Hancock, B. G.

Rosborough, J. F.

Thurmond, R. V.

Texas A&amp;M Repository

L·360A GUIDE FORRRIGATINGRUITS AND VEGETABLESIN EAST TEXASTEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICEG. G. Gibson, Director,· College Station, TexasA Guide for Irrigating Fruits andVegetables in East TexasR. V. THURMONDExtension Agricultural Engineer-IrrigationJ. F. ROSBOROUGHExtension Horticultural Marketing SpecialistB. G. HANCOCKExtension HorticulturistTexas A. & M. College SystemSoil moisture is essential to produce highyields of good-quality fruits and vegetables.In East Texas, the average annual rainfallvaries from 45 to more than 50 inches, anamount sufficient to produce large yields ofquality fruits and vegetables if distributedproperly. However, the distribution of rain-fall in East Texas during most years is suchthat short dry periods often occur duringthe growing season causing reductions inyields and quality. Irrigation can providea means by which East Texas fruit and vege-table growers can be assured of adequatesoil moisture during the growing season.Woter SupplyAn adequate supply of good-quality wa-ter is essential for irrigation farming. Pos-sible sources are streams, rivers, ponds,reservoirs, springs and wells.The amount of water needed during anycrop season depends primarily on the typeof crop grown, rainfall and climatic condi-tions. Generally, a minimum water supplyof 5 to 10 gallons per minute per acre irri-gated from wells, streams or springs isneeded. If the supply is from ponds or stor-age reservoirs, approximately llh acre-feetper acre irrigated is desired.Irrigation requires a large volume ofwater. One inch of water spread uniformlyover 1 acre requires 27,154 gallons. A pumpdelivering 225 gallons per minute, operatingfor 2 hours, will pump the equivalent depthof 1 inch of water over 1 acre.Methods of Applying WaterThe best and most economical methodsof applying irrigation water depend on indi-vidual farm conditions. The sprinkler meth-od is adapted to all soils and crops. Landwhich is uniform with very little slope andis tight enough to permit uniform distribu-tion of water by running water over thesurface may be suitable for surface methods.Under such conditions, vegetables and or-chards can be irrigated by distributing thewater in furrows adequately spaced to meetsoil and crop conditions. Flooding the landsurface between small levees may be usedon orchards.The sprinkler method of water applica-tion is best adapted to most East Texas soilsbecause they are sandy with the land surfacesloping and irregular. The application rateby sprinkling should not exceed the soil in-take rate. When sprinkling just before orafter crop emergence, use adequate pressureto produce small droplets from the nozzle toavoid packing the soil or damaging plants.Soil-moisture RelationshipsThe soil serves as a storage reservoir forwater, plant food and air. Soil moistureavailable to plants is stored as thin films ofwater around soil particles. Water appliedto dry soils moves downward by; gravity in-to the soil profile. Some of the water clingsas a film to soil particles while the excesspercolates downward to satisfy the needs ofmore particles below. A small amount ofwater penetrates the soil to a shallow depth.If too much water is applied, it penetratesbelow the plant root zone resulting in waste,or in the case where soils have poor or re-stricted drainage, the air space in the soilis filled completely with water, causingplants to "drown out."The approximate water storage capacityper foot of depth for various textured soilsis given below.SOIL TEXTURESandy (coarse)Sand loam (light)Silt and clay (medium)Clays (heavy)AVAILABLE WATER-INCHESPER FOOT OF DEPTH112 to 11 to 1%1% to 22 to 2112Sandy soils have less storage capacity formoisture per foot of depth than clay soils;consequently, they require more frequentand lighter applications of water.When to IrrigateThe irrigator should be concerned withmaintaining an adequate supply of availablesoil moisture during the growing season.Because rainfall and climatic conditions varyfrom year to year, exact schedules and datesfor applying water are not feasible.. Thedepth of soil penetrated by plant roots