THE EFFECT OF ROW ORIENTATION ON LIGHT DISTRIBUTION IN HEDGEROW PEACH TREE CANOPIES

An electronic micro-datalogger coupled with light sensors designed to measure photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was used to investigate the effect of row orientation on canopy light distribution in commercial hedgerow peach orchards planted in central California. Sensors were placed at specific levels along the vertical face of the hedgerow canopies and data were recorded every ten seconds over 24-hour periods. The amount of light intercepted by sensors on the east and west sides of the north-south-oriented hedgerows was similar. The sensors on the north side of the east-west-oriented hedgerows intercepted less than half the light that was intercepted by the sensors on the south side. However, the total amount of light intercepted by all the sensors on the east-west-oriented hedgerows was not significantly different from the amount intercepted by sensors on the north-south hedgerows. The distribution of fruit appeared to be more closely related to measurements of light distribution in the north-south-oriented hedgerows than in the east-west-oriented hedgerows.