ISHS Acta Horticulturae 537: III International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops
WATER BALANCE IN AN OLIVE ORCHARD |
| Authors: | M.J. Palomo, A. Díaz-Espejo, J.E. Férnandez, F. Moreno, I.F. Girón |
| Keywords: | Olea europaea, irrigation, hydraulic conductivity, drainage, crop evapotranspiration. |
| Abstract:
Accurate measurements of the components of the water balance equation in olive orchards are increasingly required for optimizing the water management in the orchard and for running models simulating water balance and crop water consumption. The aim of this work was to determine the components of the water balance in an olive orchard with mature ‘Manzanilla’ olive trees under two water treatments: treatment R, rainfed trees; and treatment I, trees irrigated daily to replace the crop water demand. The experiments were conducted during 1997 and 1998. For estimating the water lost by drainage below the depth of the root zone, the soil hydraulic conductivity-soil water content relationship at that depth was determined in situ at different locations in the orchard. Changes of soil water profile and tensiometric profile were monitored during the experimental period at different distances from the trunk of representative trees. Rainfall and irrigation were recorded daily. For the hydrological year 1997-98, crop evapotranspiration was 653 mm in treatment I and 378 mm in treatment R. Water losses by drainage were 119 mm in treatment I and 4 mm in treatment R. The estimated water runoff was 345 mm. This high value was due to some events of heavy rainfall recorded in winter. The total rainfall of the hydrological year was 730 mm, about 1.4 times the average in the area. | |
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