Survey the Effects of Partial Root Zone Deficit Irrigation and Deficit Irrigation on Quantitative, Qualitative and Water Use Efficiency of Pomegranate

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Mohammad Saeid Tadaion ¹
• Gholamreza Moafpourian ²

¹ Fars Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center,

² Fars Agricultural and Natural Resource Research Center

https://doi.org/10.22067/jhorts4.v0i0.53256

Abstract

Introduction: One of the latest efficient methods on increment of water use efficiency that confirmed by many scientists all over the world is deficit and alternative partial root zone deficit irrigation. In this experiment the effect of deficit and alternative partial root zone deficit irrigation on fruit yield, quality and water use efficiency of pomegranate (Punicagranatum (L.) cv. Zarde-anar) were investigatedin Arsenjan semi-arid region.
Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out in a constant plots and randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replicationsin five years.Treatmentswere 1- full flood irrigation (100 percent crop water requirement) (T1) 2- flood irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement as alternate partial root-zone irrigation(every irrigation conducted on one side of tree) (T2) 3- flood irrigation with 50 percent crop water requirement as regular deficit irrigation (T3) 4- full two-side drip irrigation(with regard to crop water requirement) (eight drippers with twolit/hour flow by two different individual networks) (T4) 5- alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement (T5) 6- regular deficit drip irrigation with 50 percent crop water requirement (T6) in every irrigation period. Each experimental treatment includes four trees and 96 similar twelve years old trees overall. Cultivation practice was conducted similarly on all of the trees.
Results and Discussion: Results showed that the highest yield and water use efficiency based on statistical analysis belong to both PRD treatments i.e. alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement and alternate partial root-zone flood irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement, respectively, that both of them decreased water requirement for irrigation up to 35 and 50 percent in comparison tocontrol. Application of partial root drying irrigation on both traditional flood irrigation and drip irrigation, in comparison todeficit irrigation, caused a significant increment of water use efficiency up to 78.34 and 71.4 percent than control in pomegranate trees, respectively. Reduction of water consumption caused a significant increase on pomegranate fruit set and there was a significant positive correlation between pomegranate yield and fruit set percentage. Increment of water use efficiency, fruit set percentage and yield had significant effects on fruit quality such as aril color, total soluble solid, total acid, TSS/TA and fruits peel color, so that, with decrease in water consumption, these traits were improved. Reducing water consumption caused an induction in reproductive characteristics, meanwhile reduced vegetative growth that is dominated in pomegranate trees. Under partial root drying irrigation and deficit irrigation on both traditional flood irrigation and drip irrigation, due to the differentiation in root morphology and structure by positive hydrotropism, increment of water absorption and use efficiency could be improved in consequence. Decreasing amount of water inirrigation had significant effect on fruit quality. Fruit peel thickness and cracking had significant relationship with each other and fruit cracking has affected by deficit irrigation. The highest total soluble solid to acid of fruit juice belong to regular deficit drip irrigation with 50 percent crop water requirement that caused an increment of 95.34 in comparison tocontrol. After that, alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement and flood irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement as alternate partial root-zone irrigation caused an increment intotal soluble solid to acid ratioof fruit juice with 61.94 and 52.99 percent. The highest amount of TSS in pomegranate fruit juice belong to alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation with 100 and 50 percent crop water requirement with 20.51 and 18.01 percent increment than control treatment, respectively. Maximum amount ofacidity infruit juice belongs to full flood irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement (control) and the minimum amount of thatbelong to regular deficit drip irrigation with 50 percent crop water requirement.
Conclusions: with regard to the irrigation management, the best applicable treatment for pomegranate cultivar Zarde-anar was alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement that could be recommended for the Arsenjan and same climate region. After that in the second place the alternative treatment were flood irrigation with 100 percent crop water requirement as alternate partial root-zone irrigation and followed with flood irrigation with 50 percent crop water requirement as regular deficit irrigation, respectively.

Keywords

• Alternate irrigation
• Fruit quality
• Pomegranate
• Root drying

20.1001.1.20084730.1396.31.2.6.0

References

1- Abrisqueta J.M.,Mounzer O., Alvarez S., Conejero, W., Garcia-Orellana Y., Tapia L.M., Vera J., Abrisqueta I., and Ruiz-Sanchez M.C. 2008. Root dynamics of peach trees submitted to partial root zone drying and continuous deficit irrigation.Agricultural Water Management. 95, 959–967.

2- Ahmadi S.H., Andersen M.N., Plauborg F., Poulsen R.T., Jensen C.R., Sepaskhah A.R., and Hansen S. 2010. Effects of irrigation strategies and soils on field grown potatoes: gas exchange and xylem [ABA]. Agricultural Water Management. 97, 1486–1494.

3- Ahyaee, M.,andBehbahanizadeh A.A. 1993. Soil chemical analysis methods. Technical Bul. 893, First edition, Soil and Water institute, Tehran, Iran.

4- Aseri G.K., Jain N., Panwar J., Rao A.V.,andMeghwal P.R. 2008. Bio fertilizers improve plant growth, fruit yield, nutrition, and metabolism and rhizosphere enzyme activities of pomegranate (Punicagranatum L.) in Indian Thar Desert. Scientia of Horticulture. 117(2), 130–135.

