EFFECTS OF WEATHER FLUCTUATIONS ON THE SCHEDULING OF IRRIGATION

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Abstract
Irrigation was scheduled for four years in five orchards at Summerland, using evaporation from black bellani plates and the balance-sheet procedure. The time at which to start each irrigation was based on the moisture content of the soil in the first panel irrigated. It was found that the soil in the last panel to be irrigated in each cycle frequently became much drier than that in the first panel. This was attributed primarily to fluctuations in the weather, as measured by evaporation and rainfall. When there was an increasing rate of net evapotranspiration during an irrigation interval, the soil in the last panel to be irrigated became drier than that in the first panel. When there was a decreasing rate, the soil in the last panel remained wetter than that in the first panel. It is concluded that if excessive soil drying is to be avoided, each irrigation must be started early enough to take care of any change in weather that might occur during the forthcoming irrigation interval.

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