A new method for determining water uptake in elderberry plantation

A considerable quantity of elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) fruit gets yearly on the market in Hungary. The decisive majority of this quantity is harvested from feral plants. The area of elderberry plantations is only 150-180 ha in spite of the fact that it would be possible to produce this valuable fruit on larger surface if suitable watering system were applied. The fruit of elderberry is important from the aspect of food industry. The goal of present study is promoting the effective irrigation of elder berry plantation. The experiments were carried out in the Experimental Farm of the University for Horticulture and Food Industry in Szigetcsép from 1989. The measuring of the water demand of elderberry using the heat pulse method was started in 1996. The measurement of the sap-flow in the trunk is a new element of phyto-climate researches. The development of the equipment was started in 1991 and improvement of the method is still going on. In this phase, first of all the connections between sap-flow velocity and meteorological data were investigated. Summarising the experiences of the trials it can be announced that: (1) The water circulation of elder plants principally depends on the conditions of atmosphere. It is barely sensitive to the water content of the soil. (2) The transpiration intensity reacts sensitively to the change of meteorological conditions. (3) The changing rate of the transpiration coefficient is particularly large in certain intervals of the meteorological elements.