Abstract
The objectives of this 7-year study were to determine the effect of repeated root pruning and irrigation on peach ( Prunus persica L. Batsch) tree growth and soil water use. Root pruning began in the year of planting. Peach trees trained to a freestanding “Y” were root-pruned at flowering for 4 years (1985 to 1988) and subsequently at flowering and monthly through July for 3 years (1989 to 1991). Irrigation was withheld or applied the full season or only during stage 3 of fruit growth on root-pruned and non-root-pruned trees. Root pruning limited soil water availability throughout most of the growing season when irrigation was withheld; however, when irrigation was applied, there was no difference in soil water availability. The root length density of peach roots was greatest in the 0 to 30-cm depth, was promoted by irrigation, and was reduced by root pruning in the 0 to 90-cm root zone. Full-season irrigation increased vegetative growth over the nonirrigated treatments. Root pruning had no effect on vegetative growth measured as fresh pruned material. The treatments had no effect on leaf nutrient content, except that root pruning reduced Zn in five consecutive years. Fruit yield was reduced 1 in 5 years by root pruning, and full-season irrigation reduced yield in 3 of 5 years. Repeated root pruning restricted the lateral spread of the root zone and the use of soil resources, yet on the deep soil of this site, restricting the lateral extent of the root zone did not reduce vegetative tree growth.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Root pruning limited soil water availability throughout most of the growing season when irrigation was withheld.
- Taxon
- Peach
Prunus persicat0 - Treatment
- Root pruninge0
- Outcome
- soil water availabilitye0
- Direction
- limitede0
- Qualifier
- when irrigation was withhelde0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Root pruning limited soil water availability throughout most of the growing season when irrigation was withheld; however, when irrigation was applied, there was no difference in soil water availability”
Claim · model-written summary
When irrigation was applied, root pruning made no difference in soil water availability.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- Root pruninge0
- Outcome
- soil water availabilitye0
- Direction
- no differencee0
- Qualifier
- when irrigation was appliede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Root pruning limited soil water availability throughout most of the growing season when irrigation was withheld; however, when irrigation was applied, there was no difference in soil water availability”
Claim · model-written summary
Root length density of peach roots was greatest in the 0 to 30-cm depth.
- Taxon
- peachPrunus persicae0
- Organ / stage
- rootse0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- greateste0
- Qualifier
- 0 to 30-cm depthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The root length density of peach roots was greatest in the 0 to 30-cm depth, was promoted by irrigation, and was reduced by root pruning in the 0 to 90-cm root zone”
Claim · model-written summary
Irrigation promoted root length density of peach roots.
- Taxon
- peachPrunus persicae0
- Treatment
- irrigatione0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- promotede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The root length density of peach roots was greatest in the 0 to 30-cm depth, was promoted by irrigation, and was reduced by root pruning in the 0 to 90-cm root zone”
Claim · model-written summary
Root pruning reduced root length density of peach roots in the 0 to 90-cm root zone.
- Taxon
- peachPrunus persicae0
- Treatment
- root pruninge0
- Outcome
- root length densitye0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- 0 to 90-cm root zonee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The root length density of peach roots was greatest in the 0 to 30-cm depth, was promoted by irrigation, and was reduced by root pruning in the 0 to 90-cm root zone”
Claim · model-written summary
Full-season irrigation increased vegetative growth of peach trees over the nonirrigated treatments.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- Full-season irrigatione0
- Outcome
- vegetative growthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- nonirrigated treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Full-season irrigation increased vegetative growth over the nonirrigated treatments”
Claim · model-written summary
Root pruning had no effect on vegetative growth measured as fresh pruned material.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- Root pruninge0
- Outcome
- vegetative growth measured as fresh pruned materiale0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Root pruning had no effect on vegetative growth measured as fresh pruned material”
Claim · model-written summary
The root pruning and irrigation treatments had no effect on leaf nutrient content, except for Zn.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- The treatmentse0
- Outcome
- leaf nutrient contente0
- Direction
- no effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“The treatments had no effect on leaf nutrient content, except that root pruning reduced Zn in five consecutive years”
Claim · model-written summary
Root pruning reduced leaf Zn in five consecutive years.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- root pruninge0
- Outcome
- Zne0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- five consecutive yearse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“The treatments had no effect on leaf nutrient content, except that root pruning reduced Zn in five consecutive years”
Claim · model-written summary
Root pruning reduced fruit yield in 1 of 5 years.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- root pruninge0
- Outcome
- Fruit yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 1 in 5 yearse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Fruit yield was reduced 1 in 5 years by root pruning, and full-season irrigation reduced yield in 3 of 5 years”
Claim · model-written summary
Full-season irrigation reduced fruit yield in 3 of 5 years.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- full-season irrigatione0
- Outcome
- yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 3 of 5 yearse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Fruit yield was reduced 1 in 5 years by root pruning, and full-season irrigation reduced yield in 3 of 5 years”
Claim · model-written summary
Repeated root pruning restricted the lateral spread of the root zone and the use of soil resources.
- Taxon
- PeachPrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- Repeated root pruninge0
- Outcome
- lateral spread of the root zone and the use of soil resourcese0
- Direction
- restrictede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Peach”
e0“Repeated root pruning restricted the lateral spread of the root zone and the use of soil resources”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.