Foliar gas exchange, fruit quality and water use efficiency of cape Gooseberry under different irrigation depths and mulching at greenhouse conditions

Abstract The current study aimed at evaluating gas exchanges, yield, water use efficiency and fruit quality of cape gooseberry in response to different irrigation depths with or without mulching of oat residues on pots at greenhouse conditions. Four irrigation depths were tested: 50%, 100%, 125% e 150% of reference evapotranspiration (ETo). Leaf gas exchanges were evaluated by an infrared gas analyzer at different stages of the crop. Throughout the harvest, yield per plant and yield components were assessed in conjunction with water-use efficiency (WUE) and fruit quality responses. Stomata conductance at the flowering and fructification stages showed a smaller limitation under the treatments 125 and 150%ETo. It should be noticed that the aforementioned treatments increased in 83% fresh fruit mass per plant in comparison to 50%ETo. We found a higher instantaneous water-use efficiency throughout flowering under 150%ETo, as well as at the fructification under 125%ETo treatments. Nevertheless, under 125%ETo conditions without mulching the greatest WUE was found, whereas the lowest WUE was obtained under the 50%ETo treatment with no mulching. The treatment 125%ETo resulted in the highest SS and pH, whilst the treatment 150%ETo with mulching evidenced the highest Ratio along with the lowest total acidity observed.