Integrating microirrigation with rainwater harvesting to improve yield, water productivity and profit in a citrus orchard*

Abstract

AbstractIntegrated water resource management is key to sustainable citriculture. Keeping this in mind, a study was conducted to evaluate the techno‐economic feasibility of rainwater harvesting and use of harvested water by microirrigation in a citrus orchard. The prediction of runoff from rainfall data which may help in the planning and design of water conservation measures in citrus orchards has also been explored in the study. Three water conservation treatments, viz. continuous trench (CT), CT + rainwater harvesting tank (RWHT) + basin irrigation (BI) and CT + RWHT + drip irrigation (DRI) with rainfed treatment (RT), were compared in relation to productivity, water productivity and profit in a citrus orchard. The CT + RWHT + DRI produced 219% higher fruit yield with 298% higher net income (NI) and 130% higher net economic water productivity (NEWP) compared with RT (yield, 7.14 t ha−1; NI, 59 704 INR ha−1; NEWP, 15.75 INR m−3). The sustainable yield index (SYI) and energy use efficiency (EUE) were 49 and 87% higher, respectively, in CT + RWHT +DRI than RT. The regression model developed reasonably predicted (R2 = 0.84–0.94) the runoff from rainfall in a citrus orchard.