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Show Orchardists learn to limit irrigation 1982 has taught a lesson not to water, orchards too much. Ironically, the negative lesson resulted from fruit growers installing irrigation systems in their orchards or-chards that are more water efficient. Those growers completed each irrigation using less water than they had been used to using. Rather than letting the excess water go down the canal, they used it on their orchards in more frequent irrigations leading to problems. Anthony (Tony) H. Hatch, Utah State University extension horticulturist at Provo, explained that instead-of instead-of increasing tree growth with the added water, the constant saturation of the soil led to iron chlorosisi and yellowing of the trees. Hatch persuaded some growers to install soil moisture sensing devices. These, monitored the level of available water in the soil. They disclosed that the growers were irrigating before there was any ' drop in available moisture. Actually, they were maintaining water saturation in their soils. With the soil moisture being monitored, Hatch advised growers to wait until soil moisture dropped to 50 percent before irrigating again. Instead of irrigating once a week as they were doing, the irrigation intervals were extended to about three weeks. Hatch said the trees responded by greening up remarkably fast. |
