RESEARCH


Because Chavez and his team began the research project during a severe drought in 2016, it was easy to visually pick out the drought-stricken trees versus the irrigated trees. The team recommends that growers begin irrigating as early as possible, as it benefits the entire orchard. Chavez noted that because periods of drought are becoming more common in Georgia, and not only happening every few years as they did in the past, he recommends that growers have a system in place to supplement watering as needed.


Dario Chavez and his research team established a field experiment at the Dempsey Farm in Griffin, Georgia, with a total of 240 young peach trees planted in July- August 2015. The plots were divided into sprinkler and drip irrigated plots, as well as non-irrigated sections.


Water is not the only factor when it comes to the early success of establishing new peach trees. Fertilization is also required to give trees a boost in survival. Because fertilizer is one of the higher costs of running an orchard, knowing the exact amount to use can help a grower keep overall costs down. For this portion of the project, Chavez’s team used different ages of fertilizer based on the recommended rate — 200%, 100%, 50% and 25% — over several years to see the impact it had on the nutrients available in the soil, plant and fruit. Their overall goal was to estimate how trees responded to different rates of fertilization.


CHAVEZ AND HIS TEAM BEGAN LOOKING INTO IRRIGATION VERSUS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD OF NO IRRIGATION FROM THE TIME OF ORCHARD ESTABLISHMENT.


30 Irrigation TODAY | Summer 2021 irrigationtoday.org


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