The probes in the irrigation of stone fruits of MURCIA, peach, Paraguayan, nectarine, apricot and plum that cover some 30,000 hectares of cultivation is one of the last revolutions of the precision farming.
Stone fruit in Murcia
One of the main crops in the Murcia region are stone fruits. Exports are an important source of income for the region.
Factors that favor its production
The Murcia region is especially favorable for the cultivation of stone fruits due to:
- The dry climate with little rain in spring that would spoil the flowers.
- Many sunny days a year.
- The mostly frank terrain type.
- Drip irrigation plantations.
- Good infrastructures.
Probes in stone fruit irrigation
Probes in the irrigation of stone fruit have notably modernized this crop.
As we have already commented, the lack of spring rains and the hot and dry summer climate favor its cultivation, but at the same time the fruit needs to be formed with controlled irrigation and without water stress to improve its quality and quantity.
The Plantae probe equipment that measures:
- The humidity of the irrigation cycles, quantity, frequency and duration, to provide the crop with the water it needs within the Easily Assimilable Water (AFA) zone.
- The conductivity reading allows salinity levels to be kept below thresholds that are harmful to plants.
- The surface temperature helps to take action against frost and other applications.
- The subsoil temperature (up to 60cm deep) reflects the state of the root activity of the crop and improves the application of fertilizers and treatments.
Stone fruit varieties
Within the wide range of stone fruits , the peach is the most widely cultivated variety, especially the traditional or red, which seeks to improve the color because it is a claim of sales.
Also get it commercialized earlier.
The production of pavia or yellow peach decreases a little, due to water problems. The red variety is more commercial.
Peach varieties
A mutation of the peach is the nectarine , more juicy and refreshing, and another variety is the Paraguayan flatter and very tasty.
Plums
The plum has two varieties domestic and the Japanese . Very important in the jam industry.
Apricot
The apricot is a very tasty and appreciated fruit. Same as the important plum in the canning industry and in syrup.
Highly recognized for its beneficial properties.
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