Effect of deficit irrigation and mulching on the agronomic and physiological response of mandarin trees as strategies to cope with water scarcity in a semi-arid climate

•Mulching reduced up to 0.42 MPa of stem water potencial values in deficit irrigation treatments.•Mulching contributed to increased vegetative growth of the deficit irrigated trees.•The slowing down of trunk growth together with the increase in photosynthetic rate allows the rapid rehydration of citrus fruit once irrigation is restored. In order to increase the crop water productivity (WPc) of the agricultural systems, and to support farmers in minimizing uncertainty of water availability, we conducted a three-years experiment in a commercial adult mandarin orchard to quantify the effect of sustained and severe deficit irrigation in combination with the use of geotextile mulch on the agronomic and physiological response of the crop. For this purpose, five treatments were tested: (i) a control (CTL) irrigated at 100% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) during the entire season; ii) sustained deficit irrigation (SDI), irrigated at ∼70% of CTL; (iii) regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), irrigated as SDI, except during the initial period of the second fruit growth stage, when trees were irrigated at 35% of the CTL, maintaining a moderate water stress level of around –1.5 MPa of stem water potential (Ψs), until fruits reached 70% of their final size. In addition, two geotextile mulch treatments were established, using the same irrigation criteria as the SDI and RDI treatments. The available irrigation water supplied about 66% of the crop evapotranspiration, but if it is managed under a SDI regime with the incorporation of mulching it is possible to increase the crop sustainability and reduce the pressure over the water resources. Since SDI did not reduce the yield with respect to the CTL treatment, it increased WPc by 35% and the incorporation of mulch significantly increased the water status of the soil and the crop, thus reducing the intensity of water stress by 18% on average, which was expressed in a higher leaf gas exchange rate and was also a factor that significantly increased crop production variables and WPc. [Display omitted]