Effects of regulated deficit irrigation on physiology, yield and fruit quality in apricot trees under Mediterranean conditions

Abstract

Scarce water resources mainly in arid and semi-arid areas have caused an increasing interest for applying irrigation protocols aiming to reduce water spends. The effects of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) on the performance of apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca L. cv. "Búlida") were assessed in Murcia (SE Spain), during three consecutive growing seasons (2008)(2009)(2010). The hypothesis was that RDI would not restrict yield but increase fruit quality while saving water. Two irrigation treatments were established: i) control, irrigated to fully satisfy crop water requirements (100% ET c ) and ii) RDI, that reduced the amount of applied water to: a) 40% of ET c at flowering and stage I of fruit growth; b) 60% of ET c during the stage II of fruit growth and c) 50% and 25% of ET c during the late postharvest period (from 60 days after harvest). Stem water potential, gas exchanges, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), fruit diameter, yield and fruit quality traits were determined. Vegetative growth was decreased by the use of RDI (12% less TCSA on average for the three years), whereas yield was unaffected. In addition, some qualitative characteristics of the fruits, such as the level of soluble solids, sweetness/acidity relation and fruit colour, were improved by the use of RDI. These results and average water savings of approximately 30%, lead us to conclude that RDI strategies are a possible solution for irrigation management in areas with water shortages, such as arid and semi-arid environments.Additional keywords: fruit growth; photosynthesis; Prunus armeniaca L.; regulated deficit irrigation; stomatal conductance; water stress.

The Effects of Combined Pre and Postharvest Deficit Irrigation on Loquat Yield, Fruit Quality and Handling Aptitude

“…Other common positive effects of DI are an increase in TSS content and an improvement in pulp firmness and skin color of the fruit [8][9][10]34]. In our experiments, we only observed sweeter and less acidic fruit under T2; this fruit, for these reasons, was preferred by the panelists (Table 7), but apart from this, no other consistent changes were detected.…”

“…On one hand, an additional period of irrigation withholding increases water savings. On the other hand, a wisely managed situation of water stress during fruit development and maturation can advance even more fruit ripening and improve the quality of the fruit by increasing sugar content, firmness and skin color as reported in apples [8], apricots [9] and cherries [10]. An important question that can be modified by preharvest DI is the diminution of loquat disorders, some already present at harvest time, but developed during fruit storage [8,11].…”

Sensory Profile and Acceptability of HydroSOStainable Almonds

“…However, other authors obtained no statistically significant differences for this parameter in pistachio and olives [8,10,28]. However, other authors showed that total color increased for apricots and peaches under RDI [29,30].…”

Deficit Irrigation in Mediterranean Fruit Trees and Grapevines: Water Stress Indicators and Crop Responses

“…Studies addressing the effect of deficit irrigation on peach fruit quality either refer to an improvement of it [71] or no effect [134,136]. Pérez-Sarmiento et al [138] applying several RDI strategies to apricot have found improvements in some qualitative characteristics of the fruits, such as the level of soluble solids, sugar/ acid ratio, and fruit color, without negative effects in yield. Along with these characteristics, fruit firmness was also improved in a study conducted by Zhou et al [135] when applying an SDI strategy with a light water stress.…”