Tree watering

The tree grows well if it is watered regularly. Drought causes a reduction in fruit size and delays growth, especially in young trees. The most severe symptoms of water insufficiency are: leaf wilting, leaf curling, sunburn, etc. The tree's reaction will result in a reduction in its size, wrinkling, loss of moisture, as well as sunburn. But overwatering combined with poor drainage causes the tree to die because it removes oxygen from the roots.

CriticalTrendsfor Avoiding Moisture and Lack of Moisture

Young non-fruiting trees (seedlings) should be protected from lack of moisture.

In young trees, water is crucial for fruit production. When the tree initially begins to grow fruit, the possibility of growth decreases and the chance of maximum fruit growth diminishes.

Tree development:

1. Flowering and 6-8 weeks after flowering are critical if there is a lack of moisture because during this period the development of the fruit bud occurs. Once the number of bulbs is determined during these first weeks, no new flower buds form, only these are filled
2. Mid-summer is a less risky period for the overall production of crops, and a slight lack of water can prevent bud growth; however, a significant lack of moisture during this period will harm the development of flower buds that are necessary for fruiting in the following year.
3. The 6-8 week period before harvest: water is necessary for the growth and development of fruit size.

Root system depth - The soil can hold water reserves. The plant can draw water found in the root zone. The root depth effect is a term used that refers to the depth at which the plant's absorption or sucking of water is most active. Also, the capacity to retain water depends on the soil type; for every 30 cm depth, the soil can contain: sandy soil 25-38 mm water, fertile soil 38-50 mm water, and clay soil 50-63 mm water. The amount of water needed for the tree trunk depends on the size of the tree and how hot the days are. Other factors affecting irrigation are also relative humidity and winds, although these are less important. Daily water use is indicated in millimeters. Water utilized by wood and water evaporation from the soil must match. In Kosovo, the average daily water use requirement is 5 mm per day. Water evaporation from the soil ranges from 2.5 mm in cold spring and autumn days, to 5-6.5 mm on warm days and hot summer days. Therefore, if the soil holds 25 to 50 mm of water at the root and the wood uses 5 mm per day, and in the most difficult times, 6.5 mm evaporates from the tree.

Measuring the amount of water for irrigation

Moisture measurement in the soil can be done with a voltage, which indicates the amount of water available in the soil. The normal water tension is determined depending on the soil type. In light sandy soil, irrigation should be applied when the measuring instrument reads 10-35. In moderately heavy soils, irrigation should be applied when the measuring instrument reads 30-50, and in hard clay soils, irrigation should be applied when the measuring instrument reads 50-60. When the trunk of a tree occupies 2 m2 and if there are two droppers in this space with a capacity of 2.5 L/hour and during warm summer days the water consumption rate is about 5mm per day/m2, then the expenditure for a tree with a space of 2 m2 will be 10 mm or 10 liters of water per day.

Required watering time: If the daily requirement for a tree is 5 L/m2, then two drippers with a capacity of 2.5 L/hour each, watering should last 2 hours (2 drippers x 2.5 liters of water x 2 hours = 10 liters). If we want to water every two days, then watering should last 4 hours, and two droppers will provide the plant with 20 liters of water per 2 m2.

Drip irrigation

Advantages of drip irrigation

• Irrigation efficiency increases. The effectiveness of drip irrigation is estimated at 75-95%, compared to only 25-50% for surface furrow irrigations and 70-80% for rainfall irrigations. Drip irrigation minimizes water losses due to evapotranspiration, surface runoff, and deep soil infiltration. Accompanied by mulching, drip irrigation meets the plants' water requirements, consuming only 30-50% of the water volume consumed by rainwater irrigation.
• Energy use efficiency is increased. Drip irrigation systems operate at low pressure and therefore require lower energy costs.
• The effectiveness of fertilizer use increases. Drip irrigation allows the use of precise doses of fertilizer and its placement near the root system of the plants.
• The likelihood of diseases appearing decreases. Since the leaves of the plants remain dry during drip irrigation, the possibility of fungal diseases developing is significantly limited.
• The likelihood of weed development decreases. Because the space between rows remains dry during drip irrigation, the likelihood of weeds growing in this area is low.
• Plant production increases and quality improves. Through drip irrigation, the producer can accurately control the doses of water and fertilizers that need to be given to the plants. As a result,
• the possibility of producing high-quality products increases.
• The likelihood of soil compaction, erosion, and leaching of nutrients from the soil is reduced.
• It allows the possibility of other interventions on plants and soil even during irrigation.

Disadvantages of drip irrigation

• Drip irrigation requires greater attention. Compared to drip irrigation, drip irrigation is more complex, both in terms of installation and system operation. Drip irrigation is very sensitive to errors that may occur during its application. Often, they are very expensive or unfixable.
• There is a relatively high cost for the initial installation and maintenance of the system.
• There are high requirements for water purity. The pipes used for irrigation have very small holes that can be blocked by sand particles, fertilizer precipitates, fungi, bacteria, etc. For this reason, the water must be filtered and the pipes cleaned periodically. From time to time, the use of various chemicals is required to unblock the irrigation pipes.