Site-Specific Irrigation as Criteria for Adequate Crop Management of Passion Fruit Affected by Drought in Tropical Region
摘要
Yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is a tropical crop, susceptible to water availability. It requires a well-distributed water supply, between 800 and 1500 mm per year (Miranda et al. 2009). The culture of passion fruit in Southern Colombia is increasing. However, due to the constraining climatic characteristics of the region, such as high temperatures and reduced rainfall in certain period of year, the growth and productivity of passion fruit are not totally satisfactory. Water stress is one of the main environmental factors which is responsible for seasonal fluctuations of passion fruit yields (Rodríguez-Yzquierdo et al. 2020). Considering the negative effects of inadequate climatic conditions on plant growth and water availability, in case the crop water requirement is not met, irrigation water supply is then mandatory, mainly during dry seasons. That normally overlap with the reproductive phase of the crop development. When the passion fruit is facing water deficit conditions, important morpho-physiological changes can be observed, such as the tissues damage, fruits deterioration, which causes an inadequate filling of fruits and a decrease in the juice percentage (García 2002) as well as crop productivity reduction.