Micro-Catchment Rain Water Harvesting Systems and fruit seedlings: Strategies and Research challenges

The use of Rain-Water Harvesting (RWH) systems for fruit seedling planting in addition to helping to make optimal use of runoff and soil and water conservation, will also help the production of agricultural and horticultural products. Accordingly, this study has focused on the investigation of the effects of RWH systems on the growth of fruit seedlings and their establishment, especially in Zanjan, East Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, and Markazi provinces. For this purpose, all relevant domestic published papers over the last six years have been reviewed to provide an analytical overview of the published results. Although based on the literature review, there is reliable evidence in RWH systems efficiency in runoff production and the positive effect of such systems on photosynthetic activities and consequently fruit seedlings, there is insufficient evidence to select the most effective treatment of the RWH systems. Also, the results of most of the studies have shown some improvements in collar diameter growing and height of the seedlings, but there is no comprehensive conclusion on the positive effect of RWH systems because of the insufficient studies with inconsistent published results in this field. Although the studies have been conducted by some provincial research institutes under the supervision of Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), the creation of management and executive recommendations resulting from such research is hampered by some weaknesses in the designed research plan. On the other hand, short data collection period (only 1-3 years), use of different guidelines for designing the RWH systems, designing the RWH systems without given consideration to species of seedlings, the rainfall regime, and intervals, and the optimum volume of water needed to collect in each system are the weaknesses of the conducted researches, which hamper designing managerial and necessary plans using the results to overcome some problems of water deficit in Iran. Regardless of the aforementioned weaknesses, it is hoped that the promising route initiated by the AREEO and especially its affiliated Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute (SCWMRI) finally leads to national benefits for water resource management and agricultural production.