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A Frost Protection Design for Fruit Trees in Southwest Colorado

by Brian G. Leib, Colorado State Univ Cooperative, Extension, Cortez, United States,
Dan Fernandez, Colorado State Univ Cooperative, Extension, Cortez, United States,
Adrian Fisher, Colorado State Univ Cooperative, Extension, Cortez, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Management of Irrigation and Drainage Systems: Integrated Perspectives

Abstract:

The project explores the feasibility of producing commercial quantities of fruit in the high and arid environment of Southwestern Colorado by using low-volume water delivery systems for irrigation and frost protection. The demonstration was installed during the spring of 1992 and consists of a half-hectare plot with 40 trees each of apple, peach, and cherry cultivars. Half of the fruit trees have frost-protection capability since the micro-sprinklers used to irrigate the trees can be moved from the ground to above the tree canopy during the frost season. For comparison, the other half are only irrigated by means of micro-spray and drip irrigation left on the ground. Since the young trees are not yet bearing fruit and there has not yet been a frost event during bloom, this paper will focus on the procedure employed to design frost protection into the irrigation system.

Subject Headings: Irrigation systems | Trees | Trickle irrigation | Frost | Water supply systems | Arid lands | Hydraulic design | Colorado | United States

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