Location: Israel
The impact of tree phenology on the response of irrigated avocado: The hysteretic nature of the maximum trunk daily shrinkage
The goal of this study was to check the feasibility of the use of dendrometers to monitor water stress levels in avocado trees (Persea americana Mill, cv. Hass) during the period of 2015–2017. This water stress was generated naturally during events of high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) that normally take place during the Israeli spring (May) and late autumn (September). It was also generated artificially by considering two irrigation regimes, one providing the crop water needs estimated using lysimeter
Rootstock-Dependent Response of Hass Avocado to Salt Stress
Salt stress is a major limiting factor in avocado (Persea americana) cultivation, exacerbated by global trends towards scarcity of high-quality water for irrigation. Israeli avocado orchards have been irrigated with relatively high-salinity recycled municipal wastewater for over three decades, over which time rootstocks were selected for salt-tolerance. This study's objective was to evaluate the physiological salt response of avocado as a function of the rootstock. We irrigated fruit-bearing 'Hass'
Mitigating negative effects of long-term treated wastewater application via soil and irrigation manipulations: Sap flow and water relations of avocado trees (Persea americana Mill.)
Recent studies have shown significant negative effects of long-term irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) on performance of orchards planted on clay soil. The aim of this study was to evaluate water use and water relations of different mitigation measures to remedy the declining performance of a mature commercial fruit-bearing 'Hass' avocado orchard (Persea americana Mill.) growing in a clay soil irrigated with TWW since 2009. The mitigation measures, each in 6 replicates, included freshwater
Mitigating negative effects of long-term treated wastewater irrigation: Leaf gas exchange and water use efficiency response of avocado trees (Persea americana Mill.)
Declining performance of avocado orchards growing in a clayey soil irrigated with treated wastewater (TWW) for more than 5 years has been observed in Israel. Measures studied to mitigate this were freshwater (FW), blended TWW:FW in a 1:1 ratio (MIX), low-frequency TWW-irrigation (LFI), TWW irrigated tuff trenches (TUF) and TWW as the control treatment. This study reports on the response of avocado leaf gas exchange, intrinsic water use efficiency, leaf water potential and leaf hydraulic conductance
The roles of fruit sink in the regulation of gas exchange and water uptake: A case study for avocado
The effects of drip irrigation frequency on ‘Hass’ avocado trees grown in lysimeters were examined. The experimental design comprised three irrigation frequencies: (a) pulsed irrigation (10–20 min every 30 min) throughout the day (Irg1); (b) one daily irrigation event beginning at night and terminated in the morning every day (Irg2); and (c) one irrigation event every two days (Irg3). Irrigation treatments induced significant differences in water availability in the root zone and in plant water
Response of ‘Hass’ avocado trees to irrigation management and root constraint
The performance of ‘Hass’ avocado trees grown in lysimeters under different irrigation regimes obtained by manipulating drip irrigation frequency and root volume was examined. The experimental design comprised six treatments (3×2) with three irrigation frequencies and two container volumes (100- and 200-L). The three irrigation frequencies were: pulsed irrigation (10–20min every 30min) throughout the day (Irg1), one daily irrigation event beginning at night and terminated in the morning every