Riczu, Péter

Szőllősi, Nikolett

Tamás, János

Zsembeli, József

Acta Agraria Debreceniensis

University of Debrecen Electronic Archive

JOURNALOFAGRICULTURALSCIENCES,DEBRECEN,20 ll/44.
Water managed properties of apple and pear trees based on lysimeters
Péter Ríczu'< Nikolett Szöllösi' - János Tamás' - József Zsembelf
'UniversityofDebrecenCentreofAgriculturalandAppliedEconomicSciencesFacultyofAgriculturalandFoodSciencesand
EnvironmentalManagement,DepartmentofWater-andEnvironmentalManagement,4032 Debrecen,Böszörményiút 138. Hungary
2KarcagResearchInstituteof theCentreforAgriculturalandAppliedEconomicSciences,5300 Karcag,Kisűjszállásiút 166. Hungary
riczu@agr.unideb.hu
Keywords: transpiration, leaf area index, water balance, apple Tree model
SUMMARY
A significant proportion of the aboveground green and dry weight of The plant is constituted by foliage. The canopy is an important
factor of ptant growth. On the one hand, the canopy absorbs solar energy, which is necessary for photosynthesis; on the other hand, it
accumulates the nutrients absorbed by the roots, and most of the water-loss occurs through the foliage. The determination of the full canopy
is /lOTan easy target. In our research, we developed a measurement method to determine the leaf area. With the parameters of the examined
tree (leaf length and maximum. width] and the data of the ADC AM Jaa leaf area scanner, we detennined the k-value, witn which we can
easily and fast evaluate the leaf surf ace. Furthermore, we defined from the water balance of compensation lysimeters the cumulative
transpiration of [ruit trees and the efficiency of water use of trees. From the examined trees were made a 3D depiction, which show the
shape,branching and The location of trees.
INTRODUCTION
Presently in Hungary about 100,000 hectares of orchards can be found, of which apple is culti vated on one of
the largest areas. The total area of apple and pear orchards is more than 45,000 ha. The data of the Central
StatisticsOffice show that 28% of the apple and pear orchards could be irrigated, but only 21% are. Horticulture
is a water demanding sector, as high quality fruit-growing is difficult without proper irrigation. Furthermore, on
some horticultural farms, there is ei ther no irrigation applied or the techniques used are improper. There are
several experiments going on around the world to develop methods of irrigation, which draw different
technology combinations for water and energy saving rnicro-irrigation. One of the biggest professional
challenges of the coming years is to develop water resource management for apple and pear trees. First, we have
to identify the water norm of the trees in the different phenological stages, the irrigation turns, the watering
technology and the transpiration surface.
LITERATRE
HUZSVAl et al. (2005) determined that leaves were good environmental indicators and thus suitable for
phenometrical measurements. Other features of leaves include their capability for use in the detection of
environmental impacts. Mainly, the leaf area, e.g. the horizontal and vertical leaf surface size and geometry are
important. The size and the location of the leaves determine at what radiation the plant's ability to absorb is. The
size of leaves we can express with leaf area (LA). In orchard, if increases the leaf area, increases just a certain
lirnitof the luminous efficiency, until the mutual shading of the plan ts does not inhibit it (BALÁZS et al., 1989).
s -hLA = max max = k . (s . h )K max max
where: Smax is the maximum width of leaf, hmax is the maximum length of leaf, K is the species and species
characteristic splitting factor, k is the species and species characteristic multiplier factor (HUZSV Al et al., 2005).
Several researchers - including POLSTER AND REICHENBACH (1958) - typed the leaf shape of plants, and
defined the K and k values.
In an orchard, a plant's leaf area must not be determined only in absolute terms, but com~ared with the
growing area (T) also. The rate of two values called leaf area index (LAl), which is leaf area (m ) per 1m2 soil
surface. The LAl is the most suitable index in the cultivation practice for the plant mass (SZÁSZ, 1988;
BALÁZS et al., 1989).
LA! - as biophysical status - is in a close relationship with the amou nt of the biomass, with the
photosynthesis and transpiration scale (NEMANI and RUNNING, 1989). Size and number of lea ves determine
the leaf area (LA). Several factors influence amount of leaves in the trees. The number of leaf produced is
reduced by water stress, nutrient deficiencies and is under hormonal control. Some researchers investigated the
number of lea ves and growing parameters, which develop on the new shoots under controlled environment
