higher rate than in other regions.
Soils in the Riverina are typically heavier than the ideal soils for almond production.
Thus, optimum irrigation water management is crucial to manage the water resources efficiently and avoid soil water conditions that could impair crop performance.
Drone-based Kc estimates, Wi-Fi-based data loggers for real-time soil moisture monitoring and Wi-Fi smart switches for solenoid valve control were used in this study to deficit irrigate three-year-old Nonpareil and Shasta almond trees grown on grey clay soils during summer.
The response of Nonpareil and the relatively new self-pollinating cultivar Shasta to mild (DI1) and moderate (DI2) water stress in terms of water status, photosynthetic state, tree growth and yield were assessed and compared with the orchard practice (irrigated at 95% ETc). The DI2 treatment received ~11% less water than the orchard practice, reached the lowest stem water potential (SWP) values (-1.9 MPa) and the highest water-stress integral.
No differences in chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis-related parameters measured with a MultispeQ were observed among irrigation treatments.
Deficit irrigation reduced trunk growth and kernel dry weight, but yield (t kernel ha‑1) was not significantly decreased due the variability observed in the total number of nuts tree‑1. Shasta trees showed less negative SWP values, consistently displayed a significant higher fraction of absorbed light lost to non-photochemical quenching during summer than Nonpareil trees and yielded the highest.
Results from this study showed that proximal and remote sensing of tree water needs, and soil water status are useful tools for the precision water management of young almond orchards.
It also shows Shasta with an average irrigation water productivity of 0.44 kg m‑3 as an interesting cultivar for the semi-arid climate of the Riverina.
Soils in the Riverina are typically heavier than the ideal soils for almond production.
Thus, optimum irrigation water management is crucial to manage the water resources efficiently and avoid soil water conditions that could impair crop performance.
Drone-based Kc estimates, Wi-Fi-based data loggers for real-time soil moisture monitoring and Wi-Fi smart switches for solenoid valve control were used in this study to deficit irrigate three-year-old Nonpareil and Shasta almond trees grown on grey clay soils during summer.
The response of Nonpareil and the relatively new self-pollinating cultivar Shasta to mild (DI1) and moderate (DI2) water stress in terms of water status, photosynthetic state, tree growth and yield were assessed and compared with the orchard practice (irrigated at 95% ETc). The DI2 treatment received ~11% less water than the orchard practice, reached the lowest stem water potential (SWP) values (-1.9 MPa) and the highest water-stress integral.
No differences in chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis-related parameters measured with a MultispeQ were observed among irrigation treatments.
Deficit irrigation reduced trunk growth and kernel dry weight, but yield (t kernel ha‑1) was not significantly decreased due the variability observed in the total number of nuts tree‑1. Shasta trees showed less negative SWP values, consistently displayed a significant higher fraction of absorbed light lost to non-photochemical quenching during summer than Nonpareil trees and yielded the highest.
Results from this study showed that proximal and remote sensing of tree water needs, and soil water status are useful tools for the precision water management of young almond orchards.
It also shows Shasta with an average irrigation water productivity of 0.44 kg m‑3 as an interesting cultivar for the semi-arid climate of the Riverina.
Authors
C. Ballester, R. Filev-Maia, J. Hornbuckle
Keywords
drip irrigation, grey clay soil, internet of things, remote sensing, soil moisture, water stress
Groups involved
- Division Temperate Tree Nuts
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nuts
- Working Group Precision Management of Orchards and Vineyards
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