Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Response to Self-Regulating Low Energy Clay-Based Irrigation (S.L.E.C.I.) System

In early initial tests, the Self-regulating Low-Energy Clay-based Irrigation (S.L.E.C.I.) has provided convincing results. During the DIVAGRI project, S.L.E.C.I. irrigation was plotted against reference drip irrigation and rain-fed control in order to compare soil moisture dynamics across different soil depths (30 cm, 60 cm, and 90 cm), irrigation water use, cherry fruit quality traits and yield, and irrigation water productivity (IWP). The data, collected between 2021 and 2023 at the Fruit Growing Institute–Plovdiv test site, reveals that S.L.E.C.I. system demonstrates a clear robustness from short-term climate fluctuations, maintaining root-zone moisture with greater consistency across depths. This contrasts with higher climate dependency observed in the reference variants. The average water productivity of S.L.E.C.I. irrigation is more than 12 times higher compared with the average IWP for drip irrigation. Probably, the superior ratio stems from two factors: first, S.L.E.C.I. delivered only the water that root tension demanded, and second, there is almost no loss of water to evaporation or deep percolation. Statistical analysis confirms that S.L.E.C.I. reduces variability within the crop, delivering significant improvements in both productivity and uniformity, essential traits for high-value commercial fruit production. Despite facing challenges, S.L.E.C.I. remains a promising sustainable irrigation technology, supporting efficient resource utilization while reducing environmental impact.