TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF SOIL WATER TENSIONS AND WATER FLUXES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF IRRIGATION

Irrigation efficiency is strongly influenced by soil properties. Information about the actual soil water dynamics can deliver valuable data to optimize the irriga-tion practice with regard to the volume and duration of irrigation. Between 2003 and 2011, 131 soil tensiometric time-series data were measured and recorded in irrigated orchards in South Tyrol (Northern Italy) to quantify the importance of soil properties for irrigation efficiency. This database enabled the usage of different statistical methods to describe the influence and efficiency of irrigation on different soils and in different soil depths. There are significant time differences in soil hydrological response to the water-influx. Appropriate and precise irrigation must take soil conditions into account.