In addition to the strategies outlined in this article, conversion to drip irrigation offers an opportunity to reduce water consumption.
Irrigation, water savings and avoiding excessive stress (cont from last issue)
In addition to the strategies outlined in this article, conversion to drip irrigation offers an opportunity to reduce water consumption.
Use of drip irrigation from planting does not adversely affect growth or yield of pear trees. Irrigation of a mature orchard converted to drip should be managed conservatively in the first season to allow trees to adjust to the new wetting pattern.
Concerns regarding irrigation practices (deficit or otherwise) can be alleviated by equipping yourself with the knowledge to accurately calculate crop water requirement and auditing your irrigation system to ensure it is operating efficiently with a good distribution uniformity.
Experiments in the Goulburn Valley have shown that pear trees seldom reach high levels of stress due to soil waterholding capacity and summer rainfall patterns.
In other environments, care needs to be taken to avoid excessive water stress.
In Israel, severe water stress in pear appeared to slow flower organ development, leading to reduced flowering intensity and lower fruit set compared to a moderate level of water stress (Naor et al., 2006).
Growers contemplating imposing a severe irrigation deficit should plan to monitor soil moisture or use a plant-based indicator of water status, such as stem water potential, and discuss these options with their agronomist or Agriculture Victoria staff.
Avoid mite stress
Monitoring of mite populations is particularly important during dry conditions, regardless of irrigation strategy.
Pear trees with high mite populations are prone to flower in late summer and autumn if they become stressed and are then irrigated. Control of mite populations and avoidance of excessive water stress will minimise this risk.
See this article in Tree Fruit June 2020