isknown as the soil plant root zone. As plantsuse water from the soil, the available soilmoisture will become less and less until theplant has extracted all of the soil moisturewithin the reaches of its root system. Whenthis condition is reached, the plant will wiltand cease to grow. The amount of availablesoil moisture should not be allowed to reachthis condition. For most crops it is desirableto irrigate at the point when approximatelyhalf of the total available moisture in thesoil plant root zone has been used.A practical way to estimate the amountof available moisture in the soil is the useof the feel chart for estimating soil moisture.Take soil samples from different depths inthe soil plant root zone, squeeze each sampleso as to form a ball, and refer to the feelchart for a description of how various tex-tured soils feel for various percentages ofavailable moisture.Applications of irrigation water based onthe amount of available soil moisture in thesoil plant root zone provides the best methodof knowing when and how much water to ap-ply.Need for DrainageIrrigated fruits and vegetables should begrown on soils which have good surface andsubsurface drainage. Heavy rains followinga recent irrigation may provide excessivesoil moisture. For optimum plant growth,removal of this excess water is essential.Before installing an irrigation system,make sure the fields to be irrigated havegood surface and subsurface drainage.FRUIT CROPSA GUIDE FOR IRRIGATING FRUITS AND VECROPBlackberriesStrawberriesADAPTEDVARIETIESLawtonHumbleBlakemoreTennessee BeautyOPTIMUMPLANTINGDATESPlant rootcuttings inlate winterSpringplanting:Feb. - Mar.Fall planting:Sept. - Nov. 1HARVESTSEASONJune-JulyMar. Apr. MayFeb.-Mar.SEEDING RATES ANDPLANT SPACINGRow spacing 8-10 ft. withplants 18-24 in. apart inrows2,500 plants per acreRow spacing 60 in withplants spaced 12-18 in.apart in rows7,000 plants per acre(matted row)Rew spacin.g 48 in. withplants spaced 10-12 in.apart in rows11.000 plants per acreEFFECTIVEROOT ZONEIN DEEP SOILS(FEET)PERIOD OF PEAKWATER USEFrom bloom untilmaturity of berriesFrom bloom untilharvestPeaches Early-Cardinal Winter season June 1- Early maturing varieties: 3112 From time seedsDixired August 1 Spacing-20'x2s', 87 trees begin to hardenSecond early- per acre until fruit maturityCoronet. Dixigem Midseason and lateEarly midseason- varieties:Triogem, Ranger Spacing-2s'x2s', 69 treesMidseason- per acreHalehaven, LoringLate-Redskin, ElbertaPlums Bruce . Winter season May 15- Spacing 20'x20' 6 From time seedMethley June 1 109 trees per acre begin to harden(as a pollinator until maturityfor Bruce)Pecans Stuart Winter season Oct. 1- 8-12 trees per acre 12-15 Kernel formingSuccess Dec. 15 spaced 60-80 ft. apart periodDesirable July IS-Sept. 15SchleyMahanVEGETABLES IN EAST TEXASPEAK WATER MINIMUMUSE RATE WATER RE-AK (INCHES PER QUIREMENTS FERTILITYDAY) (GPM/ACRE)* REQUIREMENTS,til.25 4.7 N P20 6 K20'ies 80 80 80Applied in Feb.til .25 4.7 New plantingsN P20 6 K20100 200 200liz at planting andliz at first bloomOld plantingsN P20 6 K20100 200 200liz applied in Oct. and112 at first bloom,s .30 5.6 Bearing trees1 4 lb. of 12-12-12 fertilizerrity formula per tree appliedin Feb.4 lb. of 5-10-10 fertilizerformula applied per treeApril 1.3 5.6 Bearing trees3 lb. of 12-12-12 fertilizerformula per tree appliedin February3 lb. 5-10-10 fertilizerformula per tree appliedApril 1Bearing trees7-10 lb. of 33-0-0 fertilizerformula per tree appliedin Feb. or Mar.COMMENTSSize of blackberries depends on availablesoil moisture. Adequate moisture duringfruiting season stimulates new can egrowth which influences next year's crop.Adequate soil moisture should be main-tained during the following growth periods.Spring plantings:(1) From first bloom through harvest(Apr.-May)(2) Plant development period (June)(3) Plant maintenance period(July-Aug.