As the apple and cherry season warms up in the northern hemisphere, growers need to decide when to start delivering water. Since each spring is unique in terms of climate conditions, growers can't rely on past seasons to guide their current irrigation plans.
"Looking only at soil moisture can be misleading", explains Iftach Shalev, Soil & Water Agronomist and PNW Territory manager. "In many areas, the soil still holds moisture, so many farmers who rely only on this data, decide to wait with water delivery. But after multiple hot days and with accelerated microbiological activity at the upper part, the soil dries fast. The result: the feeder roots, which are close to the surface, don't have enough water".
Preparing the trees with irrigation Vs. Not applying water - 2 examples
Example A: Good preparation
Example B: Trees' growth rate declines
Phytech users can easily avoid this by observing the green graph trend that indicates the trees' growth rate and MDS (Maximum Daily Shrinkage). In addition, the black reference line, a growth benchmark based on extensive data from the same variety, age, and location, clearly shows how your trees are performing against the standard.
"With Phytech, you don't need to guess, you just ask the trees", concludes Shalev.
