In the past few years, Poland has been growing into a leader in the cultivation of highbush blueberry in Europe and now occupies a very high 3rd place in world production, just behind the USA and Canada. The leading position on the European market, the growing demand for the fruit and the possibility of entering new markets present to Polish producers new opportunities and increase the number of new plantings. In the cultivation of blueberry, irrigation is a factor determining the size and quality of the crop, as the blueberry plant, due to its shallow root system, requires adequate moisture and permeability in the topsoil, generally throughout the entire growing period. The results obtained in several studies confirm the high effectiveness of blueberry irrigation, particularly on plantations at their full fruiting potential. The rise in yield achieved through the use of irrigation averaged 95%, corresponding to 4.51 t∙ha-1. The average irrigation efficiency coefficient was a 41.37 kg rise in fruit yield per 1 mm (10 m3) of water used for irrigation. ...
The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of irrigation of highbush blueberry using different types of irrigation schemes. The experiment was conducted in 2009 - 2012 on 5 cultivars: ‘Bluecrop', ‘Chandler', 'Duke', ‘Nelson', ‘Spartan'. The irrigation treatments were as follows: (i) control (without irrigation), (ii) one drip line per row of plants (100%, reference water amount determined according to tensiometer readings), (iii) two drip lines per row of plants (125% of reference water amount), (iv) drip irrigation - two drip lines per row of plants (200% of reference water amount). In 2009 and 2010 the highest total length of one-year-old shoots was observed in the plants from control combination. In 2011 the number and total length of shoots in the all irrigation treatments was higher compared to the non-irrigated one. This was confirmed in 2012. The highest plant vigor was observed in case of ‘Bluecrop' and ‘Nelson' cultivars, whereas the lowest for ‘Chandler'. Yielding of blueberry was very varied. Only in 2012 the total yield obtained from irrigated plants was higher compared to the control ones. Among the cultivar tested, the highest yield was recorded for ‘Chandler', while the lowest one for ‘Spartan'. Fruits of ‘Chandler' cultivar ...
Spring frosts can cause very significant losses on fruit farms. The most common method of active protection against frost is sprinkling. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a sprinkling system used to protect apple trees against the effects of a spring frost. The experiment was conducted on the Mączewscy Fruit Farm. The orchard in which the observations were made is equipped with a system of sprinklers. When the temperature readings showed values close to zero, the sprinkler system was activated. Due to a limited water supply, one row of sprinklers had not been activated, and thus some of the trees were not sprayed at all. The assessment of fruit yield carried out in the autumn of 2015 demonstrated high effectiveness of the sprinkling used to protect apple trees against the spring frost. The frost had damaged most of the flowers of the unprotected trees, which resulted in a decrease in yield of as much as 85 - 93%. ...
Progress which can be observed in measuring instruments, calculation techniques, and it in general has considerably influenced the accuracy of mea-surements and as such has proved to be useful in weather forecasting. Agriculture seems to be the most dependent on weather conditions, therefore agrometeorolog-ical forecasting plays an important role in the whole system of decision making re-lated to agriculture and plant protection. A high level of verifiability of weather forecasting is the basic and required condition. The aim of the presented analyses was estimation of the quality of forecasting worked out with mesoscale numerical models. The accuracy of the forecasts (maximum, minimum and mean temperature, rainfall) was compared with the data obtained by automatic meteorological stations for Skierniewice (51º 57' N, 20º08' E), Biała Rządowa (51º 15' N, 18º 27' E) and Białousy (53º 24' N, 23º 13' E). The quality of forecasting was evaluated for the three stations using numerical models: UM and COAMPS. The forecasts were worked out at ICM of Warsaw University. Additionally, another forecast for Skierniewice prepared by Meteoblue from Switzerland, where NOAA/NCEP GFA model was used. The presented evaluation of the forecast of temperature and rain-fall showed a significant space and time diversity between the ...
