THE GROWTH AND YIELDING OF PEACH TREES CULTIVATED IN RIDGES IN IRRIGATION CONDITIONS

The aim of the research conducted in the conditions of Lower Silesia in the years 2012-2016 was to evaluate the growth and yielding of young peach trees cultivated in ridges with drip irrigation. The experiment concerned the flat-fruit peach trees, cultivar Saturn on the Manchurian peach tree seedling, planted in the spring of 2012 in the spacing 4.0 x 1.5 m.In each year the shortage of rainfall was observed, as compared to the years 1997-2000. During the vegetation period, the deficiencies were from -7.3 mm up to - 221.7 mm. The insufficient amount of rainfall was accompanied by the rise of the mean air temperature in the vegetation period by 0.5 - 1.7oC. In the orchard, the drip irrigation in the form of stippling tape T-Tape TSX515-50-380 was applied, with the emitters every 50 cm and the expenditure of 3.8 l per metre in 1 hour. The humidity measurements were being taken from the beginning of May until the end of July with the use of Watermark probes, testing the sucking power of soil at the depth of 20 cm. The irrigation started when the water potential of soil was 30 kPa.During the 4 years, the total yield per hectare ...