Last modified: 2017-05-03
Abstract
Crisurilor Plain (N.W. Romania) is known like a very favorable area for the unirrigated autumn cabbage crop. Our research carried out in the Agricultural Research and Development Station Oradea during 1990-2016 demonstrated that the irrigation is needed every year in the context of the drought regions extension in Romania. The irrigation became a base element in autumn cabbage crop technology because the pedological drought is present every year; pedological drought is defined like a period with the soil water content below easily available water content on the watering depth; watering depth in cabbage was considered 0-50 cm. Maintaining the soil water reserve between easily available water content and field capacity on the watering depth determined to use an irrigation rate of 2410 m3/ha, variation interval 1330-4900 m3/ha. The use of irrigation improved the microclimate conditions and the ratio water / temperature + light (Domuţa climate index) increased with 60%. Daily water consumption increased, as a result the total water consumption increased with 70.0%, variation interval 19-872%. Irrigation determined the increase of the yield with 153%; water use efficiency (kg/m3) increased with 60.0%; the irrigation water use efficiency had an average value of 14.2 kg yield gain/m3, variation interval 6.7-24.2 kg yield gain/m3. The correlations quantified in the soil-water-plant system (number of days with pedological drought yield, respectively yield gain; Domuţa climate index-yield; water consumption-yield) sustain the opportunity of the irrigation in autumn cabbage crop from the Crişurilor Plain, too.
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This abstract was accepted to be presented at the conference entitled “40 Years of Horticulture Education in Cluj-Napoca†Cluj-Napoca, September 27, 2017, being included in ‘Book of Abstracts’ of this special-anniversary event (http://conference.shst.ro). All accepted papers will be published in a special issue of Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca journal.