Fruit production plays an important role in both national agriculture and economy. In order to keep the present supply markets, which means the actual production level, we have to ensure the high quality of fruit offered to customers. In our climate soil drought is one of the crucial factor significantly controlling the quantity and quality of the fruit crop. Therefore irrigation of orchards and small fruit plantations has become an indispensable element of fruit production. The de-velopment of irrigation itself is controlled by the shortages of water. It is important to optimize the ways of using our moderate water resources in the process of orchard development. It should be related to not only modern and economical irrigation systems but also with the introduction of rational criteria of irrigation to orchard farms. However, new technologies cannot find their way to predominantly small farms and the lack of reliable information makes the whole situations even worse. The information needed should be collected through surveys conducted during national conferences and fairs. The aim of the investigations was to estimate the area of irrigated orchard and plantations, collecting the information about the technological ideas and practical usage of irrigation criteria as well as the ...
Quantity, intensity and seasonal distribution of precipitation have an indu-bitable impact on soil moisture. Precipitation water could be used by plants only when percolates into soil and is retained as capillary water. In case of excessive amount or intensity of rain, part of water percolates below the root system level or runs off at soil surface. During two years of experiment (2009-2010) quantity and intensity of precipitation were observed and analyzed. Daily and weekly measure-ments of soil water content were done to assess the impact of intensity and quantity of precipitation on soil moisture changes in apple orchard. Total rainfalls for years 2009 and 2010 were higher from the multi-year average. Also, the temporal distribution of precipitation differed within and between the analyzed years, how-ever, the amount of rainfall collected during the vegetative period (May-September) constituted more than 50% of the total yearly precipitation. The results showed low efficiency of small rains. On average, during the vegetative period, minimal precipitation necessary to keep the soil water content at a stable level was 13-14 mm during a week. Efficiency of precipitation depended on the soil surface maintaining system. In case of soil maintained as a chemical fallow the highest efficiency was ...
Fifty research tasks are conducted within 2008 - 2014 Multi-Year Pro-gramme. One of them (2.2) is: Optimization of irrigation of fruit crops in Poland considering weather condition and soil water resources in major fruit production regions. The aim of this task is to develop internet service of irrigation recom-mendations and to develop and implement with the use of Internet simple methods of water requirement calculation for fruit crops. The test version of the service was launched in 2012. The web address of the service, which is located on a server belonging to Research Institute of Horticulture is: http://www.nawadnianie.inhort.pl. It is also possible to access the service from the main web site of the Institute: http://www.inhort.pl using "Serwis Nawodnieniowy" link. The web service contains current and historical meteorological data measured by several weather stations belonging to the Institute. Climatic water balance is also calculated. The web also contains glossary and scientific literature on irrigation and water management. Software applications for calculation of plant water needs and irrigation rates are important elements of the service. Using these calculators it is possible to determine evapotranspiration and plant water requirements computed with the use of measured weather parameters. They are designated for users who ...
In 1997 the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling (ICM), University of Warsaw launched the Internet weather service which delivers numerical weather forecasts for individual consumers and has become a basis for several weather-related scientific projects. The project "Op-erational decision-making based on atmospheric conditions" (PROZA) (started in September 2009) utilizes data obtained from weather service provided by ICM. The Research Institute of Horticulture is one of the partners in the project. The institute participates in task 3 of the project: "Application of numerical weather forecasts in forestry and fruit farming". In the frame of this task, an Internet platform for forecasting of spring frosts and fruit crop water needs was developed. https://prognozy.projekt-proza.pl/. A user (after logging in) has access to the following information (forecast is prepared for 3 days): ETo, precipitation, climatic water balance and water requirements of major fruit crops. Data on amount of (easily) available water in root zone are also available. The information provided by the service make controlling of irrigation easier and thus improve agricultural water use efficiency. The estimation of forecasting quality showed that the accuracy of forecast was high proving its practical value for fruit growers. ...
The response of three strawberry cultivars (‘Elsanta', ‘Elkat', ‘Grandaro-sa') to drought was examined by evaluating the yield and selected morphological and physiological parameters. Plants were subjected to two different water regimes: optimal irrigation (control), and reduced irrigation (water potential in the growing medium was maintained at a level -30 kPa, stress treatment). Genotypes differed in their response to water deficiency. Under water shortage conditions, the rate of CO2 assimilation and efficiency of photosynthetic apparatus (expressed by chlorophyll fluorescence parameters) were the highest in ‘Elsanta'. On the other hand, the severe inhibition of photosynthesis was observed in ‘Elkat', which corresponded to the reduced biomass production. Taking all data into consideration it was concluded that cultivar ‘Elsanta' appeared to be more drought resistant which was reflected by enhanced physiological and yield parameters. ...
