Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

Water scarcity has become a major constraint for economic development in many countries. To face the increasing demand, agriculture is required to increase its performance and probably to reduce its share for this resource. The pressure is particularly affecting fruit trees since they represent a sector of high irrigation water consumption particularly during the summer season. In many Mediterranean countries, waters of increasing salinity have been used to reduce the gap between the supply and demand. During droughts drastic cuts in supply have been observed. Because of chronic shortages, traditional management based on full irrigation and maximum yields is no longer appropriate. The concept of agricultural intensification needs probably to be reviewed. Adoption of Deficit Irrigation (DI) as a strategy in irrigation seems to be a relevant choice. This document explores the potential of this strategy to save water in orchards. Application to the peach species shows that irrigation water could be reduced by one third without affecting significantly yield (10 % reduction). Results obtained on apple show a similar potential. In both cases, appropriate scheduling seems to be a key element in water saving and in reducing risks of soil salinization.