Sensitivity of root pruned ‘Conference’ pear to water deficit in a temperate climate

• Published in: Agricultural water management Vol. 99; no. 1; pp. 58 - 66
• Main Authors: Janssens, Pieter, Deckers, Tom, Elsen, Frank, Elsen, Annemie, Schoofs, Hilde, Verjans, Wim, Vandendriessche, Hilde
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.11.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Demand; Evaporative; Fruit size; Fruit yield; Fruits; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Irrigation; irrigation scheduling; Orchards; Pears; Pyrus communis; Pyrus Communis cv. ‘Conference’; Root pruning; rooting; Roots; shoots; temperate zones; Trees; Watermark sensor; Pyrus Communis cv. ‘Conference’; Irrigation; Watermark sensor; Fruit size; Fruit yield; Root pruning; Congress; Pyrus communis; Fruit; Root; Water deficit; Rosaceae; Measurement sensor; Pyrus Communis cv. 'Conference'; Fruit crop; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Vegetative apparatus; Water engineering; Temperate climate; Spermatophyta; Yield; Fruit tree
• ISSN: 0378-3774; 1873-2283
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2011.07.018

► A water deficit on root pruned pear tree in a temperate climate is studied. ► Fruit size decline was observed when Ψ soil decreased below −100 KPa. ► A Ψ soil of −60 KPa had no effect on fruit size and Ψ stem remained above −1.5 MPa. ► Lower Ψ soil and Ψ stem values were registered after root pruning without yield decline. The present study examines the need for irrigation in pear trees ( Pyrus Communis, cv. ‘Conference’) under low evaporative demand conditions, like in Belgium, in order to maintain a consistent fruit yield and high fruit size. To determine the sensitivity of the pear yield under low evaporative demand conditions three different orchards were monitored. The study shows that a Ψ soil of −60 kPa during shoot growth has no effect on fruit yield but lower Ψ soil values induced a decline in both fruit size and total yield. Just as for arid environments a Ψ stem of −1.5 MPa is related to negative yield responses. In dry conditions lower Ψ soil and Ψ stem values were observed in root pruned trees compared to not root pruned trees in the same irrigation treatment, however without yield decline. In one orchard a biannual bearing tendency was observed after root pruning. Furthermore intensive Ψ soil measurements show a high variation in Ψ soil between orchards, and within an orchard. This underlines the need for irrigation management on a parcel level and the need for new irrigation scheduling techniques which take the spatial variation in the orchard into account.