Category: Water management
Evaluation of aerial and root plant growth behavior, water and nutrient use efficiency and carbohydrate dynamics for Hass avocado grown in a soilless and protected growing system
Avocado production is nowadays questioned worldwide and at risk due to climate change and the high water footprint of this crop. Thus, there is need for the development or adoption of new strategies such as alternative production systems. In this study, Hass avocado plants grafted on two rootstocks (Mexicola -seed propagated and Dusa® - vegetative-propagated and referred as clonal) were grown in a greenhouse and substrate (coir growth container, 55 L of volume and 500 × 480 mm, H X W) culture
Blue and Green Water Footprint of Agro-Industrial Avocado Production in Central Mexico
Mexico is the world-leading avocado producer. The municipality of Uruapan in the Avocado Belt region in Central Mexico produces 153,000 tons a year, nearly 6.4% of Mexico’s total volume. We performed a green and blue water footprint (WF) analysis between 2012 to 2017 in this municipality, and compared the estimated WF volumes with water concessions for agriculture. Mean annual rainfall was 1757.0 mm in the study period, mean effective rainfall 877.2 mm, mean crop evapotranspiration 933.1 mm, and
Improving Soil Oxygenation with Hydrogen Peroxide Injection into Heavy Clay Loam Soil: Effect on Plant Water Status, CO2 Assimilation and Biomass of Avocado Trees
Commercial avocado production in Chile has expanded to areas with poorly drained soils presenting low oxygenation over significant periods of time throughout the year. In many of these areas, irrigation management is difficult because plantations are often placed on slopes of hills. Poorly aerated soils combined with irrigation design and management problems can limit avocado fruit production and quality, particularly if hypoxia stress occurs between spring and the beginning of summer. It is well
Effect of soil water-to-air ratio on biomass and mineral nutrition of avocado trees
In Chile, expansion of avocado production has resulted in many orchards established in marginal soils that are poorly drained and have high soil water-to-air ratios when soil moisture is at field capacity. However, avocado trees are sensitive to poor soil aeration. A study was conducted to determine the effects of different soil water-to-air ratios (W/A) on biomass and nutrient content of avocado trees. Two-year-old avocado trees were grown for 2 seasons in containers in soils, with different W/A,
Effect of soil available water depletion on plant water status, fruit size and yield of avocado trees cv. 'HASS'
The objective of this study was to define the soil available water depletion (SAWD) in avocado, in order to use it as a criterion for irrigation programs in soils of fine texture and low aeration capacity. to determine appropriately the fraction of soil SAWD we performed three independent trials: Trial 1: We evaluated two treatments: T1, irrigation to 100% ETc and then without irrigation for 13 days, until the SAWD reached 60%, and T2: daily irrigation replacing 100% of the evapotranspiration of
Crop Yield Response to Water: Section 4.1 (Fruit Trees)
Avocado (Persea americana Mill) is a tree that has been known for centuries in areas of Central and South America, but only recently has become a commercial crop. In 2009, there were over 430 000 ha of commercial plantings with a world average yield of 8.8 tonne/ha, with Mexico (100 000 ha), Chile and the United States as the main producing countries. Other countries with significant exports are South Africa, Spain, and Israel (FAO, 2011). Figure 1 presents the production trends of the main producing