Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

WATER-SAVING TECHNOLOGY OF SUBSURFACE IRRIGATION OF FRUIT CROPS SEEDLINGS

Nurlan Balgabaev, Vyacheslav Zharkov, Yelena Angold and Kuanysh Dzhabaev

Abstract

Subsurface irrigation is a promising resource-saving method of plant irrigation, which allows creating optimal water and nutrient regimes in the root layer of the soil, increasing the yield of crops, eliminating unproductive costs of irrigation water, and automating the irrigation process. Subsurface irrigation is associated with the development of conservation agriculture technologies. It is the refusal of plowing that gave rise to the development of this irrigation technology in agricultural production. The application of subsurface irrigation is especially promising for farms in areas with a shortage of irrigation water. The subsurface irrigation technology is based on the principle of continuous supply of water to plants according to their water absorption, taking into account the nature of soil moisture and the capabilities of technical means. The creation of highly productive gardens in Kazakhstan primarily depends on the performance of nursery gardens, as well as on the quantity and quality of planting material. Currently, there is an urgent need for the development and intensification of fruit production to create a sufficient amount of planting material to ensure the food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Using subsurface irrigation systems makes it possible to grow plant seedlings at a compacted spacing to form a high-quality root system of the trees. To increase the yield of plants per unit of area, it is recommended to use a compacted scheme for placing seedlings in container-type devices with subsurface irrigation elements comprised of porous tubes. It has been revealed that the root system of apple seedlings grown in baskets had more compacted configuration when using subsoil irrigation. In all fractions that differ in the total length and weight of the roots, the root system of apple seedlings grown in baskets has more compact shape and greater number of root hairs with the diameter of less than one mm than the root system of plants grown without baskets when watered using drip irrigation. Because of the predominance of water-conducting root-hairs, subsurface irrigation contributes to the active growth of the above ground part that is confirmed by conducted research.