Advances in Irrigation Agronomy: Fruit Crops

418 Pages·2014·37.72 MB·English

by  M. K. V. Carr

Advances in Irrigation Agronomy
Fruit Crops
Asglobalpressureonwaterresourcesintensifies,itisessentialthatscientistsunderstand
therolethatwaterplaysinthedevelopmentofcrops,andhowsuchknowledgecanbe
appliedtoimprove water productivity. Linkingcropphysiology,agronomyandirriga-
tion practices, this book focuses on eleven key fruit crops upon which millions of
people in the tropics and subtropics depend for their livelihoods (avocado, cashew,
Citrus spp., date palm, lychee, macadamia, mango, olive, papaya, passion fruit and
pineapple).
Each chapter reviews international irrigation research on an individual fruit crop,
identifying opportunities for improving the effectiveness of water allocation and
encouraging readers to link scientific knowledge with practical applications. Clearly
written and well illustrated, this is an ideal resource for engineers, agronomists and
researchers concerned with how the productivity of irrigated agriculture can be
improved, in the context of climate change, and the need for growers to demonstrate
good irrigation practices.
Mike Carr is Emeritus Professor of agricultural water management at Cranfield
University, UK. He has over forty-five years of experience in the management and
deliveryofinternationalresearch,education,trainingandconsultancyinagricultureand
natural resource management. He is the author of Advances in Irrigation Agronomy:
Plantation Crops (Cambridge, 2012) and former Editor in Chief of the Cambridge
University Press journal Experimental Agriculture.

Advances in Irrigation Agronomy
Fruit Crops
M.K.V. CARR
CranfieldUniversity,UK
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107037359
©CambridgeUniversityPress2014
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
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Firstpublished2014
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.PadstowCornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Carr,M.K.V.
Advancesinirrigationagronomy:fruitcrops/M.K.V.Carr.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-107-03735-9(hardback)
1. Fruit-culture–Tropics. 2. Cropsandwater–Tropics. 3. Irrigationfarming–Tropics. I. Title.
SB354.8.C372014
634–dc23 2013036441
ISBN978-1-107-03735-9Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
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This book is dedicated to my wife:
Dr Susan Carr
for putting up with me for so long!

Contents
Forewordby ProfessorElias Fereres Castiel page xii
Preface xv
Acknowledgements xvii
1 Introduction 1
Part I:Background 1
Reasons for writing this book 2
Definitions 2
Which fruit crops toreview? 5
Centres oforiginand production 11
Productionsystems 13
Intensification 15
Irrigation 15
Part II: Understanding Crop Productivity 17
Crop development stages 17
Plant–water relations 18
Crop water requirements 19
Water productivity 20
Part III: Irrigation Systems 22
Irrigationscheduling 25
Conclusion 26
2 Avocado 27
Introduction 27
Crop development 28
Summary: crop development 34
Plant–water relations 34
Summary: plant–water relations 37
Crop water requirements 37
Summary: crop water requirements 38
Water productivity 38
Summary: water productivity 43
viii Contents
Irrigation systems 43
Summary: irrigationsystems 47
Conclusions 47
Summary 48
3 Cashew 51
Introduction 51
Crop development 53
Summary: crop development 57
Plant–water relations 58
Summary: plant–water relations 60
Crop water requirements 61
Water productivity 61
Summary: water productivity 63
Irrigation systems 63
Conclusions 65
Summary 66
4 Citrus 68
Introduction 68
Species and centres ofproduction 69
Crop development 70
Plant–water relations 77
Summary: plant–water relations 79
Crop water requirements 81
Summary: crop water requirements 83
Water productivity 84
Summary: water productivity 91
Irrigation systems 92
Summary: irrigationsystems 97
General conclusions 98
Summary 99
5 Date palm 100
Introduction 100
Crop development 103
Summary: crop development 108
Plant–water relations 109
Summary: plant–water relations 110
Crop water requirements 110
Summary: crop water requirements 114