-Sept.)Fall plantings:(1) Just prior to plant setting(2) From first bloom through harvestCaution: Heavy applications of water dur-ing fruiting period may cause fruit decay•For maximum size and fruit yields, ade-quate moisture is essential from time seedbegins to harden until harvest. Fruit buddevelopment for the following season'scrop is dependent on adequate moistureduring July and August.For maximum size and fruit yields moistureis essential from time seed begin to hardenuntil harvest. Fruit bud development forthe following season's crop is dependenton adeqaate moisture during July andAugust.Tests indicate that nitrogen is the onlyfertilizer showing responses in yield andgrowth.Adequate soil moisture should be main-tained during the following growth pe-riods:(1) 30 days before blooms appear (Mar.)(2) Sizing period (June through July)(3) Kernel development period(July, Aug.. Sept.)VEGETABLE CROPSCROPBeansCabbageCucumbersOkraOnio:lsPeas (field)PeppersSquashSweet CornSweet PotatoesTomatoesTurnipsWatermelonsADAPTEDVARIETIESBlack Valentine(fresh)Tender Green(canning)Marion MarketEarly Round DutchSlicing:MarketeerPickling:MR 17, ModelLouisiana GreenVelvetGreen Bunching:White PearlBulbing:ExceL GranexCream 12Extra Early BlackeyePurple Hull 49California WonderYolo WonderEarly CalwonderYellow CrookneckCalumet 57IoanaAristogold BantamEvergreenDark Skin GoldrushRed GoldRed VelvetPuerto RicoHomesteadStokes Cross No. 5Texto 2RutgersPurple TopStandard types:Charleston GreyBlack DiamondIcebox types:PeacockMilesOPTIMUMPLANTINGDATESMar. IS-Apr. 15Feb. IS-Mar. 15Apr. 1-15Apr. IS-May 15Nov. I-Dec. 15Feb. I-Mar. 1Apr. IS-May 15Hotbed:Feb. IS-Mar. 1Cold frame:Mar. 15-Apr. 15Field:Apr. 15-May 1Mar. 15-Apr. 15Mar. I-Apr. 1Apr. 15-June 1Hotbed:Feb. 1-10Cold frame:Mar. 1-10Field:Apr. 1-10Spring:Feb. 15-28Fall:Aug. I-Sept. 15North section:Mar. 25-Apr. 15South section:Mar. IS-Apr. 1NUMBER OFDAYS TOMATURITY45-508Q-9065-7060-6570-7580-12075-8570-805075-80120-15055-60From fieldsetting45-5585-95SEEDING RATES ANDPLANT SPACING40 lb. per acreRow spacing 3-4 ft.10,000 plants per acreRow spacing 4 ft. withplants I ft. apart in rows1 lb. seed per acreRows spaced 6 ft. apartwith plants 2-3 ft.apart in rows5 lb. seed per acreRow spacing 5 ft. withplants 2 ft. apart in rows100 lb. of sets in 42 in. rowsspaced 1112 in. apart in row.150 lb. of sets in double rowon 42 in. beds, plants spac-ed 2 in. apart in rows65,000 plants per acre indouble row on 42 in. bedsspaced 4 in. apart in rows12 to 22 lb. per acre de-pending on seed size, spac-ed in 42 in. rows4,500 plants per acreRow spacing 6 ft. withplants spaced 18 in. apartin row1 lb. seed per acreRow spacing 6 ft. withplants 3 ft. apart in row8-10 lb. seed per acreRow spacing 4-5 ft. apart6,500 plants per acreRow spacing 52 in. withplants spaced 14-16 in.in row4,500 plants per acre spac-ed in 6 ft. rows with plants18 in. apart in row or spac-ed in double rows 4 ft.apart with 8 ft. middles andplants 18 in. apart in rows2-3 lb. seed per acreRow spacing 2112 ft. apartStandard types:I lb. per acre12'xI2' spacing302 hills per acreIcebox types:6'x8' spacing900 hills per acreEFFECTIVEROOT ZONE INDEEP SOILS(FEET)1 to 22 to 31 to 1%1 to 11122 to 32 to 33 to 42 to 31 to 1%4·Continuous flow required per acre at 100 percent irrigation efficiency. Divide this value by estimated irrigation efficiency.E: IN~S PERIOD OF PEAKWATER USEWhen firstblossoms appearFrom first cuppingof leaves tomaturityFrom half-grownstage of plantthrough harvestseason.During harvestperiod30 days priorto maturity7 days beforebloom period tohalf-grown stageof podsFrom first bloomthrough harvestperiod(June IS-Aug. 1)After firstblossoms appear10 days beforetassel developsuntil ear is halfgrownFrom formation ofsmall potatoesuntil desired sizeis obtainedFrom half-grownstage of firstcluster untilapproximatelyhalf the cropis harvestedFrom half-grownstage to harvestFrom time melonsare half grown insize until harvestbeginsPEAK WATERUSE RATE(INCHESPER DAY).20.25.20.30.18.18.18.30.20.30.25.30.20.30MINIMUMWATER RE-QUIREMENTS(GPM/ACRE)*3.74.73.75.63.43.43.45.63.75.64.75.63.75.6FERTILITYREQUIREMENTSN P20 5 K2080 80 80Applied before planting60 120 120Applied before planting40 0 0Applied as sidedressingwhen leaves begin to cup60 120 60Applied before planting40 0 0Applied as sidedressingwhen vines begin to bloom80 80 80Applied before planting40 40 40Applied as sidedressingat first bloom60 120 120Applied before planting40 0 0Applied as sidedressingwhen plants are 5-6 in.high100 100 100Applied prior to plantingdirectly