Abstract
Infrared thermography has been introduced as an affordable tool for plant water status monitoring, especially in regions where water availability is the main limiting factor in agricultural production. This paper outlines the potential applications of low-cost thermal imaging devices to evaluate the water status of young and mature sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) submitted to water stress. Two treatments per plot were assayed: (i) a control treatment irrigated to ensure non-limiting soil water conditions; and (ii) a water-stress treatment. The seasonal evolution of the temperature of the canopy (Tc) and the difference between Tc and air temperature (ΔT) were compared and three thermal indices were calculated: crop water stress index (CWSI), degrees above control treatment (DAC) and degrees above non-water-stressed baseline (DANS). Midday stem water potential (Ψstem) was used as the reference indicator of water stress and linear relationships of Tc, ΔT, CWSI, DAC and DANS with Ψstem were discussed in order to assess their sensitivity to quantify water stress. CWSI and DANS exhibited strong relationships with Ψstem and two regression lines to young and mature trees were found. The promising results obtained highlight that using low-cost infrared thermal devices can be used to determine the plant water status in sweet cherry trees.
Highlights
Irrigated agriculture is the largest consumer of fresh water, accounting for 70% of worldwide water use [1]
The highest differences in vapour pressure deficit (VPD) values were recorded during early summer (July) when VPD values in Plot 1 were double those measured in Plot 2
The difference in canopy temperature between stressed and control young trees was higher than 4 ◦ C on that day. These results indicated a smaller difference than that reported by Ballester et al [41] and Wang and Gartung [42] in non-irrigated citrus
Summary
Irrigated agriculture is the largest consumer of fresh water, accounting for 70% of worldwide water use [1] In this sense, water availability in arid and semi-arid regions is the main factor limiting agricultural production. Water availability in arid and semi-arid regions is the main factor limiting agricultural production These regions are subjected to water constraints and are vulnerable to climate change. It is expected that there will be an increase in the mean air temperature with severe drought events occurring during the high evapotranspiration demand periods, accompanied by an irregular rainfall pattern during the wet periods [2]. Spain—the largest fresh fruit producer in the European Union—has been experiencing severe water supply issues in recent decades, caused mainly by a structural imbalance between water resources and demand [3]. With regards to sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) production, Spain is the seventh-largest producer of cherries in the world and the second-largest producer in Europe [4]
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