Canopy Temperature and Water Relations of Kiwifruit Cultivar Allison in Response to Deficit Irrigation and in situ Moisture Conservation

The present article discusses the effect of different irrigation levels and in situ moisture conservation on canopy temperature and water relations, viz. leaf water potential, stomatal resistance, transpiration rate, leaf photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content in kiwifruit cultivar Allison during the years 2011 and 2012 in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. The kiwifruit vines were subjected to seven treatments, viz. irrigation at 80% FC (field capacity); irrigation at 60% FC; irrigation at 40% FC; irrigation at 60% FC plus mulching with grass; irrigation at 60% FC plus black polythene mulching; irrigation at 40% FC plus mulching with grass and irrigation at 60% FC plus black polythene mulching applied from March to October with three replications in randomized block design. The deficit irrigation treatments resulted in increased canopy temperature and stomatal resistance and decrease the leaf water potential, transpiration rate, leaf photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll content in the leaves of kiwifruit cv. Allison, whereas the application of mulches (grass and black plastic) along with deficit irrigation levels resulted in mitigation of the effect of deficit irrigation. Application of black plastic mulch along with irrigation at 60% field capacity was observed to be the best treatment as its effect nearly similar to that of standard irrigation.