Abstract
Sprinkler irrigation can effectively protect crops from frost damage, but continuous irrigation requires large amounts of water and may cause branch damage. In this study, a fixed‐cycle rotational irrigation system triggered by temperature was tested for frost protection in three zones of a Chinese tea garden during winter and early spring frosts. In winter frost, the ‘I3S6’ rotational cycle caused notable fluctuations in canopy temperature, which gradually decreased with falling ambient temperature. The intermittent ‘I1S2’ irrigation cycle maintained the canopy temperature above −2.0°C during a frost night with a minimum of −8.0°C. In an early spring late frost (minimum −3.4°C), the ‘I1S2’ cycle kept canopy temperature above −0.5°C, achieving effective frost protection while saving two‐thirds of the water compared with continuous irrigation over the same area. The proposed rotational control strategy is valuable for advancing sprinkler anti‐frost technology and its application.