Water Table Control for Increasing Yield and Saving Water in Cranberry Production

Abstract

Abstract:Water table control has been successfully tested to improve the sustainability of water management in cranberry production. In the province of Québec (Canada), three sites were investigated to determine the optimum water table depth below soil surface (WTD) using three criteria: (1) increasing yield without decreasing fruit quality; (2) minimizing the amount of water needed by the sprinkler system; and (3) avoiding hypoxic stresses in the rhizosphere. Our results show that the final yield, the berry sugar content, the total number of berries, the number of berries per upright, and the fruit set were maximized when the WTD was 60 cm. Sprinkler water savings of 77% were obtained where the WTD was shallower than 66 cm. In order to avoid hypoxic conditions due to poor drainage, the water level in the canals surrounding the beds should be lowered to 80 cm when a rainfall or a frost protection irrigation is anticipated. All sides of a block of beds must be surrounded by canals to ensure a uniform WTD and to avoid lateral hydraulic gradients that could cause peripheral seepage losses.

Irrigation and drainage management strategies to enhance cranberry production and optimize water use in North America

“…The results of Pelletier et al (2015b) also suggested that cranberry yields may be highly sensitive to very small changes in WTD, with variations on the order of ±30 cm resulting in a 25% reduction in crop yield. The suspected cause of the 25% crop reduction was the plant's inability to set fruit from flowers, which was supported by a decrease from two to one berries per fruiting upright in response to a WTD increase from 60 to 75 cm (Pelletier et al 2015b). Moreover, higher yields were associated with improved fruit quality, including increases in sugar content (Brix), TAcy, total acidity (TA), and the Brix:TA ratio (a taste perception indicator), for a WTD of about 60 cm.…”

“…In contrast to recent work, research conducted in the 1970s showed that values of WTD between 30 and 38 cm resulted in higher fruit yield compared with those between 38 and 46 cm (3 of 4 yr) and to WTD values between 46 and 54 (4 of 5 yr) (Eck 1976). Using water table control as the primary source of irrigation, which was supplemented with sprinkler irrigation applied after SWP values dropped to −7.5 kPa, the highest yields were obtained with a WTD of 60 cm (Pelletier et al 2015b). The results of Pelletier et al (2015b) also suggested that cranberry yields may be highly sensitive to very small changes in WTD, with variations on the order of ±30 cm resulting in a 25% reduction in crop yield.…”

“…Using water table control as the primary source of irrigation, which was supplemented with sprinkler irrigation applied after SWP values dropped to −7.5 kPa, the highest yields were obtained with a WTD of 60 cm (Pelletier et al 2015b). The results of Pelletier et al (2015b) also suggested that cranberry yields may be highly sensitive to very small changes in WTD, with variations on the order of ±30 cm resulting in a 25% reduction in crop yield. The suspected cause of the 25% crop reduction was the plant's inability to set fruit from flowers, which was supported by a decrease from two to one berries per fruiting upright in response to a WTD increase from 60 to 75 cm (Pelletier et al 2015b).…”

“…While evaluating SWP as an irrigation threshold over the range of −5.5 and −10.0 kPa, Pelletier et al (2015aPelletier et al ( , 2015b reported some reductions in yield components when irrigation was initiated at SWP values less than −7.5 kPa. Consequently, the drier treatment (i.e., SWP <−7.5 kPa) resulted in a decrease in (1) the number of marketable berries per fruiting upright by 14%, (2) the number of fruiting uprights per unit area by 21%, and (3) in final crop yield by 11% (Pelletier et al 2013).…”

“…Obviously, yield increases may be linked to the plantings of new hybrid cultivars or of higher purity cuttings, but inventory also indicates that these plantings were often made with bed configuration providing better drainage. Moreover, changes in irrigation and drainage also played a major role in enhancing crop yield in some areas such as Québec (Bonin 2010;Pelletier et al 2015aPelletier et al , 2015bPelletier et al , 2017 and Wisconsin.…”