Water stress in avocados: the key to irrigation and nutrition

When discussing drought or water stress in avocado cultivation, the first concern is usually water availability. This is a logical but incomplete reaction. In fruit production, coping with a period of low rainfall depends not only on the amount of water available, but also on how it is managed and the tree's physiological capacity to respond to that scenario.

In Ecuador, we have already entered the dry season. Although we are not yet facing a critical situation, we are beginning to observe the first effects associated with the decrease in rainfall. The real agronomic challenge will be to assess how conditions evolve during August and September, months in which the greatest water deficit is historically recorded in several producing areas of the Ecuadorian highlands.

Fortunately, many orchards have access to water sources from the mountains and reservoirs that allow them to cope with this stage. However, simply having water does not guarantee an adequate crop response; the substantial difference lies in the efficiency with which that resource is managed in the field.

At this phenological stage, when the fruit is just beginning its development, every management decision takes on greater importance. The goal is not only to keep the tree alive, but also to ensure it can sustain fruit growth without compromising its future development. Therefore, irrigation management becomes one of the main agronomic tools: correctly dosing the available water, continuously monitoring reserves, and optimizing each application are fundamental to reducing the impact of water stress on the plant.

But there is one aspect that often receives less attention but is equally crucial: orchard nutrition. Nutritional management must be strictly coordinated with water management. During this phase, agronomic programs incorporate organic fertilizers, biofertilizers, humus, and synthetic fertilizers tailored to the crop's physiological needs, aiming to maintain the tree's metabolic activity and provide the energy necessary to sustain fruit development.

These two management practices are inseparable. A nutritional strategy, however comprehensive, loses much of its effectiveness if the plant lacks the necessary water to absorb and transport those nutrients through its root system. Similarly, a good irrigation program will hardly reach its full potential if the crop does not have adequate nutritional support. In other words, water and nutrition do not compete; they complement each other.

It is still too early to predict whether current conditions will lead to fruit abortion or a higher proportion of smaller fruit at harvest. That analysis can only be done as the season progresses and weather conditions become more consistent over the coming months.

Meanwhile, the main challenge for producers is not to react when problems arise, but to strengthen management practices now that will allow the crop to cope with a possible period of greater demand.

In an agricultural sector increasingly exposed to climate variability, resilience depends not only on weather forecasts. It is also built within the orchard through technical decisions that integrate balanced water and nutrient management to protect production and preserve the fruit's commercial potential.

Santiago Pinto
Director Iteranza
spinto@interanza.com
Ecuador