Effect of deficit irrigation and in situ moisture conservation on soil moisture content and frequency of irrigation in kiwifruit cultivar Allison

Abstract

The effect of deficit irrigation and in situ moisture conservation in kiwifruit cv. Allison vines was studied during the years 2011 and 2012 in the Department of Fruit Science, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, HP, India. Soil moisture content and frequency of irrigation were investigated in kiwifruit in response to deficit irrigation and in situ moisture conservation techniques. Seven treatments viz., irrigation at 80 per cent Field Capacity (T1), 60 per cent Field Capacity (T2) and 40 per cent Field Capacity (T3), 60 per cent Field Capacity (FC) plus grass mulch (T4) or black polythene (T5) and 40 per cent FC plus grass mulch (T6) or black polythene (T7) were applied from March to October with three replications in Randomized Block Design (RBD). During the year 2011, the soil moisture content under kiwifruit vines was highest under the treatment T1 (15.3, 16.9) , followed by T5 (15.2, 16.8) and T4 (14.9, 16.6) at 30 cm and at 60 cm soil depth, respectively. Whereas, during the year 2012, the soil moisture content under kiwifruit vines was highest under the treatment T1 (14.9, 16.4), followed by T5 (15.0, 16.3) and T4 (14.6, 16.1) at 30 cm and at 60 cm soil depth, respectively. However,the least soil moisture content was, however, observed under T3 (11.0, 12.8) at 30 cm and 60 cm soil depth , respectively, during the year 2011, similarly, during the year 2012, the least soil moisture content was also observed under T3 (10.6, 12.7) at 30 cm and 60 cm soil depth, respectively. The frequency of irrigation was highest under T1 (16 irrigations) followed T2 (10 irrigations) while the least was recorded under T6 and T7 (7irrigations). Total numbers of irrigations applied were reduced from 16 (under T1) to 8 (under T5). The use of black plastic mulch may be beneficial as it helped to conserve moisture
under DI regime which is comparable to those in well irrigated vines. It may also reduce the high irrigation requirement of kiwifruit in areas where sufficient water is not available.