Abstract
Precise irrigation management of grapevines in greenhouses requires a reliable method to easily quantify and monitor the grapevine water status to enable effective manipulation of the water stress of the plants. This study evaluated the applicability of crop water stress index (CWSI) based on the leaf temperature for diagnosing the grapevine water status. The experiment was conducted at Yuhe Farm (northwest China), with drip-irrigated grapevines under three irrigation treatments. Meteorological factors, soil moisture contents, leaf temperature, growth indicators including canopy coverage and fruit diameter, and physiological indicators including SPAD (relative chlorophyll content), stem water potential (φs), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (E) were studied during the growing season. The results show that the relationship between the leaf-air temperature difference (Tc-Ta) and the plant water status indicators (φs, gs, E) were significant (P < 0.05), and the relationship between gs, E and Tc-Ta was the closest, with R2 values ranging from 0.530–0.604 and from 0.545–0.623, respectively. CWSI values are more easily observed on sunny days, and it was determined that 14:00 BJS is the best observation time for the CWSI value under different non-water-stressed baselines. There is a reliable linear correlation between the CWSI value and the soil moisture at 0–40 cm (P < 0.05), which could provide a reference when using the CWSI to diagnose the water status of plants. Compared with the Tc-Ta value, the CWSI could more accurately monitor the plant water status, and above the considered indictors, gs has the greatest correlation with the CWSI.
Highlights
Grapevine is one of the important economic fruit trees in China
It can be concluded that according to different NWSBs, the diurnal change in the crop water stress index (CWSI) among the three treatments was obviously different, and the best observation time of the CWSI value was 14:00 BJS
There was a reliable relationship between Tc -Ta and the plant water status indicators; the CWSI
Summary
Grapevine is one of the important economic fruit trees in China. With the adjustment of agricultural industrial structure, the cultivation area of grapevine has increased greatly year by year in China. With the improvement of grapevine protected cultivation technology, grapevines are the fruit tree species with the largest protected cultivation area in China, with an output that is 3.5 times in greenhouse higher than that of open planting. This method has significant advantages in ensuring the freshness and supply of fruit during the off season. The development of protected cultivation is an effective way to promote the development of rural economies
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