129
JOURNALOFAGRICULTURALSCIENCES,DEBRECEN,20 II /44.
conditions (ABBOTT, 1984; JOHNSON and LAKSO, 1985; LINDHAGEN, 1996). Maximal value of LAl -
among genetic limits - determinates several environmental and agronomic factors. Environmental factors: rate of
temperature and precipitation far the plant requires, and the soil characteristic, thus rate and amount of available
nutrients. Agronornic factors: density of crop, nutrient supply, irrigation, etc (HUZSV Al et al., 2005).
The leaf area index changes aceording to species, stage of development, methods of cultivation and density
of crop. WAGENMAKERS (1989) found that leaf area per tree of apples and pears decreased linearly with
planting density. VERHEIJ (1972) showed that with apple the leaf area per tree declined with increasing planting
density even with unpruned trees, and was accompanied by a relative suppression of lateral growth in the lower
parts of the trees.
Several publications deal with the determinate of LAl. These measurements primarily determine the LAl of
the field crops, while in an orchard just little time deterrninate the leaf area index. For assign of the LAl evolve
and spread some methods. Making leaf imprint is the most ancient method to determine leaf area. It gives a very
precise result, but it is quite time consuming. (BOGNÁR, 2003). Among traditional methods for in situ leaf area
determination the ca\culation-, the weighing- and the planimetric methods are used the most frequently (ROSS,
1981). ANDERSON (1981) used a fisheye optic camera and ca\culated the LAl from the cover of the sky in the
photo. Leaf area can also be ca\culated by means of a solar radiation sensor (HUNKÁR, 1984). Automatic leaf
area measuring devices are also available nowadays. The measurement is fast and preci se with the se electronic
meters and the leaves do not have to be removed (BOGNÁR, 2003). Nowadays remote sensing methods are
applied widespread to investigate large land fields and orchards. Within these methods the status of certain
vegetation can be determined based on the retlectance spectra of the chlorophyll (Tamás and Nagy 2009). The
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is used to determine the leaf area, the quantity of green
biomass, the chlorophyll content and the water content of the plant tissue (TUCKER, 1979; CIHLAR et al.,
1991, SELLERS et al., 1992, GOW ARD et al., 1994), which based on retlectance values of leaves.
The transpiration rate is also determined by the leaf temperature and the available moisture content of the
soil. Transpiration is increasing if more water is available in the soil: in case of optimal water supply apple trees
transpirated more water and the conductance of the stomas increased (ALLEYNE et al., 1989; GOWING et al.,
1990; FRENANDEZ et al., 1997). During the day the water potential of apple and pear trees is decreasing with
the increasing transpiration. GOODE and HIGGS (1973) observed the lowest water potential in noontime.
LANDSBERG et al. (1975) and FERNANDEZ et al. (1997) exarnined apple and pear trees under droughty and
control conditions. They concluded that the elosing of the stomas is an effective physiological control that
reduces the rate of transpiration.
130
MATERIAL AND METHODS
On ISI March 2010 2 pear (Bosc kobak and William's) and 1 apple varieties (Regat Prince) were planted in 3
replications into 9 Iysimeters with compensation system of the Iysimeter station of the Karcag Research Institute
of the Research Institutes and Study farm of the Centre for Agricultural and Applied Economic Sciences of the
University of Debrecen. Each Iysimeter has a surface area of 0.8 m2 and depth of 2 m. The permanently
maintained groundwater level is at the depth of 90 cm serving as the water supply (subsurface irrigation) of the
trees in dry periods. The soil surface was covered with black plastic (polyethylene) sheet that stopped
evaporation but let the natural precipitation infiltrate into the soil.
On 291h September 2010 the lea ves were colleeted from each tree. The leaves from the lower branches were
separately colleeted from the lea ves of the upper branches, and also the fallen lea ves were gathered. The
scanning of the leaves was carried out in the laboratory of the Department of Water- and Environmental
Management of the Centre for Agricultural and Applied Economic Sciences of the University of Debrecen. The
leaf areas were determined by means of a device called Area Meter 100 (AM 100) developed by the Analytical
Development Company.
In our experiment we investigated if knowing the length and the width of the leaf, is it possible to ca\culate
the area by using a multiplying factor. After measuring the length and the longest width of the leaf, we
