INVESTIGATION OF WATER RETENTION IN DIFFERENT APPLE ORCHARDS IN NORTH-EASTERN HUNGARY

Abstract

As the frequency of weather extremes caused by global warming increases, the sustainability of the agricultural ecosystem is increasingly called into question. In some areas, both arable and horticultural production can no longer be imagined without irrigation. However, irrigation is not enough, as the quantity of water available is crucial for both agriculture and the maintenance of quality of life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Vízőr (Water Retainer) on soil, to see how the amount of soil moisture present changes with different concentrations of the treatment and how soil moisture changes at different depths. The study used the internationally accepted soil sampling standard and statistical tests to determine that there was no significant difference in the condition before treatment (null condition), which represents the condition of the soil before treatment. SigmaPlot 12.0 was used to determine if there was a significant difference between the different treatments and the control. Using the field and laboratory tests, I generated a baseline and a post-treatment specific moisture profile, which will form the basis of the further investigations outside of this study. In the treatments, solutions of 25-fold and 50-fold dilutions were prepared according to the manufacturer's recommendations and applied to the soils. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the treatments had a positive impact on the moisture content of the soil. Moisture content was higher for both 25-fold and 50-fold dilutions treatments for clay loam and biotope soils. And for the different depths, higher but not significant differences were observed for the 10 and 20 cm measurements. Although the results showed that more moisture was retained in the soil during the treatments, the analyses only covered the quantitative parameters. The data provide information on the amount of moisture present, but their availability is expected in further research.

Keywords

• horticulture
• water saving
• irrigation
• climate change
• water retaining