Research for Optimizing the Irrigation Scheduling In Drip Irrigated Peach Tree from Oradea Area

Abstract

Fruit-tree Oradea basin is very favourable for peach-tree crop and the paper studies the posibilities of optimizing the irrigation scheduling using the indirect method. Four method of the evapotranspiration reference determination (Thornthwaite, pan evaporimeter, Piche evaporimeter, Penman-Monteith) are studied in comparison with optimum daily water consumption of the peachtree irrigated by drip method; the comparison is made with daily water consumption of the unirrigated peach-tree, too. Optimum water consumption of the peach-tree was obtained maintaining the soil water reserve on watering depth (0-100 cm) between easily available water content and field capacity using the drip irrigation. In the months when the irrigation was needed (May, June, July, August) in comparison with daily water consumption obtained by direct method (soil water balance, 0-150 cm depth) using the Penman-Monteith and pan evaporation methods the closest results were obtained; regarding the total water consumption, the values obtained using these methods (and Thornthwaite method, too) were bigger but unsignificant statistically. The use of the Piche evaporimeter determined to obtain the biggest values of the reference evapotranspiration. The pan evaporation method is easier to use and is recomanded in irrigation scheduling for peach-tree irrigsted by drip method.

Keywords: peach-tree, pan evaporimeter, Piche evaporimeter, Thornthwaite, Penman-Monteith, drip, irrigation scheduling

JEL Classification: A10