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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #331687
Title: Irrigation and drainage management strategies to enhance cranberry production and optimize water use in North America

Author
item CARON, JEAN - Laval University
item PELLETIER, VINCENT - Laval University
item Kennedy, Casey
item GALLICHAND, JACQUES - Laval University
item GUMIERE, SILVIO - Laval University
item BONIN, SIMON - Consultant
item BLAND, WILLIMAN - University Of Wisconsin
item PEPIN, STEEVE - Laval University

Submitted to: Canadian Journal of Soil Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/19/2017
Publication Date: 1/23/2017
Citation: Caron, J., Pelletier, V., Kennedy, C.D., Gallichand, J., Gumiere, S., Bonin, S., Bland, W., Pepin, S. 2017. Irrigation and drainage management strategies to enhance cranberry production and optimize water use in North America. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 97:82-91.

Interpretive Summary: New advances in irrigation and drainage management have led to increased crop production and reduced water use by cranberry growers. An international team of ARS researchers and Canadian scientists at Laval University propose new water management recommendations for cranberry production in North America. The team strongly encourages reductions in summer irrigation water use, as research shows enhanced crop production under relatively dry soil management conditions (i.e., soil that is moist but not saturated).

Technical Abstract: Recent funding, as well as technological and management changes, have led to important advances in irrigation and drainage strategies for the North American cranberry industry. This paper represents a synthesis of water management research on cranberry, as well as an introduction to a special issue in Canadian Journal of Soil Science on Precision Agriculture and Soil-Water Management in Cranberry Production. The collection of papers in the special issue provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of water use in cranberry, as well as management strategies that optimize crop production and water use alike. Based on these studies, we propose a set of guidelines for water management in cranberry farms. Soil water tension (SWT) values should be maintained between -4 and -7 kPa, given reduced crop production under both wet anaerobic conditions (>-4 kPa) and dry conditions that limit capillary rise (<-7 kPa). Maximum water savings can be achieved through the use of overhead sprinkler and subirrigation, which combine to (1) meet the plant’s evaporative demand of 7.5 mm d-1, (2) provide spring frost and summer heat protection, and (3) avoid salt accumulation in the upper soil zone. Finally, soil properties should be periodically examined to identify potential yield limitations related to edaphic factors that restrict drainage.