Evapotranspiration, crop coefficients, and physiological responses of citrus trees in semi-arid climatic conditions

Sajad Jamshidi, Shahrokh Zand-Parsa, Ali Akbar Kamgar-Haghighi, Ali Reza Shahsavar and Dev Niyogi

Agricultural Water Management, 2020, vol. 227, issue C

Abstract: Improved understanding of crop water use is vital for aiding water-saving and sustainable production practices, particularly for water-restricted regions, where limited observations exist. This study investigated the standard evapotranspiration and crop coefficients (single and dual) for drip-irrigated mature orange trees (Citrus sinensis L. cv. Washington navel) for the semi-arid climate of southern Iran. Forty-five Washington navel trees in a clean-cultivated orchard were subjected to five irrigation levels (100%, 90%, 75%, 60%, and 45% of reference evapotranspiration) for two consecutive seasons (2016, 2017). Crop physiological responses including stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf water potential (Ψleaf) were measured, and the agronomic effects in terms of plant yield (i.e., fruit number and weight) and evapotranspiration water productivity (WPET) were evaluated. The average standard evapotranspiration rate was measured as 5.11 mm day−1 with the seasonal amount of 1814 mm (partitioned as 84.9–86.5% of transpiration and 13.5–15.1% evaporation), and the crop coefficient ranged from 0.67 in January to 0.96 in June. During periods of high evaporative demand, the non-stressed and moderately stressed trees (100%, 90%, 75% treatments) reduced their gs (0.107–0.075 mol m-2 s−1) to maintain a relatively constant Ψleaf, whereas in severely stressed trees (60% and 45% treatments), Ψleaf significantly reduced when gs dropped below 0.067-0.077 mol m−2 s−1. Considering the current water deficiency in the region, irrigating at 60% ETo (˜67–70% standard crop demand) is recommended for sustainable citrus production.

Keywords: Crop coefficients; Evapotranspiration; Leaf water potential; Stomatal conductance; Washington navel Orange; Water productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:227:y:2020:i:c:s0378377419311643

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2019.105838

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