Slide 1:AGROMETEOROLOGICAL SUPPORT OF FRUIT PRODUCTION: APPLICATION IN SW SLOVENIA

Andreja Sušnik*, Iztok Matajc*, Ivan Kodric** *Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia **Agricultural Advisory Service Nova Gorica andreja.susnik@gov.si 15-18 November, 2004

Slide 2:Table of contents

Status of fruit-growing in Slovenia Natural features in SW Slovenia - Vipava region Irrigation programme in SW Slovenia Slovenian Agrometeorological Information System –SAgMIS SAgMIS & water use by irrigated peach trees in SW Slovenia

Slide 3:Status of agriculture in Slovenia

510.000 ha utilized agricultural area in 2003 small parcels of agricultural land - on average 5.6 ha of land area/farm

Slide 4:Status of fruit growing in Slovenia

10 fruit –growing areas in Slovenia 2-3 % of all agricultural land extensive rural orchards prevail contributing 3-5 % to the gross value of agricultural production share of intensive orchard plantations is increasing for 20 % since 1991 5230 ha plantations in 2003 Source: Statistical Office Slovenia, 2004

Slide 5:Natural features in Vipava valley

Vipava valley (photo: Kmetijstvo Vipava) 31.000 ha of land with average altitude 200 m 16.000 ha agricultural land, River Vipava, artificial lake Vogršcek 3.7 mill. m3 of water

Slide 6:Climatic features in Vipava valley

mediterranean climate features yearly temperature 12-13°C, July 20.9°C, January 2.9 °C 740 mm of rain in the vegetation period (1600 mm yearly) the driest month is February 289 days > 5° C, 211 days >10 ° C

Slide 7:Irrigation in Slovenia – plan for SW

irrigation is not traditional agricultural practice in Slovenia; first irrigation systems were established in 1978 Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food in 2004 performed updated Feasibility study of National Irrigation Programme (NIP) from 1995 in 5 years cca 11.000 ha should be established 7 % of proposed irrigated area representing orchard plantations Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, 2004

Slide 8:Irrigation systems in Vipava valley –case study

1200 ha in operational phase 1. phase NIP proposes 2920 ha in Vipava valley on 37.7 % fruit production is carried out irrigation equipment specific regarding plant (combination with frost protection) Source: Kmetijstvo Vipava Meteorological station Bilje

Slide 9:Slovenian Agrometeorological Information System –SAgMIS dataflow

EARS substantially improved SAgMIS over past ten years emphasis on weather forecasts includance irrigation forecast model IRRFIB ALADIN model + ECMWF mobile version in test phase

Slide 10:SAgMIS products

cumulative water balance for period irrigation forecast model IRRFIB ALADIN model + ECMWF WB 24 & 48 hours forecast http://www.arso.gov.si/rapos/

Slide 11:SAgMIS outputs: irrigation support model

IRRFIB model output for peach tree on loamy sand soil Photo: Ivan Kodric

Slide 12:Water use by peach trees – regional study

the experiment was conducted with mature peach trees (Prunus persica L.) cv. Redhaven in Vipava valley using IRRFIB forecast model during irrigation period in the years from 1996 to 2004 on 300 ha tree repartition in the orchard in Bilje is 2 m between the peach-trees in the row and 4 m between the tree rows =1250 peach-trees per hectare 1. step continuous monitoring of soil water content and water use by peach trees 2. step the application of SAgMIS system forecasts in the regulated irrigation

Slide 13:Irrigation system methodology

each year irrigation started 40 to 50 days after full blossom of Redhaven peach trees the latest date of full blossoming was in 1996 on April 11; the earliest date was on March 18 in 1997 when all peach orchards were hardly affected by severe spring frost (- 7 °C) normal occurences of full blossoms between 1996 and 2004 were from March 27 to April 5 irrigation water applications ended in August 20 all the years just a week to ten days after fruit picking irrigation forecasts were given all 9 years on the weekly basis and warnings for water applications were transmitted 4 days in advance; irrigation suspensions for water economization were also given 4 days before forecasted precipitation

Slide 14:Irrigation system methodology

drip irrigation - daily recover of reference evapotranspiration with exclusion of water application for 2 days after precipitation > 10 mm and for 3 days after the daily amount of 20 mm of rain or more 2 sprinkler systems water applications: applications of 30 mm of water after forecasted and occasionally measured soil water content achieved 50 % of soil water depletion amount of water applied each time when it was forecasted, replenished the soil water reservoir up to field capacity (Fc)

Slide 15:Irrigation techniques

3 different irrigation techniques have been applied during the period of 9 years from 1996 to 2004: surface drip irrigation and surface drip irrigation system included drippers at the distance of 50 cm along the tree lines in that way that each tree was irrigated with a pair of drippers two classic sprinkler irrigation systems classic sprinkler irrigation system with sprinklers above the trees installed in the triangle system 20 m x 20 m one part of the orchard was irrigated with 30 mm of water each time it was forecasted other part of the orchard was irrigated with the amounts of water to replenish the rooting profile up to field capacity (Fc)

Slide 16:Water use by peach trees

Slide 17:Results of irrigation water needs

controlled and guided irrigation of fruit orchards in Vipava valley: 960 m3 of irrigation water for drip irrigation systems 1600 m3 of irrigation water for sprinkler systems the results are comparable with net average standard 1147 m3/ha/year for peach trees in submediterranean region Photo: Ivan Kodric

Slide 18:Benefits by SAgMIS use

potential benefit of forecasted sprinkler irrigation treatments showed that 17.7 % of irrigation water was spared during nine years investigation period 81.000 to 90.000 m3 of yearly average sprinkler irrigation water benefit on 300 ha irrigated peach orchards in lower Vipava valley water consumption was by drip irrigation 38 % lower that of sprinkler irrigation with 30 mm water application and 44 % lower than sprinkler irrigation with Fc water applications

Slide 19:Conclusions: advantages and strenghts

application of SAgMIS system in close cooperation with Meteorological Forecast Office for different irrigation techniques showed the possibility of economization of irrigation water in the region on average up to 20 % yearly (drip irrigation even doubled) SAgMIS forecast enable real-time, optimal irrigation water supply and no unnecessary water loss in subsoil, increase of crop productivity and reduce of drought risk extension of the system over the fruit growing regions would require more complex weather and crop modelling, stronger and wider cooperation among end-users, extensions agricultural services and data providers in other regions of the country and among neighbouring countries and establishement of educative process http://www.efuse.com/Plan/growing-money.jpg