Abstract
We examined, over the postharvest seasons of 2005–2007, regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) for its potential of saving water and maintaining fruit yield and quality in ‘Summit’ sweet cherry. The postharvest irrigation treatments were: full irrigation (Control), receiving 80% of water in Control (RDI-80%), and receiving 50% of water in Control (RDI-50%). Midday stem water potential (Ψstem) was used for assessing plant water status. In 2006, trees produced a large crop and commercial fruit thinning had to be applied, whereas 2007 was a low crop year. The RDI treatment, first applied in 2005, reduced fruit set in 2006 and also reduced root winter starch concentration. In 2006, fruit set was lower in RDI-50% than in Control. But fruit thinning had still to be done with the final yield being the same among treatments. In 2007, RDI-50% produced more fruit and higher yields than Control. Relationship between postharvest Ψstem and crop load in the following season varied according to the year. They were negatively correlated in 2006 and positively correlated in 2007. Fruit firmness did not vary with irrigation treatments in any of the years. Fruit soluble solid concentration (SSC) and fruit relative dry matter (RDM) for RDI-50% was the highest in 2006 when RDI-50% trees had the lowest fruit set. In 2007, SSC and RDM for RDI-50% were the lowest with the trees having the highest fruit set and crop load at harvest. This study indicates that RDI-50% firstly applied in an “off” year, after crop has been harvested, can maintain fruit yield at similar levels to fully irrigated trees while saving water by 45%. Correction of biennial bearing and partial saving of thinning costs are additional advantages of this treatment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen RG, Pereira LS, Raes D, Smith M (1998) Crop evapotranspiration: guidelines for computing crop water requirements. Irrigation and drainage. Paper No. 56. FAO, Rome
Ayars JE, Johnson RS, Phene CJ, Trout TJ, Clark DA, Mead RM (2003) Water use by drip-irrigated late-season peaches. Irrig Sci 22:187–194
Behboudian MH, Mills TM (1997) Deficit irrigation in deciduous orchards. Hortic Rev 21:105–131
Boehringer M (1984) U-V method for the determination of native starch and partially hydrolized starch in foodstuffs and other materials. Boehringer, Mannheim. R-Biopharm. Enzymatic Bioanalysis/Food analysis
Chalmers DJ, Mitchell PD, Vanheek L (1981) Control of peach-tree growth and productivity by regulated water-supply, tree density, and summer pruning. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 106(3):307–312
Facteau TJ, Chestnut NE (1991) Growth, fruiting, flowering and fruit quality of sweet cherries treated with paclobutrazol. HortSci 26:276–278
Fereres E, Soriano MA (2007) Deficit irrigation for reducing agricultural water use. J Exp Bot 58(2):147–159
Flore JA (1994) Stone fruit. In: Schaffer B, Andersen PC (eds) Handbook of environmental physiology of fruit crops. CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, pp 233–270
Gelly M, Recasens I, Mata M, Arbones A, Rufat J, Girona J, Marsal J (2003) Effects of water deficit during stage II of peach fruit development and postharvest on fruit quality and ethylene production. J Hortic Sci Biotech 78:324–330
Gelly M, Recasens I, Girona J, Mata M, Arbones A, Rufat J, Marsal J (2004) Effects of stage II and postharvest deficit irrigation on peach quality during maturation and after cold storage. J Sci Food Agric 84:561–568
Girona J, Mata M, Arbones A, Alegre S, Rufat J, Marsal J (2003) Peach tree response to single and combined regulated deficit irrigation regimes under shallow soils. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 128:432–440
Girona J, Mata M, Marsal J (2005) Peach tree response to single and combined deficit irrigation regimes in deep soils. Agric Water Manage 72:97–108
Goldhamer DA, Viveros M (2000) Effects of preharvest irrigation cut-off durations and postharvest water deprivation on almond tree performance. Irrig Sci 19:125–131
