This work studies the feasibility of using automated drip irrigation based on the volumetric soil water content measured with capacitance probes in early maturing nectarine trees (Prunus persica L. Batsch, cv. ‘Flariba’) grown in a clay–loam soil in Mediterranean conditions. An automated irrigation treatment (AUTO), based on the management allowed depletion (MAD) concept (with a feed-back control system), was compared with an irrigation-scheduling method based on the conventional crop evapotranspiration (100% ETc) as Control, under high (HWA) and low (LWA) water availability scenarios, each during three consecutive growing seasons. With HWA (no water restriction), the AUTO treatment maintained the soil water content at near field capacity (α = 10% depletion of available soil water content), and there were no significant differences between treatments in terms of the plant–soil water status, nectarine yield, or fruit quality parameters. Under LWA conditions (water deficit), the AUTO treatment (α = 10% during pre-harvest and 30% post-harvest) provided 43% less water than the Control, promoting a moderate plant water deficit, which led to a decrease in vegetative growth (winter pruning and tree canopy cover) but no significant differences in total yield and fruit quality parameters (although the total soluble solid content increased). The water use efficiency values in the AUTO treatment increased by an average of 34%. It was concluded that automated irrigation, based on MAD seasonal threshold values and monitored by means of real-time soil water content sensors, could be considered a promising tool for application in semi-arid Mediterranean agro-systems subjected to water scarcity.

这项工作基于在地中海条件下在黏土壤土中生长的早熟油桃树（Prunus persica L. Batsch，cv。“ Flariba”）中通过电容探针测量的土壤体积水含量，研究使用自动滴灌的可行性。将基于管理允许消耗（MAD）概念（带有反馈控制系统）的自动灌溉处理（AUTO）与基于常规作物蒸散量（100％ETc）的灌溉计划方法进行了比较，在高（HWA）和低（LWA）可用水情景下，每个情景都在连续三个生长季节中进行。使用HWA（无水分限制）时，AUTO处理将土壤含水量保持在近场容量下（α = 10％的可用土壤水分枯竭），处理之间的植物-土壤水分状况，油桃产量或水果质量参数之间无显着差异。在LWA条件（缺水）下，AUTO处理（α =收获前10％的水和收获后30％的水比对照组少43％，促进了适度的植物缺水，导致营养生长减少（冬季修剪和树冠覆盖），但无显着差异总产量和果实品质参数（尽管总可溶性固形物含量增加）。AUTO处理中的用水效率值平均增加了34％。结论是，基于MAD季节阈值并通过实时土壤含水量传感器进行监测的自动灌溉，可以被认为是在缺水的半干旱地中海农业系统中应用的有前途的工具。