ASHS 2024 Conference

Pecan orchards in the southwestern United States face significant challenges due to persistent drought conditions that adversely affect yield and nut quality. Pecans are recognized as the most water-intensive crop in the region, and therefore require innovative strategies to optimize the available irrigation water. This study explores the use of pecan wood-derived biochar as a soil amendment to enhance the soil water-holding capacity and alleviate water stress in pecan orchards. We conducted field experiments during the summer of 2023 in a flood-irrigated pecan orchard located in the Mesilla Valley, New Mexico, USA. We accounted for the irrigation gradient in a flood-irrigated orchard by using a randomized complete block design with four blocks, each containing three equidistant trees from the irrigation valves. The trees within each block were randomly assigned to one of three biochar application rates: 0 kg/ha (treated area), 6300 kg/ha, and 12600 kg/ha. The treated area was situated within the herbicide strip, spanning 9.14 m in length – centered on the tree – with 1.22 m on either side of the tree. To assess tree water status, two leaf samples from the lower shaded canopy were covered in aluminum foil bags for a minimum of 15 minutes before mid-day stem water potential was measured. Mid-day stem water potential was measured throughout the growing season near the end of each irrigation dry-down cycle. For each tree, we calculated the average mid-day stem water potential and then performed an ANOVA to compare the averages across the treatment groups. In the five months after biochar application, there were no significant differences in tree water status across the treatment groups. This highlights the need for more research to study the interactions among soil moisture content, biochar amendment applications, and pecan tree mid-day stem water potential. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse that calls for enhancing crop water use efficiency in arid regions by providing a foundation for future studies that seek to use biochar as a sustainable agricultural practice in pecan orchards.