Intrigliolo DS, Castel JR (2005) Effects of regulated deficit irrigation on growth and yield of young Japanese plum trees. J Hortic Sci Biotech 80:177–182
Johnson RS, Handley DF, DeJong TM (1992) Long-term response of early maturing peach trees to postharvest water deficits. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 117:881–886
Johnson RS, Handley DF, Day KR (1994) Postharvest water-stress of an early-maturing plum. J Hortic Sci 69(6):1035–1041
Larson KD, DeJong TM, Johnson RS (1988) Physiological and growth responses of mature peach trees to postharvest water stress. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 113:296–300
Lauri PE (1993) Long-term effects of (2RS, 3RS) paclobutrazol on vegetative and fruiting characteristics of sweet cherry spurs. J Hortic Sci Biotech 68:149–159
Loescher WH, McCamant T, Keller JD (1990) Carbohydrate reserves, translocation and storage in woody plant roots. HortSci 25(3):274–281
Lopez G, Girona J, Marsal J (2007) Response of winter root starch concentration to severe water stress and fruit load and its subsequent effects on early peach fruit development. Tree Physiol 27(11):1619–1626
Marsal J, Girona J, Mata M (1997) Leaf water relation parameters in almond compared to hazelnut trees during a deficit irrigation period. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 122:582–587
Marsal J, Lopez G, Girona J (2008) Recent advances in regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) in woody perennials and future perspectives. Acta Hortic 792:429–439
Marsal J, Lopez G, Arbones A, Mata M, Vallverdu X, Girona J (2009) Influence of postharvest deficit irrigation and pre-harvest fruit thinning on sweet cherry (cv. New Star) fruit firmness and quality. J Hortic Sci Biotech 84:273–278
Naor A (2006) Irrigation scheduling and evaluation of tree water status in deciduous orchards. Hortic Rev 32:111–165
Naor A, Stern R, Peres M, Greenblat Y, Gal Y, Flaishman MA (2005) Timing and severity of postharvest water stress affect following-year productivity and fruit quality of field-grown ‘Snow Queen’ nectarine. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 130:806–812
Naor A, Stern R, Flaishman MA, Gal Y, Peres M (2006) Effects of postharvest water stress on autumnal bloom and subsequent-season productivity in mid-season ‘Spadona’ pear. J Hortic Sci Biotech 81:365–370
Neilsen G, Kappel F, Neilsen D (2007) Fertilization and crop load affect yield, nutrition, and fruit quality of ‘Lapins’ sweet cherry on Gisela 5 rootstock. HortSci 42:1456–1462
Roper TR, Loescher WH (1987) Relationship between leaf area per fruit and fruit quality in ‘Bing’ sweet cherry. HortSci 22:1273–1276
Shackel KA, Ahmadi H, Biasi W, Buchner R, Goldhamer DA et al (1997) Plant water status as an index of irrigation need in deciduous fruit trees. HortTechnol 7:23–29
Torrecillas A, Domingo A, Galego R, Ruiz-Sanchez MC (2000) Apricot tree response to withholding irrigation at different phenological periods. Sci Hortic 85:201–215
Whiting MD, Lang GA (2004) ‘Bing’ sweet cherry on the dwarfing rootstock ‘Gisela 5’: Thinning affects fruit quality and vegetative growth but not CO2 exchange. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 129:407–415
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by Spain’s Ministery for Science and Education (MCyT) under the PETRI program, and CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 (CSD2006-00067). The collaboration of Manel Raventos and Fernando Aranzana (SAT RIO CINCA) with the research on their commercial plots is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to thank Alex Mata, Josep Ramon Solans and Monica Elias for their help with the field work. Special thanks go to M. H. Behboudian for final revision of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by E. Fereres.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marsal, J., Lopez, G., del Campo, J. et al. Postharvest regulated deficit irrigation in ‘Summit’ sweet cherry: fruit yield and quality in the following season. Irrig Sci 28, 181–189 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-009-0174-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-009-0174-z