Research on applying water storage ditches and planting beds for pomelo irrigation under drought and salinity conditions in the Mekong delta

Abstract

The article presents the research result of applying a pilot model of water storage in ditches for green-skin pomelo gardens in Tien Giang province, with the following information: ditch’s bottom width is 0.5 m, water storage depth is 1.2 m, ditch’s bed covered with HDPE sheet. The effective water volume of the ditch system is from 1,667.63-1,784.84 m3, increasing from 97.94-108.89% compared to the traditional water storage method, satisfying the irrigation needs for 2-3 months to prevent drought and salinity for the garden. Based on monitoring production under extreme drought and salinity conditions in the dry season of 2023-2024, the results show that crops grew well, the rate of flowering and fruiting and crop yield increased. The results of calculating the model’s profits are: Benefit-cost ratio B/C=1.54>1.0 and Internal rate of return IRR=16.59%>15.0%, ensuring economic benefits, it is very practical and suitable for production, adapting to drought and salinity conditions, serving as a basis for application and replication to serve effective fruit tree production in the Mekong delta.