EFFECT OF A ROOT‐ZONE INJECTION IRRIGATION METHOD ON WATER PRODUCTIVITY AND APPLE PRODUCTION IN A SEMI‐ARID REGION IN NORTH‐WESTERN CHINA

Abstract

Within the Chinese Loess Plateau, water resources are scarce and irrigation efficiency is a challenging issue. Traditional surface drip irrigation (SDI) methods have failed to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce surface evaporation in the region. An easy‐to‐install and practicable root‐zone injection irrigation (RII) method, with a low risk of emitter clogging and which uses subsurface infiltration‐promoting apparatuses (SIPA) to deliver water directly to the root zone, was designed and tested in an apple orchard over 3 years in northern Shaanxi, China. In the 0–0.6 m soil layer (where the apple roots are concentrated), the RII method produced consistently higher soil water content than the SDI method over all three growing seasons. The soil water content was consistently higher than 60% of field capacity, thus meeting the water requirements of fruit‐bearing apple trees. In addition, the RII method alleviated soil desiccation, significantly increased apple yields and improved fruit quality compared with the SDI method using the same volume of irrigation water. Both irrigation efficiency and water‐use efficiency were improved with the RII method. These results provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of the RII irrigation method in apple orchards in semi‐arid regions, which may improve water conservation and the sustainability of apple production. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bibliographic Information