Manejo de água em pomar de pessegueiro baseado em atributos do Sistema Solo-Planta-Atmosfera

Abstract

The production of peach stands out among the fruits of temperate climate in Brazil, being the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) responsible for 65% of the production. To achieve high productivity with quality fruits, the peach tree requires adequate water supply during spring and summer. During period, water deficit is frequent and irrigation can promote yield increase and fruit quality. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the peach response to irrigation, as the water status of plants and productivity and fruit quality; to determine the soil water management most appropriate for the peach tree; and to evaluate the influence of soil texture on water management. The study was carried out in a commercial peach orchard, cv Esmeralda, located in the municipality of Morro Redondo - RS, during the harvests of 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17. Two homogeneous areas were demarcated according to the textural class of the soil, being classified as Sandy Loam and Sandy Clay Loam. The plants were irrigated by a drip irrigation system. The results showed that: irrigation in the fruit growth phase did not influence fruit productivity nor fruit size; post-harvest irrigation increased vegetative growth in the next crop but did not affect fruit production; the peach orchard area with sandy loam soil produced larger fruit than the area with sandy loam clay soil; the management of irrigation based on the water potential in the branch generates greater water consumption, followed by management based on the water content in the soil and, finally, the management based on the climate.