IRRIGATION IN RASPBERRIES - WITH AND WITHOUT FERTIGATION

A field trial was performed from 2004 until 2010 with raspberry plants, cultivar ‘Tulameen’ on a loess soil (orthic luvisol) to find out, if the water application method has got an influence on vegetative and generative parameters. Also the influence of fertigation should be studied.
Based on the ideal soil water potential of pF 2.4 (250 h Pa) during the ripening time of fruit, five different water application methods were used. There were variants with one and two drip lines on the surface, combined with fertigation (fertilizer was added once a week with a mobile Dosatron during the growing season), two drip lines subsoil all with an emitter distance of 30 cm two drip lines with each emitter 15 cm apart and micro sprinkler (distance 150 cm). Fertigation on this fertile loess soil did not produce higher yields and fruit size, as estimated. Micro sprinklers showed the ideal water distribution in the soil combined with highest yield and shorter cane length. Two drip lines also show a quite good water distribution and productivity, whereas the plants of the ‘one drip line variants’ are less productive.