Abstract

RODRIGUEZ-YZQUIERDO, Gustavo Adolfo; BASSO-DE-FIGUERA, Carmen Amalia; DIAZ-REYES, Gabriel  and  LEON-PACHECO, Rommel Igor. Regulated deficit irrigation and its effect on the nutrition, productivity and quality on passionfruit. Agron. Mesoam [online]. 2020, vol.31, n.2, pp.405-418. ISSN 2215-3608.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/am.v31i2.39647.

Introduction. Water stress has been recorded as one of the main environmental factors responsible for seasonal fluctuations in passion fruit yields. However, there is a shortage of information on the influence of water stress on different components of growth. Objective. To evaluate the controlled deficit irrigation (RDC) technique in the passion fruit cultivation (Passiflora edulis Sims) and its possible effects on plant nutrition, efficient use of water, crop productivity and fruit quality. Materials and methods. An trial was conducted during the years 2013 and 2014 in the Experimental Field of the Institute of Agronomy, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay, Venezuela; under tropical dry forest conditions. The statistical design was randomized blocks with three irrigation treatments (R1= 100 % of Eto (reference evapotranspiration), R2= 66 % of Eto, and R3= 33 % of Eto), in the non-critical phenological phases of the crop, four replications and twelve plants per experimental unit. Flowering and fructification were defined as critical phases. Nutritional variables (N, P, K, Ca and Mg content in leaf tissue, and N, K and Ca content in sap), production efficiency (efficient water use, kg fruit plant-1 and kg fruit ha-1) and fruit quality ( physical and chemical variables) were evaluated. Results. The application of RDC did not affect the nutritional variables or the crop yield. As regard to fruit quality, only significant differences were presented for percentage (%) of peel and juice, however, the values with R2, the values were not limiting in both variables. Conclusion. The restriction of the water supply in non-critical phases did not affect the agronomic performance of the plant.

Keywords : soil water deficit; evapotranspiration; water supply; Passiflora edulis.

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