Effects of Fertigation and Irrigation Methods on the Growth and Yield of Boxthorn (Lycium chinense Mill.)
Background : Boxthorn has been cultivated by conventional fertilization and irrigation methods that can be characterized by applying a great deal of fertilizers and a small amount of water compared to the other crops. With increasing rain shelter greenhouses, there were significant needs for developing new fertigation and irrigation methods. In this study, several prescribed fertigation methods for balanced fertilizer application and a few irrigation start methods based on soil moisture tension has been tested to confirm the fruit quality and productivity for Boxthorn growers. Methods and Results : In the experiment, ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar was grown in the rain shelter greenhouses for the tests. Plots were set by randomized block design. According to the growth investigation on the ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar which is supplied with four different formulated fertigation, the formulation N 15 me/ℓ increased the size and weight of fruit leading to 17% increased yield than the others. Additionally, on the amount of annual supply of fertigation with the concentration of N 15 me/ℓ, the treatment applied with 10kg/10a during the cultivation period facilitated overall growth of ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar and increased the yield as well. In the irrigation experiment ‘Cheong-un’ cultivar was grown in the four differently planned treatments that start irrigation at –20, -40, -50 and -100kPa soil moisture tensions. According to the investigation, the irrigation treatment starting at -50kPa enhanced the number of fruit bearing and productivity of Boxthorn consistently during two years. Conclusion : Therefore, the newly developed fertigation and irrigation methods could enhance the annual income of Boxthorn growers by increasing growth and yield.