geneva, switzerlandwmo/cost 718 et meeting on weather, climate and farmers agrometeorological...

Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers

AGROMETEOROLOGICAL SUPPORT OF FRUIT PRODUCTION:

APPLICATION IN SW SLOVENIA

Andreja Sušnik*, Iztok Matajc*, Ivan Kodrič**

*Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia

**Agricultural Advisory Service Nova Gorica

[email protected]

15-18 November, 2004



Table of contents

1. Status of fruit-growing in Slovenia

2. Natural features in SW Slovenia - Vipava region

3. Irrigation programme in SW Slovenia

4. Slovenian Agrometeorological Information System –SAgMIS

5. SAgMIS & water use by irrigated peach trees in SW Slovenia



Status of agriculture in Slovenia

510.000 ha utilized

agricultural area in 2003

small parcels of agricultural land - on average 5.6 ha of land area/farm

Meadows and pastures

60%

Orchard plantations and olive

groves2%

Vineyards3%

Extensive orchards and olive groves

1%

Arable land34%



Status of fruit growing in Slovenia 10 fruit –growing areas in

Slovenia 2-3 % of all agricultural land extensive rural orchards

prevail contributing 3-5 % to the gross

value of agricultural production

share of intensive orchard plantations is increasing for 20 % since 1991

5230 ha plantations in 20030

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

ha

1991 2000 2003

Orchard plantations Extensive orchards

Source: Statistical Office Slovenia, 2004



Natural features in Vipava valley

Vipava valley (photo: Kmetijstvo Vipava)

31.000 ha of land with average altitude 200 m 16.000 ha agricultural land, River Vipava, artificial lake Vogršček 3.7 mill. m3 of water



Climatic features in Vipava valley

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Jan

Feb

Mar

Ap

r

May

Jun

Jul

Au

g

Sep Oct

Nov

Dec

mm

/h

0

5

10

15

20

25

°CRR sunshine duration T

mediterranean climate features

yearly temperature 12-13°C, July 20.9°C, January 2.9 °C

740 mm of rain in the vegetation period (1600 mm yearly)

the driest month is February 289 days > 5° C, 211 days >10 ° C



Irrigation in Slovenia – plan for SW irrigation is not traditional

agricultural practice in Slovenia; first irrigation systems were established in 1978

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food in 2004 performed updated Feasibility study of National Irrigation Programme (NIP) from 1995

in 5 years cca 11.000 ha should be established

7 % of proposed irrigated area representing orchard plantations

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, 2004



Irrigation systems in Vipava valley –case study

1200 ha in operational phase

1. phase NIP proposes 2920 ha in Vipava valley

on 37.7 % fruit production is carried out

irrigation equipment specific regarding plant (combination with frost protection)

Source: Kmetijstvo Vipava

Meteorological station Bilje



Slovenian Agrometeorological Information System –SAgMIS dataflow

EARS substantially improved SAgMIS over past ten years

emphasis on weather forecasts includance

irrigation forecast model IRRFIB

ALADIN model + ECMWF

mobile version in test phase



SAgMIS products cumulative water balance

for period irrigation forecast model

IRRFIB ALADIN model + ECMWF

WB 24 & 48 hours forecast

http://www.arso.gov.si/rapos/



SAgMIS outputs: irrigation support model

IRRFIB model output for peach tree on loamy sand soil

Photo: Ivan Kodrič



Water use by peach trees – regional study

the experiment was conducted with mature peach trees (Prunus persica L.) cv. Redhaven in Vipava valley using IRRFIB forecast model during irrigation period in the years from 1996 to 2004 on 300 ha

tree repartition in the orchard in Bilje is 2 m between the peach-trees in the row and 4 m between the tree rows =1250 peach-trees per hectare

1. step continuous monitoring of soil water content and water use by peach trees

2. step the application of SAgMIS system forecasts in the regulated irrigation



Irrigation system methodology each year irrigation started 40 to 50 days after full blossom

of Redhaven peach trees the latest date of full blossoming was in 1996 on April 11;

the earliest date was on March 18 in 1997 when all peach orchards were hardly affected by severe spring frost (- 7 °C)

normal occurences of full blossoms between 1996 and 2004 were from March 27 to April 5

irrigation water applications ended in August 20 all the years just a week to ten days after fruit picking

irrigation forecasts were given all 9 years on the weekly basis and warnings for water applications were transmitted 4 days in advance; irrigation suspensions for water economization were also given 4 days before forecasted precipitation



Irrigation system methodology drip irrigation - daily recover of reference evapotranspiration with

exclusion of water application for 2 days after precipitation > 10 mm and for 3 days after the daily amount of 20 mm of rain or more

2 sprinkler systems water applications: applications of 30 mm of water after forecasted and

occasionally measured soil water content achieved 50 % of soil water depletion

amount of water applied each time when it was forecasted, replenished the soil water reservoir up to field capacity (Fc)



Irrigation techniques

3 different irrigation techniques have been applied during the period of 9 years from 1996 to 2004:

surface drip irrigation and surface drip irrigation system included drippers

at the distance of 50 cm along the tree lines in that way that each tree was irrigated with a pair of drippers

two classic sprinkler irrigation systems classic sprinkler irrigation system with sprinklers

above the trees installed in the triangle system 20 m x 20 m

one part of the orchard was irrigated with 30 mm of water each time it was forecasted

other part of the orchard was irrigated with the amounts of water to replenish the rooting profile up to field capacity (Fc)



Water use by peach trees

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

m3/

ha

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Drip 30 % depletion Sprinkler 30 mm applic.Sprinkler applic. to Fc Precipitation



Results of irrigation water needs

controlled and guided irrigation of fruit orchards in Vipava valley: 960 m3 of irrigation water for

drip irrigation systems 1600 m3 of irrigation water

for sprinkler systems

the results are comparable with net average standard 1147 m3/ha/year for peach trees in submediterranean region

Photo: Ivan Kodrič



Benefits by SAgMIS use

potential benefit of forecasted sprinkler irrigation treatments showed that 17.7 % of irrigation water was spared during nine years investigation period

81.000 to 90.000 m3 of yearly average sprinkler irrigation water benefit on 300 ha irrigated peach orchards in lower Vipava valley

water consumption was by drip irrigation 38 % lower that of sprinkler irrigation with 30 mm water application and 44 % lower than sprinkler irrigation with Fc water applications

IR R IG AT IO N C R O P IE L D B E N E F ITY

PEACHES 1 5 t/h a 2 8 = 1 9 0 %t/h a

CABBAGES

POTATOES

3 0 t/h a 4 5 t/h a

1 7 .5 t/h a 3 0 t/h a

+

= 1 8 0 %

= 1 7 1 %



Conclusions: advantages and strenghts application of SAgMIS system in close cooperation with

Meteorological Forecast Office for different irrigation techniques showed the possibility of economization of irrigation water in the region on average up to 20 % yearly (drip irrigation even doubled)

SAgMIS forecast enable real-time, optimal irrigation water supply and no unnecessary water loss in subsoil, increase of crop productivity and reduce of drought risk

extension of the system over the fruit growing regions would require more complex weather and crop modelling, stronger and wider cooperation among end-users, extensions agricultural services and data providers in other regions of the country and among neighbouring countries and establishement of educative process http://www.efuse.com/Plan/growing-money.jpg

geneva, switzerlandwmo/cost 718 et meeting on weather, climate and farmers agrometeorological...

Documents

et meeting

n ovember

sw slovenia slide

c slide

sw slovenia vipava region

ha agricultural land

slovenia plan

republic of slovenia