multiplied these two parameters getting the area of a square (Asquare)that included the area of the leaf. Then the
leaf was scanned, so we got the exact area of it (Aleaf).Dividing the two areas, we get a multiplying factor (k)
that can be used for further ca\culations.
k = Aleaf
Asquare
To determine the rate of transpiration and the water use efficiency of the trees, we processed the data gained
by the Iysimeter measurements. Transpiration was ca\culated aceording to the following equation:
T=P-D+I
where T is the transpiration of the tree (mm), P is the amount of natural precipitation (mm), D is the drainage
water (mm) tlowing out through the compensation system and I is the subsurface irrigation water tlowing in
from the compensation system.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, DEBRECEN, 2011/44.
We modell ed ali of the trees on the Iysimeter station in 3D. The apple and pear trees were drawn using
Google SketchUp 7.1. On the base of construction of trees was that we measured length of each branch in ali
directions, and drawn aceording to axes. The software is compatible with Google Earth, thus the terrain can be
imported. Then we placed the trees on Google Earth.
RES ULTS AND DISCUSSION
The apple and pear tree leaves colleeted at the end of the final phenological state were scanned and the total
and the average leaf areas were determined, On the base of the data it can be established that the pear variety
William 's (3.24 cm2)had the smallest, while apple variety Regat Prince (4.97 crrr') had the largest average leaf
size under the given climatic and edaphic conditions.
Further ca\culations were done in order to determine if we can find a "k" multiplying factor for the in situ
prediction of the leaf area of atree.
It could be established that the k-values were the smallest in the case of the apple variety Regat Prince
(0.271) which shows longer but narrower leaf shapes comparing to the shape of the Bosc kobak (0.284) or
William's (0.28) leaves. Among the investigated fruit tree varieties William's had the most leaves (798) its
relatively high k-value is the sign of roundish leaf shape. Variety Bosc kobak had the smallest difference in the
number of leaves among the replications.
Calculating the leaf area for 1 m2 the LAI can be determined. Among the investigated varieties variety
William's has the largest value ofLAI.
In order to characterize the water use of the fruit trees, the transpiration of them was compared. As the
investigated period was extremely wet, no subsurface irrigation water flew into the soil through the
compensation system, but drainage waters were regularly collected. The water balances of the Iysimeters were
positive as the input by natural precipitation resulted in saturated state in the soil ali over the investigated period
with even regular deep percolation water. Hence the transpiration of the trees could be ca\culated as the
difference between the natural precipitation and the drain waters (Figure 1.).
500.0
400.0
E
300.0.s
c
.~
1§
l 200.0
v
>.~
"3
§ 100.0u
0.0
3.3. 3. 17.
·100.0
Figure 1: Cumulative transpiration of the fruit trees
r:
Date
- -t William's l. --William'sU.
- - Bosckobak 1. --Bosc kobak u.
--Regal Prince lJ.- - Regal Prince 1.
On the basis of the cumulative values of transpiration, it can be established that, in the initial growing phases,
no differences could be detected among the trees. From May, some differences could be identified, indicating the
differences in the speed of leaf growth characteristic to the different varieties. The highest differences in
transpiration started to materialize when the trees reached the full development of their leaves. The highest
transpiration values were detected in the case of the variety William's, while not inconsiderable differences could
be determined between the varieties Bosc kobak and Regat Prince.
The water use efficiency values were also determined for the investigated fruit trees. This index shows how
much water was used by the plant for transpiration from the total water input. As the amounts of drain water
were the lowest in the case of variety William' s, the highest transpiration and water use characterised this
variety: the water use efficiency was above 80%, while 50-60% was characteristic for the other two varieties.
131
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, DEBRECEN, 20 ll/44.
REFERENCES
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Water managed properties of apple and pear trees based on lysimeters

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Water managed properties of apple and pear trees based on lysimeters

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