Saving WATER: Buried drip irrigation used much less water than microsprinkler irrigation in a study in Idaho

摘要

Microchip irrigation resulted in substantial water savings compared with microsprinkler methods in a seven-year, University of Idaho irrigation study on apples. Dr. Esmaeil Fallahi, tree fruit physiologist at the Southwest Parma Research and ExtensionCenter in Parma, Idaho, measured water use and tree performance in two experiments in a four-acre block of Fuji and Gala apples at the research station, evaluating the effect of seven different irrigation strategies and four rootstocks on tree growth, nutrition, and fruit quality. This article looks at only the irrigation component of the project.