Water status and productivity of 'Hass' avocado trees in response to supplemental irrigation during winter

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of supplemental irrigation, during winter dry season, on the water status and productivity of 'Hass' avocado (Persea Americana) trees. The experiment was carried out on a clayey Oxisol from 2014 to 2016, when extreme climatic events were recorded in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The rainfed regime was compared with two irrigation regimes, applied during the whole and half of the irrigation run time defined by the grower, corresponding to 5,091 and 2,545 m3 ha-1 water, respectively. The following variables were evaluated: soil water tension; leaf water potential, color, and chlorophyll content; leaf and fruit abscission rates; tree size; and fruit size and yield. Supplemental irrigation applied during half of the run time increased fruit yield by 18.2%. However, irrigation applied during a fixed-time period and the occurrence of unusual rainfall spells caused soil water logging, negatively affecting tree growth and water status.

Fatty Acids and Minerals as Markers Useful to Classify Hass Avocado Quality: Ripening Patterns, Internal Disorders, and Sensory Quality

“…However, the intermediate flowering matches the low rainy season recorded from June to September. The flowering phase and initial fruit growth are highly demanding in terms of water and nutrients, and stress factors resulting from these two resources can increase the abscission of flowers and set fruits and can affect fruit growth [29][30][31][32][33][34]. Herein, in the experimental orchards in Cauca, the nutrient management program based on BIK supplied nutrients monthly, but the low water availability in the low rainy seasons potentially limited the transport of these nutrients to the plants during critical periods of high demand within the intermediate flowering period.…”

“…The soils in Cauca orchards showed a low capacity to exchange nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Previous reports showed a relationship between the nutritional condition of avocado trees and the availability of elements in the soil [35], and some characteristics, such as acidic pH values, low levels of organic matter, and high to very high levels of Cu, Fe, K, Ca, B, and Zn, lead to deficit concentrations of nutrients in the leaves [34]. BIK is a widely used tool for diagnosing the nutrimental status of Hass avocado trees [36,37].…”

Irrigation Alternatives for Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) in the Mediterranean Subtropical Region in the Context of Climate Change: A Review

“…Taking into consideration the fact that the climatic conditions are becoming warmer and dryer, and water availability and quality cannot be guaranteed, agricultural production systems that traditionally cultivated rainfed plantations are currently changing to systems with additional irrigation [53,54]. In this context, Cantuarias et al [55] in Brazil evaluated the response to supplemental irrigation in cv. Hass avocado orchards.…”

Desempenho de seedlings de cultivares comerciais como porta-enxertos para abacateiros \'Hass\'

“…Outros autores verificaram em pomar de 'Hass' de quatro anos de idade, enxertados sobre seedlings de origem desconhecida, volumes de copa médios de 40 m 3 (CANTUARIAS-AVILÉS et al, 2019), superior ao observado neste trabalho, considerando cultivo irrigado e maior densidade (246 pl.ha -1 ), que garante vantagem para o desenvolvimento das plantas do estudo.…”

“…Assim como reportado no experimento de patogenicidade, a redução dos teores de clorofila das folhas de abacateiros indica o amarelecimento das mesmas. Este mesmo processo de redução do teor de clorofila foi observado em abacateiros que estavam sob condições de excedente hídrico (CANTUARIAS-AVILÉS et al, 2019). Vale ressaltar que neste trabalho, os seedlings foram submetidos a 3 ciclos de encharcamento e isso poderia explicar a redução observada mesmo nas plantas controle.…”