Fruit yield and quality responses of apple cvars Gala and Fuji to partial rootzone drying under Mediterranean conditions (original) (raw)
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Partial Rootzone Drying Advances Fruit Maturity of Royal Gala Apple
Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana
Partial rootzone drying (PRD) is a feasible irrigation strategy for saving water, which might save up to 50 % water, while maintaining apple (Malus domestica Borkh) yield. More information is available on the effect of PRD on yield and fruit quality than on fruit maturity advancement (FMA). Therefore, the effect of PRD on FMA of Royal Gala apples grown in a dry area of New Zealand was studied. The irrigation treatments were commercial irrigation (CI) and PRD. Fruit growth and FMA were measured. FMA was estimated based on mean fresh mass of fruit (MFMF), fruit skin color (FSC), fruit diameter (FD), fruit volume (FV), fruit density (FDen), flesh firmness (FF), total soluble solids concentration (TSSC), dry mass concentration of fruit (DMCF), and starch pattern index (SPI). MFMF, FSC, FD, FV, FDen, and DMCF were similar between CI and PRD fruit. However, compared to CI fruit, PRD fruit showed a tendency for enhancing FF and TSSC. SPI was higher in PRD fruit than in CI fruit. Canonical ...
Postharvest Performance of ‘Pacific Rose™’ Apple Grown Under Partial Rootzone Drying
HortScience
Quality and storability of ‘Pacific Rose™’ apple grown under partial rootzone drying (PRD) were studied over 2 years. The treatments were commercial irrigation (CI) and PRD, which were applied by watering one side of the tree row throughout the season (Expt. 1) or by alternating irrigation between two sides of the tree row when volumetric soil water content ranged between 0.18 and 0.22 m3·m−3 (Expt. 2). The PRD and CI fruit had similar quality attributes at harvest and after storage except that the former had lower weight loss during storage in Exp. 1 and a lower firmness after storage in Exp. 2. Compared with CI, PRD saved water by 0.15 mega liters per hectare in Exp. 1 and by 0.14 mega liters per hectare in Exp. 2. We recommend PRD for humid environments similar to ours.
Journal of Applied Horticulture, 2007
We investigated the vegetative and productive responses of 'Golden Delicious' apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees to xed partial rootzone drying under the dry climate of central Sicily. Soil water content (SWC), stomatal conductance, yield, fruit quality, fruit growth, and vegetative growth of conventionally irrigated trees (CI), where drip emitters on both sides of each tree were left open, were compared to that of xed partial rootzone drying (FPRD) trees where only one side of the rootzone was irrigated for the entire season thus receiving 50% of the CI irrigation water. The irrigation season started on 31 July and ended on 13 September, 2004. Wet and dry rootzone sides showed signi cantly different SWC from 16 August until 14 September, whereas stomatal conductance of CI and FPRD trees differed signi cantly starting on 24 August. Relative growth rate of CI fruit was higher than that of FPRD fruit on 27 and 31 August, but fruit size was similar during the entire sampling period and at harvest. Trees of the two treatments had similar yields, number of fruits, crop load, fruit:leaf ratio, fruit quality, tree height, wood fresh and dry weight, canopy spread area, volume and density, shoot length and number, internode length, and leaf area. FPRD trees had higher yield ef ciency, thinner shoots, lower leaf water content, higher canopy density and leaf dry weight and speci c leaf weight than CI trees. Our observations suggest the extent of possible water savings without loss of yield and fruit quality using this partial rootzone drying strategy in 'Golden Delicious' apple orchards of central Sicily.
Acta Horticulturae, 2017
Partial rootzone drying (PRD) is a new irrigation system which allows a reduction of seasonal irrigation volume, near the 50% of a well watered crop, and improves fruit quality parameters, without significant yield reduction. In the PRD technique only half of the root system is irrigated, the other half is maintained in drying soil. After 10-15 days, the wet and the dry root zone are inverted. This system of watering would allow separating some positive effects of water deficit (better fruit quality, restriction of side-shoot growth and reduction of the transpiration losses) from the negative effects such as fruit yield reduction. Given the extension of tomato greenhouse cultivation in Sardinia and considering that water deficit is often applied to limit excessive vigour and increase extra-quality of berry production, two year trial in greenhouse (2004-2005), to verify the effects of PRD on the growth, yield and fruit quality in tomato, were carried out. In both years, PRD technique was compared with the following treatments: 100% MET (maximum evapotranspiration) as well watered control thesis and 50% MET, irrigated on both sides of the root system; in the second trial a further thesis, a PRD treatment with a shorter switch cycle was evaluated. No significant difference in vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality parameters was found between PRD and 50% MET thesis. The seasonal volume reduction with both irrigation systems has always caused a significant yield reduction compared with the well watered check.
Advances in Horticultural Science
Water resources are becoming more limited worldwide and there is an urgent need to explore efficient irrigation technologies. The present paper investigates the feasibility of partial rootzone drying (PRD) for 'Pacific Rose™'apple grown in a humid climate. The treatments were commercial irrigation (CI) as control and PRD. Only one side of tree row was irrigated in the PRD treatment with the other side left to dry to a volumetric soil water content of 0.18 to 0.22 m 3 m-3 before being irrigated subsequently. In general, diurnal leaf water potential was the same for CI and PRD treatments. Stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate appeared unaffected. Yield, mean fresh weight of fruit, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), yield efficiency (yield/TCSA), and shoot growth were the same between CI and PRD. Water use efficiency was improved in PRD trees. Fruit quality at harvest, in terms of internal ethylene concentration, starch pattern index, flesh firmness, total soluble solids concentration, and fruit skin background colour, was the same between CI and PRD. Dry matter concentration of fruit was lowerin PRD fruit than in CI fruit. In summary, PRD did not adversely affect yield and fruit quality and improved water use efficiency by 120%, saving 0.14 mega litres of water per hectare.
Advances in horticultural science, 2008
Water resources are becoming more limited worldwide and there is an urgent need to explore efficient irrigation technologies. The present paper investigates the feasibility of partial rootzone drying (PRD) for 'Pacific Rose™'apple grown in a humid climate. The treatments were commercial irrigation (CI) as control and PRD. Only one side of tree row was irrigated in the PRD treatment with the other side left to dry to a volumetric soil water content of 0.18 to 0.22 m 3 m-3 before being irrigated subsequently. In general, diurnal leaf water potential was the same for CI and PRD treatments. Stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate appeared unaffected. Yield, mean fresh weight of fruit, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), yield efficiency (yield/TCSA), and shoot growth were the same between CI and PRD. Water use efficiency was improved in PRD trees. Fruit quality at harvest, in terms of internal ethylene concentration, starch pattern index, flesh firmness, total soluble solids concentration, and fruit skin background colour, was the same between CI and PRD. Dry matter concentration of fruit was lowerin PRD fruit than in CI fruit. In summary, PRD did not adversely affect yield and fruit quality and improved water use efficiency by 120%, saving 0.14 mega litres of water per hectare.