2016 Drought Status and Related Information - Sonia Schloemann, UMass Extension Fruit Program
Drought conditions during the fruit ripening period mean that growers must be prepared to irrigate their plantings. How much to irrigate depends somewhat on the soil type where the crop is growing (a silt loam will hold twice as much water as a sandy loam), the crop type (blueberries with shallow roots are more drought sensitive than grapes with deep roots), and also on the method of irrigation (drip irrigation looses less water to evaporation than does overhead irrigation). The rule of thumb for most fruit is to aim for 1-2" of water per week to support crop sizing and ripening at this time of year (July). There are many ways to calculate exact rates for all different combinations of crop, soil, and delivery system. See resource list below for this information. Be sure that you are using a clean water supply. And, if you are using a municipal water supply, be aware of water use restrictions that may apply. See here(link is external) for current Massachusetts water use restriction map. See: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?MA(link is external)
Drought Damage Assistance Programs - State & Federal
Federal
- FSA Tree Assistance Program (access at the link Here(link is external))
- Small Business Administration Disaster Loans for Essex, Middlesex and Worcester counties information here(link is external)
State
- MDAR Drought Emergency Loan Fund information here(link is external)
Weather, Soil Moisture Assessment, Water Management and Irrigation Resources
Weather
- Northeast Regional Climate Center(link is external)
- US Drought Monitor(link is external) - Northeast
Soil Moisture Assessment
- Drought Resistant Soil(link is external) - ATTRA
- Soil Mositure Monitoring: Low Cost Tools and Methods(link is external) - ATTRA
Water Management
Irrigation
- Drip Irrigation - An Introduction(link is external) - Oregon State University
- Irrigation for Fruit and Vegetable Production(link is external) - Pennsylvania State University
- Maintaining Irrigation Pumps, Motors, and Engines(link is external) - ATTRA
- Energy Saving Tips for Irrigators(link is external) - ATTRA
Apples
Apple Irrigation Model(link is external) - NEWA
Blueberries
Irrigating Blueberries(link is external) - MSU
Drought Stress in Blueberries(link is external) - MSU