EFFECT OF APPLYING SURFACE AND BUBBLER IRRIGATION SYSTEMS ON FRUITFUL WASHINGTON NAVEL ORANGE TREES PRODUCTION | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Agricultural Research | ||
| Article 24, Volume 91, Issue 4, December 2013, Pages 1565-1580 PDF (550.09 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejar.2013.166375 | ||
| Authors | ||
| SHABAN M. HUSSIEN1; EL-SAUD A. ISMAIL1; MOHAMED N. ISMAIL1; TAREK A. EID2 | ||
| 1Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. | ||
| 2Soils, Water and Enviro. Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| A field experiment was conducted at a private farm at Giza in the seasons of 2011 and 2012 to study and evaluate water utilization efficiency, vegetative and roots growth parameters, fruiting measurements, fruit quality and leaf mineral content of Washington Navel orange trees under two irrigation systems. Trees under study aged 35 years budded on sour orange rootstock and grown on clayey loamy soil. Trees were surface irrigated since the farm initiation, then subjected to bubbler and surface irrigation systems in the recent study for comparison. The obtained results pointed out that, surface irrigation consumptive use was (7480 and 7310 m3/fed. in the two seasons) followed by bubbler irrigation system (4302 and 3913 m3/fed.). Water consumptive values increased as soil moisture maintained high by surface irrigation. Monthly water use was low after January and then increased to reach its maximum during June, July and August and then decreased again. On the other hand, bubbler irrigation system supported an increase in water utilization efficiency up to 59.4 %. Bubbler irrigation system increased both vegetative and root growth parameters i.e., (shoot length, leaf area, root length, number of roots and dry weight). Moreover, bubbler irrigation system resulted in a significant increase in fruiting parameters (yield kg per tree, number of fruits/tree, fruit weight g.). In addition to that most of both physical and chemical studied fruit characteristics were improved by bubbler than the surface irrigation method during the first and second seasons. However, leaf mineral content (N, P and K) was not significantly affected by both investigated irrigation methods in the two seasons of study. Bubbler irrigation system results in more effective roots (< 2 mm) in length and number compared with the surface one. This increase was reflected in improved yield and quality of orange production. In brief, it could be concluded and recommended for Washington Navel orange trees grown on clay loamy soil to change surface to bubbler irrigation system for saving more irrigation water with better fruit yield, fruit quality, system and increasing water utilization efficiency to 59.4 %. | ||
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