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
15-18 November, 2004
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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%
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
Climatic features in Vipava valley
0
50
100
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200
250
300
350
Jan
Feb
Mar
Ap
r
May
Jun
Jul
Au
g
Sep Oct
Nov
Dec
mm
/h
0
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°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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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/
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
SAgMIS outputs: irrigation support model
IRRFIB model output for peach tree on loamy sand soil
Photo: Ivan Kodrič
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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)
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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)
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
Water use by peach trees
0
1000
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3000
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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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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 %
Geneva, Switzerland WMO/COST 718 ET meeting on Weather, Climate and Farmers
15-18 November, 2004
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