Articles
EFFECTS OF DRIP IRRIGATION ON THE AMOUNT OF WATER AND WETTED SOIL VOLUME ON “WASHINTON NAVEL” ORANGE YIELD
Article number
646_11
Pages
101 – 106
Language
English
Abstract
A properly designed and operated drip irrigation system has to supply the water amount required by the crop and should also wet enough soil volume.
During a five year period, the effect of both variables on “Washington Navel” orange yields were researched, under the edaphic and climatic conditions of Uruguay.
Five treatments were applied; four of them (T1, T2, T3 and T4) were increasing irrigation amounts (0, 50%, 100% and 150% of the estimated ET). To apply these treatments, one irrigation drip line per tree row, with drippers, of 2, 4 and 6 l h-1 capacity, separated 1 m apart were used for treatments 2, 3 and 4, respectively.
The remaining treatment (T5) received the same amount of water as T3, but with two drip lines spaced 1 m apart per tree row, and with 2 l h-1 drippers.
Soil volume wetted by T3 was about 20% of the soil volume below the rows (4 m width). In T5, the wetted below row soil volume was 35%.
Taking an average over the studied period, with two rather dry, one “normal”, and two very rainy years, there was a highly statistically significant effect of irrigation amount, with yields of 100, 117, 127 and 128 kg tree-1 for treatments 1 to 4, respectively.
The treatment with greater soil wet volume (T5) yielded 134 kg tree-1. Despite the fact that T5 didn’t differ significantly from T3, each year it showed a clear trend to higher yields.
Fruit size showed the same trend as total yield.
During a five year period, the effect of both variables on “Washington Navel” orange yields were researched, under the edaphic and climatic conditions of Uruguay.
Five treatments were applied; four of them (T1, T2, T3 and T4) were increasing irrigation amounts (0, 50%, 100% and 150% of the estimated ET). To apply these treatments, one irrigation drip line per tree row, with drippers, of 2, 4 and 6 l h-1 capacity, separated 1 m apart were used for treatments 2, 3 and 4, respectively.
The remaining treatment (T5) received the same amount of water as T3, but with two drip lines spaced 1 m apart per tree row, and with 2 l h-1 drippers.
Soil volume wetted by T3 was about 20% of the soil volume below the rows (4 m width). In T5, the wetted below row soil volume was 35%.
Taking an average over the studied period, with two rather dry, one “normal”, and two very rainy years, there was a highly statistically significant effect of irrigation amount, with yields of 100, 117, 127 and 128 kg tree-1 for treatments 1 to 4, respectively.
The treatment with greater soil wet volume (T5) yielded 134 kg tree-1. Despite the fact that T5 didn’t differ significantly from T3, each year it showed a clear trend to higher yields.
Fruit size showed the same trend as total yield.
Authors
M. García Petillo, L. Puppo, A. Chamorro, R. Hayashi
Keywords
citrus, irrigation, soil wetted volume, microirrigation, irrigation management, orangeCitrus sinensis
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