Effect of irrigation on dry matter of durian pulp cv. Monthong.

摘要

Pulp dry matter is used as a maturity standard for durians in Thailand. The effect of irrigation on the pulp dry matter of durian was investigated. Thirteen-year-old durian cv. 'Monthong' plants, from two orchards in Chanthaburi province, were either irrigated with 200 l of water every 2-3 d (normal practice), or 200 l everyday (heavy irrigation). If durian trees were heavily irrigated during their maturation period (1-3 weeks prior to harvest), pulp dry matter was 1-3% lower, but not statistically significantly different from the normal practice. If heavy irrigation was given during harvesting, there was no influence on fruit dry matter. This suggests that heavy irrigation had a minor impact on durian dry matter. Weather conditions recorded in the orchards, however, suggested that the micro-environment in the orchards have a greater effect on the accumulation of fruit dry matter than the level of irrigation.