Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2
Written by Leinar SEPTAR, Cristina MOALE, Ion CAPLAN
In arid and semi-arid regions, the research and application of new irrigation techniques that economize water without altering tree performance and fruit quality is a challenge. In the present work, the impact of water deficit irrigation applied to peach trees was evaluated. In the context of global warming, saving water is a major goal. The studied crop was peach, Catherine sel. 1 cultivar, fourteen years old, grafted on rootstock Tomis 1. The planting distance was 4 m between rows and 3 m between trees in the row. The split-plot experiment described here is monofactorial, with the irrigation strategy having three gradations. The irrigation regime consists of a fully irrigated treatment T1 (100% ETc), a deficit irrigation treatment (T2), irrigated with half the amount of water in T1 (50% ETc), and a control, non-irrigated treatment (T3). The paper describes the quality of fruits for three years of study, 2020, 2021 and 2022, and 2022, respectively, in the semi-arid region of Dobrogea, Romania. The study suggests that moderate water stress can be profitable for enhancing key fruit quality characteristics.
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