5- Bonfil D.J., Mufradi I., KlitmanS., andAsido S. 1999. Wheat grain yield and soil profile water distribution in a no-till arid environment. Agriculture journal. 91:3, 368-373.

6- Chikaizumi S. 2007. Studies on Causal Factors and Preventive Measures of Rind Disorders in Citrus Fruits. 2008. University of California. Agriculture and Natural Resources, http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.cdu.

7- Costantini E., Landi L., Silvestroni O., Pandolfini T., Spena A., and Mezzetti B. 2007.Auxin Synthesis-Encoding Transgene Enhances Grape Fecundity. Plant Physiology.143 (4): 1689–1694.

8- Du T., Kang S., Zhang J., Li F., andHu X. 2006. Yield and physiological responses of cotton to partial root-zone irrigation in the oasis field of northwest China. Agricultural water management. 84: 41 – 52.

9- Gong D., Kang S., Tong L.,and Ding R. 2004. Effects of root-divided alternative irrigation on soil moisture distribution and root– trunk sap flow dynamics of peach trees. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 35(10), 120–127 (in Chinese with English abstract).

10- Grimes D.W., Walhood V.T., andDickens W.L. 1968. Alternate furrow irrigation for San Joaquin valley cotton. California Agricultural. 22 (5), 4–6.

11- Gu S.L., David Z., Simon G., andGreg J. 2000. Effect of Partial Root zone drying on Vine Water Relations, Vegetative Growth, Mineral Nutrition, Yield and Fruit Quality in Field- Grown Mature Sauvignon Blanc Grapevines. Research Notes, #000702. California Agricultural Technology Institute, California State University, Fresno.

12- Hutton R.J., andLoveys B.R. 2011. A partial root zone drying irrigation strategy for citrus effects on water use efficiency and fruit characteristics. Agricultural Water Management.98, 1485–1496.

13- Kang S., andZhang J.2004.Controlled alternate partial root-zone irrigation: its physiological consequences and impact on water use efficiency. Journal of Experimental Botany. 55 (407), 2437–2446.

14- Kirda C., Cetin M., Dasgan Y., Topcu S., Kaman H., Ekici B., Derici M.R., andOzguven A.I. 2004. Yield response of greenhouse grown tomato to partial root drying and conventional deficit irrigation. Agricultural Water Management. 69, 191–201.

15- Kouchaki E., and Nasiri-Mahalati M. 1992. Ecology of field crops. Jahade-Daneshgahi Mashhad (In: Farsi).

16- Lehmann J. 2003. Subsoil root activity in tree-based cropping systems. Plant andSoil 225, 319–331.

17- Loveys B.R., Grant J., Dry P.R., and McCarthy M.G. 1997. Progress in the development of partial root-zone drying. Australian journal of Grape and Wine. 403: 18-20.

18- Loveys B.R., Stoll M., and Davies W.J. 2004. Physiological approaches enhance water use efficiency in agriculture: exploiting plant signaling in novel irrigation practice. In: Bacon MA, ed. WUE Plant bio. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 113-141.

19- Loveys B.R. 2000. Using irrigation management to improve the water use efficiency of horticultural crops. Land Management. 1 (3), 31–33.

20- Arpaia Lu M., and Lund L.J. 2006. Nitrogen Management in Citrus under Low-Volume Irrigation. Dept. of Botany and Plant Science, UC Riverside.

21- Mars M. 1996. Pomegranate genetic resources in the Mediterranean region. In: Proc. First Mesfin Plant Genet. Res. Meeting, Tenerife, Spain, 2-4 Oct. 1995, pp. 345-354.

22- Parvizi H., Sepaskhah A.R., andAhmadi S.H. 2014. Effect of drip irrigation and fertilizer regimes on fruit yields and water productivity of a pomegranate (Punicagranatum (L.) cv. Rabab) orchard. Agricultural Water Management.146, 45–56.

23- Platt R.G. 2001. Split in navel oranges. University of California Agricultural extension, ANR Associate Editors for Environment Horticulture.

24- Shahabian M., Samar S.M., Talaie A., andEmdad M.R. 2012. Response of orange trees to deficit irrigation strategies in the north of Iran. Agronomy. Soil Science. 58 (3), 267–276.

25- Sokalska D.I., Haman D.Z., Szewczuk A., Sobota J., and Deren D.2009. Spatial root distribution of mature apple trees under drip irrigation system. Agricultural Water Management. 96: 917–924.

26- Tous J., andFerguson L. 1996. Mediterranean fruits. In: Janick J, editor. Progress in new crops, 416–430. ASHS Press.

27- Unknown, 2001. Available on line at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu./pdf/8038.pdf.

28- Wagdy Y.S., Dodd I.C., Bacon M.A., Grierson D., andDavies W.J. 2004. Long-distance signals regulating stomata conductance and leaf growth in tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum) plants subjected to partial root-zone drying. Journal of Experimental Botany. 55 (407), 2353–2363.

29- Zegbe J.A., Behboudian M.H., andClothier B.E. 2004. Partial root zone drying is a feasible option for irrigating processing tomatoes. Agricultural Water Management. 68, 195–206.