The effect of deficit irrigation and partial root zone drying on qualitative and quantitative characteristics of kiwi fruit

Deficit irrigation as a tension producing factor effects on vegetative and physiological characteristics of plants. In order to investigate the effect of the amount of irrigation water and the method of applying deficit irrigation practices on the yield, quantitative and qualitative parameters a Hayward cultivar Kiwi, experiment was made on of Hadishahr (5 kilometers from Babolsar) with 5 treatments and 3 replications during 2 growing years. The treatments under investigations were full irrigation (100% water consumption requirement), deficit irrigation (DI) at 2 levels of 60% and 70%, partial root drying irrigation (PRD) at 2 levels of 60% and 70%, respectively. Investigations of the effect of treatments was measuring quantitative and qualitative measurements of fruit samples including: volume, fruit size in different directions, fresh and dry weight, moisture content, treatable acidity and soluble solid materials in each processing stage. The amount of water consumption of irrigation treatment in full irrigation in total growing season and applying deficit irrigation were 239 and 141 mm, respectively. The water savings in deficit irrigation treatments were respect to total irrigation at the level of 70% was 15.33% and 25.26% in the whole period of irrigation and the duration of applying irrigation treatments, and 16.79% and 25.75% respectively in irrigation treatments. Based on the mean comparison between irrigation treatments in harvesting stage, the effect of treatments on fresh and dry weight, volume and Y dimensions were meaningful but not in X dimension, soluble solid materials, moisture content and dominant fruit acidity. The results indicate that applying deficit irrigation treatments not only improve fruit quality, but only is an approach for improvement of water crisis and reaching a sustainable agriculture.