Fruit crops have high water requirements. As sweet water is becoming scarce and expensive resource, development and improvement of irrigation tech-nologies, and introduction of new water saving practices (e.g. mulching to limit evaporation losses) is necessary. Relatively little research has been conducted to determine different re-sponses to unfavorable environmental conditions among various cultivars of fruit crops. Thus, studies have been undertaken at the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture to examine the influence of environmental stresses (mainly water deficiency) on plant life (growth, physiology and productivity). These researches are subjected to detailed assessment of genotypic differences in drought tolerance of various crop species. The obtained results are important not only for fruit growers, but also for plant breeders, as the enhanced resistance to stresses has become an important criterion in modern breeding programs. Balanced nutrition is essential for the health of plants. Modern practices allow farmers to apply fertilizers with water through drip irrigation systems (fer-tigation). Together with modern methods of nutrition diagnostics, fertigation has become a suitable tool for optimizing fruit crop fertilization. A new approach into sustainable water and nutrient management strategy should be a combination of modern irrigation and soil water monitoring techniques, elements ...
In climatic conditions of Poland rainfall constitutes the main source of water for vegetation. Total amount of rainfall, its intensity and distribution influence soil moisture which has a major impact on plants' growth and development. Great variability and contrasts of rainfall are one of the main characteristics of Polish climate. The aim of the following investigations was to precisely analyze the spatial changeability of rainfall in Central Poland. Data concerning rainfall were collected during the vegetative season of April - October 2010 in 34 meteorological stations scattered in orchards all over Central Poland (the area between Skierniewice and Góra Kalwaria), and were the basis for the evaluation. Analysis of the data confirms the observation which states that there is a great spatial variability of sum of precipitation, its maximum amount and intensity as well as the longitude of dry and rain spells. Significant differences were observed between the stations located very close to each other - a few kilometers apart. In order to work out e.g. a reliable climatic water balance the rainfall must be measured directly on the investigated object.
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The study was conducted in the experimental field of the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, on strawberry plantations mulched with wood chips and in a nearby patch of grass. Seasonal dynamics (in spring, summer, and autumn) of the occurrence of soil mites (Acari), especially of oribatid mites (Oribatida), were studied on 6 occasions during the seasons in 2011-2012.Already in the first season of the study, high numbers of mites - 26.91 thousand indiv. • m-2, were found in the mulched soil of the strawberry plantations. Among these arachnids, the predominant group were oribatid mites (98.2%). The density of mites, especially of the Oribatida, in the wood chips during the vegetative period was more uniform than in the grass patch. The mulch used in the experiment provided favourable environmental conditions for the development of most Oribatida species.There were 12 species of Oribatida found on the strawberry plantations, and 9 in the nearby grass patch. The number of species in the grass-covered soil ranged from 5 to 8 in the successive seasons. In the wood chips, by comparison, there were 7 taxa at the beginning of the study, and at the end of the cycle the number increased to 11. The differences ...
The experiment concerning irrigation controlling of gerbera cultivated in containers was done in 2012. Usually gerbera plants cultivated for cut flower production are irrigated using drippers. Correct adjustment of plant fertigation of plants grown in pots (volume and frequency of application) strongly influenced physical and chemical paramertes of growing media, plant productivity, flower quality. The systems controlling irrigation should also have the possiblity to prevent excessive leaching of nutrient solution during the period when plants requirements decreased due to unfavorable weather conditions. The aim of the experiment was to compare the effects of three methods of controlling irrigation on growth and flowering of gerbera ‘Surabaja' cultivated in containers (2 dm-3). The water consumption and leaching in each irragation treatment was also evaluated. Irrigation control systems were as follows: I - con-trol (irrigation 3 times a day, irrespectively of weather conditions, II - automatically controlled irrigation, according to water sensor readings in growing medium), III - automatically controlled irrigation according continuous readings of plant weight (all plants placed on special balance connected with irrigation controller). The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the precise control of irrigation of gerbera plants using specially designed balance, according to plant requirements and environment ...
