Does furrow irrigation system improve yield and water use efficiency of Kinnow mandarin (citrus reticulate blanco)?

Abstract

In Pakistan, orchards are irrigated using flood irrigation system that is considered sub-economical regarding water use efficiency. Considering the importance of natural water resources, there was a need to devise the method of applying irrigation water that would save water consumption, environmentally friendly and easily adopted by the growers. Thus, a research trial was conducted at Citrus Research Institute, Sargodha, Pakistan on 0.41 ha area of Kinnow mandarin. The total area was divided into two parts, half of the area was used for furrow irrigation system and the remaining half was used for flood irrigation system. Tensiometers were installed in the soil in furrow and flood irrigation system to assess the moisture condition in the soil. Irrigations were applied when tensiometer readings reached 40 centibars. The quantity of water used for irrigation was measured with a flume meter and then percentage of water saving was calculated. The study revealed that furrow irrigation system significantly improved the number of fruits per tree (1153), fruit yield (179.89 kg per plant) and juice percentage (48.38%) compared with flood irrigation system where the number of fruits per tree were711, fruit yield was 110.61 kg per plant and juice percentage was 46.31%. However, TSS/acidity ratio, and peel and rag percentage were not affected by the different irrigation systems. In furrow irrigation system 24 irrigations were applied per year with average water saving of 46.14% and water use efficiency (WUE) was 4.58 kg m-3 whereas in flood irrigation system average numbers of irrigations were 15 per year and WUE was 2.34 kg m-3only. Therefore, furrow irrigation system is recommended for the citrus growers to improve the water use efficiency, yield and fruit quality of Kinnow mandarin.

Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emission from Seedless Lime Cultivation Using Organic Fertilizer in a Province in Vietnam Mekong Delta Region

“…Mulching practices in citrus orchards decreased GHG emission [28]. When nutrient inputs were balanced, irrigation practices (furrow and deficit irrigation), plant growth regulator application, nitrification inhibitor fertilizer application, and bio-fertilizer application improved fruit yield [53][54][55][56][57]. The current irrigation methods in the SL orchards are sprinkler and overflowing; the change to better practice would help save energy and decrease N 2 O emission [29,58].…”

Evaluation of Water Productivity and Yield of Citrus Reticulate Blanco under Different Soil Moisture Depletion Levels and Fertilizer Doses

“…Savings of 46% and water use efficiency of 4.58 kg m -3 compared to flood conditions average number of irrigations per irrigation system was 15 WUE was 2.34 kg m -3 alone and was annual. To increase the productivity, quality, and efficiency of water use by citrus growers, the furrow irrigation system is advised [9].…”

De novoGenome Assembly, Functional Annotation and SSR Mining ofCitrus reticulata“Kinnow” from Pakistan

“…As of 2020, mandarin production ranked second after sweet orange, accounting for 24% of worldwide citrus production (FAO statistics. 2020), and ranked first in Pakistan (Raza et al 2021). Nowadays, mandarin fruits are gaining attention due to their appealing attributes such as a nutritional profile, ease of peeling, and unique appetizing flavor.…”