DIFFERENT LEVELS OF WATER AND FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN ‘HASS’ AVOCADO TREES DURING FOUR SEASONS IN THE PEUMO VALLEY OF CHILE

A research study was carried out during four seasons between December 2003 to May 2007, in five years old ‘Hass’ avocado trees (Persea americana Mill.) in the Peumo Valley, Chile.
Its objective was to analyze the effects of two doses of fertilizer and four differential levels of water application (25, 50, 75 and 100% of the theoretical water volume required by the plant) on the production and quality of the fruit.
A split-plot experimental design with allocation in completely randomized blocks with four replications was used.
Each experimental unit was made up of 6 trees in a grid of 7×4 m, on a ridge 0.6 m height and 2.3 m wide.
The volume of applied water in the four seasons ranged between 6.600 and 10.100 m³ ha^-1 (for the treatment of 100% water application) and 1.600 to 3.250 m³ ha^-1 (for the treatment of 25% of water application). With the exception of the 2005-2006 season, there were no significant differences in yield for the two doses of fertilizers.
Similarly, the levels of water application did not show significant differences in production in any season.
However, fruit yield was highly variable year by year, with a minimum average of 1,450 kg ha^-1 in the 2004-2005 season and a maximum value of 40,000 kg ha^-1 in the 2005-2006 season.

VI International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops

E. Holzapfel, J. Jara, N. Valderrama

irrigation, evapotranspiration, yield

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.889.47