Abstract
Irrigation is the best strategy to reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees [Prunus dulcis (Mill) D.A. Web] and improve their productivity. However, in the current context of climatic change, in which the amount of water available for irrigation is increasingly limited, deficit irrigation (DI) strategies have become essential in the almond orchards of southern Europe. Other practices, such as the foliar application of reflective compounds, are being implemented. A three-year experiment (2019–2021) was set in a factorial design in which the effect of regulated deficit irrigation and foliar kaolin spray was evaluated on physiological (predawn leaf water potential, relative water content, leaf area, leaf gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence) and agronomic parameters (yield, yield components, and water use efficiency (WUE)). The treatments include full irrigation (FI), which received 100% of ETc (crop evapotranspiration) during all irrigation seasons; regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), which received 100% of ETc until the kernel-filling stage, reducing the application to 35% ETc during the kernel-filling stage until harvest; and both irrigation regimes combined with kaolin application and two cultivars, Constantí and Vairo. More negative water potential values were observed in the RDI treatments compared to the FI treatments. There were no significant differences in the stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, or transpiration rate between treatments with RDI and FI, demonstrating the almond tree’s good adaptation to irrigation reduction in the kernel-filling stage. The two cultivars had different responses in cumulative yield throughout the three years of the trial. The cv. Constantí did not present significant differences between the FI and RDI treatments, translating into improved WUE. In contrast, the cv. Vairo suffered a reduction in accumulated performance in the RDI treatments with respect to the FI. The foliar application of kaolin did not present differences in yield and very few in the physiological activity of the almond trees. With the results obtained, we can suggest that under the conditions of our experiment, the combination of RDI and the kaolin foliar application can help save irrigation water and produce almonds more sustainably.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Regulated deficit irrigation gave more negative water potential values in almond trees than full irrigation.
- Taxon
- almond trees
Prunus dulcise1 - Treatment
- regulated deficit irrigation (RDI)e2
- Outcome
- water potential valuese0
- Direction
- More negativee0
- Comparator
- full irrigation (FI)e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“More negative water potential values were observed in the RDI treatments compared to the FI treatments”
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e2“full irrigation (FI), which received 100% of ETc (crop evapotranspiration) during all irrigation seasons; regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), which received 100% of ETc until the kernel-filling stage”
Claim · model-written summary
Regulated deficit irrigation did not change stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate or transpiration rate of almond trees relative to full irrigation.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- RDIe3
- Outcome
- stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, or transpiration ratee3
- Direction
- no significant differencese3
- Comparator
- FIe3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e3“There were no significant differences in the stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate, or transpiration rate between treatments with RDI and FI”
Claim · model-written summary
The two almond cultivars responded differently to deficit irrigation in cumulative yield.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Material
- Constantí and Vairoe5
- Outcome
- cumulative yielde4
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e4“The two cultivars had different responses in cumulative yield throughout the three years of the trial”
e5“two cultivars, Constantí and Vairo”
Claim · model-written summary
Cultivar Constantí showed no significant difference in cumulative yield between regulated deficit and full irrigation.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Material
- cv. Constantíe6
- Treatment
- RDIe6
- Outcome
- cumulative yielde4
- Direction
- did not present significant differencese6
- Comparator
- FIe6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e4“The two cultivars had different responses in cumulative yield throughout the three years of the trial”
e6“The cv. Constantí did not present significant differences between the FI and RDI treatments, translating into improved WUE”
Claim · model-written summary
Cultivar Constantí had improved water use efficiency under regulated deficit irrigation compared with full irrigation.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Material
- cv. Constantíe6
- Treatment
- RDIe6
- Outcome
- WUEe6
- Direction
- improvede6
- Comparator
- FIe6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e6“The cv. Constantí did not present significant differences between the FI and RDI treatments, translating into improved WUE”
Claim · model-written summary
Cultivar Vairo had reduced accumulated performance under regulated deficit irrigation compared with full irrigation.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Material
- cv. Vairoe7
- Treatment
- RDIe7
- Outcome
- accumulated performancee7
- Direction
- reductione7
- Comparator
- FIe7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e7“In contrast, the cv. Vairo suffered a reduction in accumulated performance in the RDI treatments with respect to the FI”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar kaolin application did not change almond yield.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- foliar application of kaoline2
- Outcome
- yielde2
- Direction
- did not present differencese2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e2“The foliar application of kaolin did not present differences in yield and very few in the physiological activity of the almond trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar kaolin application caused very few differences in the physiological activity of almond trees.
- Taxon
- almond treesPrunus dulcise1
- Treatment
- foliar application of kaoline2
- Outcome
- physiological activitye2
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“reduce the adverse effects of water stress on almond trees”
e2“The foliar application of kaolin did not present differences in yield and very few in the physiological activity of the almond trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Combining regulated deficit irrigation with kaolin application can help save irrigation water and produce almonds more sustainably under the experimental conditions.
- Taxon
- almondsPrunus dulcise2
- Outcome
- save irrigation water and produce almonds more sustainablye2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“the combination of RDI and the kaolin foliar application can help save irrigation water and produce almonds more sustainably”
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