Influence of irrigation and soil texture in the growth of peach tree branches and fruits of cv. Esmeralda

Abstract

The objective of this work was to the evaluate the effect of irrigation and soil texture on the growth of branches and fruits of peach tree cv. Esmeralda. The study was developed in a commercial peach orchard, cv. Esmeralda, in Morro Redondo – Rio Grande do Sul state. Irrigated and non-irrigated plants were evaluated in two textural class (Sandy Loam and Sandy Clay Loam) in a total of four rows of peach. The irrigation management was based on the replacement of the potential crop evapotranspiration. The parameters of growth evaluated were: fruit growth and fruit growth rate, branch growth and branch growth rate. The results led to the conclusion that irrigation increases the diameter of the fruits of the peach crop by 5% in the Sandy Loam textural class and by 18% in the Sandy Clay Loam textural class; irrigation provides an increase in the size of the peach tree branches, especially after fruit harvesting, by 6% in the Sandy Loam textural class and 16% in the Sandy Clay Loam textural class; more clayey soils show the influence of irrigation more pronounced than in soils with higher sand contents as the soil of the present study, increasing fruit and branch growth.