Responses of Sweet Cherry Water Use and Productivity and Soil Quality to Alternate Groundcover and Irrigation Systems

Ground and irrigation management are two key production practices in sweet cherry. A field trial was conducted on bearing sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) trees ('Lapins'/Mazzard) on a fine loam soil at The Dalles, Oregon, from 2006 through 2008 to evaluate the transitional impacts of using double-lateral drip irrigation (DD) and straw mulch (ST) as an integrated alternative production system compared with the current micro sprinkler irrigation (MS) and no ground cover (NC) production system. Two irrigation systems of MS and DD and two in-row ground cover systems of wheat straw mulch and the control (no ground cover but herbicides were used to control weeds) were evaluated in a randomized complete block split-plot design with four replicates. Irrigation water use was reduced by 54.3% with DD compared with MS and was lowered by 9.7% with ST relative to NC averaged over the three years. Fruit yields and quality were comparable for the two irrigation and two ground cover systems. Double-lateral drip irrigation increased marketable fruit by 8.6% on average relative to MS. However, leaf P, K, B, Cu, and Zn concentrations were decreased with DD over MS. Therefore, switching from MS to DD can remarkably reduce irrigation water use while maintaining comparable productivity of bearing sweet cherry, but more P, K, B, Cu and Zn fertilizers may be needed. Overall, a combined DD and ST production system is viable for sweet cherry in areas with water shortages and soil erosion.