under onion"row30 60 60Applied before planting120 120 120112 applied before planting112 applied in 2 sidedress-ings as needed60 120 60Applied before planting40 0 0Applied as sidedressingwhen vines begin to bloom40 90 90Applied before planting60 0 0Applied as sidedressingat last plowing60 120 180Applied before planting45-60 75-100 45-602/3 applied before planting1/3 as sidedressing60 120 120Applied before planting45 90 452/3 applied before planting1/3 as sidedressing whenvines are 3 ft. longCOMMENTSFor fall-set cabbage, a high soil moisturelevel is essential during first 3-4 weeksafter transplanting and from cupping stageto head maturity.Increased yields and improved quality areobtained through maintenance of adequatesoil moisture during harvest period.Adequate soil moisture during harvestperiod prolongs harvest season, increasesyield and improves quality.Adequate moisture essential from time ofsetting until just prior to harvest.Excessive moisture immediately prior toharvest may result in decay or loweredstoring and keeping quality.High soil-moisture content should be main-tained during fruiting period. If plants areallowed to wilt during fruiting, blossomshedding will result.Adequate soil moisture essential fromtassel through silking period.Adequate soil moisture should be main-tained from formation of potatoes untilreaching marketable size. Excess moistureafter desired size is obtained may causegrowth cracks or development of jumbopotatoes.Adequate moisture essential when plantsare set in field. Uniform moisture level isessential during fruit development period.Delayed applications of irrigation watertend to increase cracking of fruit.Irrigation prior to seeding may be essen-tial for uniform germination. High moisturelevel desired throughout entire growingseason.During irrigation periods watch plantsclosely for appearance of anthracnose.Adequate soil moisture when melons areapproximately half grown size until harvestwill increase size and tonnage.Feel Chart For Estimating Soil MoisturePercent of Feel or appearance ofsoilsUseful SoilDegree of Moisture Heavy andMoisture Remaining Coarse Light Medium very heavyDry a Dry, loose, Dry, loose, flows Powdery, dry, Hard, baked,single-grained, through fingers. sometimes slight- cracked, some-flows through ly crusted but times has loosefingers. easily breaks crumbs ondown into pow- surface.dery condition.Low 50 or less Still appears to Still appears to Somewhat crum- Somewhatbe dry; will not be dry; will not bly, but will hold pliable, will ballform a ball with form a ball.* together from under pressure.*pressure.* pressure.Fair 50 to 75 Same as coarse Tends to ball Forms a ball, Forms a ball; willtexture under under pressure somewhat plas- ribbon out be-50 or less. but seldom will tic; will some- tween thumbhold together. times slick slight- and forefinger.ly with pressure.Excellent 75 to field Tends to stick Forms weak ball, Forms a ball and Easily ribbonscapacity together slightly, breaks easily, is very pliable; out betweensometimes forms will not slick. slicks readily if fingers, has aa very weak ball relatively high in slick feeling.under pressure. clay.Ideal At field Upon squeezing, Same as coarse. Same as coarse. Same as coarse.capacity no free waterappears on soilbut wet out.ineof ball is lefton hand.Too Wet Above field Free water ap- Free water will Can squeeze out Puddles and freecapacity pears when soil be released with free water. water forms onis bounced in kneadi.ng. surface.hand.*Ball is formed by squeezing a handful of soil very firmly with fingers.Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Eco-nomics, Tl\e Texas A. & M. College System and the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture cooperating. Distributed infurtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amend-ed, and June 30, 1914.5M-6-57

A Guide For Irrigating Fruits and Vegetables in East Texas.

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A Guide For Irrigating Fruits and Vegetables in East Texas.

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A Guide For Irrigating Fruits and Vegetables in East Texas.

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