EVALUACIÓN DE RIEGO DEFICITARIO CONTROLADO SOBRE LA PRODUCCIÓN DE KIWI (Actinidia deliciosa).

Controlled deficit irrigation (CDI) is a management strategy where water is applied according to the crop phenological stages. As a result, different irrigation management conditions can produce significant changes in production, fruit quality and the reduction in the applied total water volume. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of CDI on the production and quality of kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) Hayward, in Chile. During the production cycles from 2009 to 2012 four water restriction periods were applied: 1) from 10 d to 30 d before flowering, 2) when fruits reached 60 % of their final weight, 3) when fruits reached more than 70 % of the final weight, and 4) when fruits reached more than 80 % of their final weight. The results of each restriction period were compared with a control treatment which had a 100 % evapotranspiration replacement. The experimental design was completely randomized in blocks with four replicates per treatment. The experimental unit was of three rows of seven plants each. Treatment means were compared by the Tukey test (p⩽0.05). Throughout the study, soil moisture, water status of the plant, applied water volume, fruit development and uniformity were measured. The main results were the decrease of water volume and its associated costs of pumping between 24 and 60 % compared to the control treatment; the applied CDI showed significant differences (p⩽0.05) on the size in the evaluated years. With CDI there was good uniformity in 24.2 % of the fruits without effects on productivity (p>0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]