The growth and yielding of peach trees cultivated in ridges in irrigation conditions

The aim of the research conducted in the conditions of Lower Silesia in the years 2012-2016 was to evaluate the growth and yielding of young peach trees cultivated in ridges with drip irrigation. The experiment concerned the flat-fruit peach trees, cultivar Saturn on the Manchurian peach tree seedling, planted in the spring of 2012 in the spacing 4.0 x 1.5 m. In each year the shortage of rainfall was observed, as compared to the years 1997-2000. During the vegetation period, the deficiencies were from - 7.3 mm up to - 221.7 mm. The insufficient amount of rainfall was accompanied by the rise of the mean air temperature in the vegetation period by 0.5 - 1.7°C. In the orchard, the drip irrigation in the form of stippling tape T-Tape TSX515-50-380 was applied, with the emitters every 50 cm and the expenditure of 3.8 l per metre in 1 hour. The humidity measurements were being taken from the beginning of May until the end of July with the use of Watermark probes, testing the sucking power of soil at the depth of 20 cm. The irrigation started when the water potential of soil was 30 kPa. During the 4 years, the total yield per hectare from the irrigated trees was by 5 t bigger than in the case of the trees that had not been irrigated. The irrigated trees cultivated in ridges had a tendency to more intensive radial growth. As far as the radial increase is concerned, statistically significant differences were noticed between the autumn of 2012 and the autumn of 2016. The application of irrigation also stimulated the elongation but only in the first two years of cultivation. The mean rate of proliferacy for the 4 years of fruiting was higher in the case of irrigated trees.