Abstract:
Surface runoff from strawberry fields with plastic bed mulching during winter storms is a
problem in strawberry production in the California Central Coast due to the high volumes and
low quality of the water discharged, and poses important environmental concerns. In this project,
we measured the quantity runoff from a 3.7 ac block in a strawberry ranch in Prunedale, CA
during four storms in winter 2015-2016. The total solids and nitrate dissolved in the runoff water
was also measured taking three samples per storm. The results indicate that a fraction ranging
from 70% to 80% of water runs off from strawberry fields with slopes up to 10%, and the
fraction of runoff was relatively constant across a range of rain intensities and duration of storm
events. The results suggest an average of 20365 gallons (2723 ft3
) of runoff generated by each
acre per inch of rain. |
