Influences of Sprinkler Control Methods on Tea Canopy Ice Interception in Frost Protection Sprinkler Irrigation

ABSTRACT

Canopy interception is a frequent focus of hydrological research, but the characteristics of canopy ice interception during agricultural sprinkler irrigation for frost protection remain inadequately understood. The objective of this study is to investigate the patterns of ice interception in tea plantations using a modified measurement device. The influences of irrigation duration, control methods (intermittent and continuous), and interval periods on the canopy ice retained and the stemflow were mainly analysed. The results indicate that both canopy ice interception and stemflow increase with longer sprinkling duration. When irrigation duration was 45.0 min, the canopy ice interception increased significantly to 1.05 mm, representing 1.31 times and 1.75 times the values observed at 30.0 and 15.0 min durations, respectively. Notably, the occurrence time of stemflow lags behind that of canopy interception, a phenomenon which may be utilized for studying saturated interception capacity. Intermittent sprinkling produced a stepwise accumulation pattern of ice, which achieved comparable interception to continuous operation of the same duration while reducing water usage by 50%. Appropriately prolonging the pause duration in the intermittent cycle is conducive to enhancing the canopy ice interception amount. These findings advance the understanding of hydrological processes in frost protection and provide practical insights for optimizing water‐efficient sprinkling strategies.