Abstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of infrared thermography to estimate water status in Merlot and Moscato grown in northeast Italy by comparing the crop water stress index (CWSI) and the stomatal conductance index (IG). The influence of the portion of the canopy in which the thermal images were captured (sunlit or shaded) was also investigated. During the 2018 growing season, potted vines were subjected to three irrigation treatments: T0 = 100% of daily water usage restored; T1 = 50% of daily water usage restored; and T2 = 30% of daily water usage restored. Measurements included stomatal conductance (gs), stem water potential (SWP), and thermal imagery. Results showed that both the CWSI and IG indices were effective in discriminating the irrigation treatments in Moscato and Merlot. CWSI showed higher correlations with gs and SWP compared to IG, especially in Moscato. CWSI was less influenced by the portion of the canopy the image was taken on. In general, Moscato showed greater differences in gs, SWP, and the thermal indices between the three irrigation treatments. This study suggests that the efficacy of thermography in estimating vine water status depends on the variety and its stomatal control physiology.
Highlights
IntroductionClimate change is causing a global increase in temperatures and atmospheric CO2 [1] with climatic models forecasting an exacerbation of these conditions with repercussions on different ecosystems
Climate change is causing a global increase in temperatures and atmospheric CO2 [1] with climatic models forecasting an exacerbation of these conditions with repercussions on different ecosystems.These new scenarios could translate into positive outcomes for northern European regions that could see a diversification of the agricultural species that could be cultivated [2]
Grapevine is a very plastic species, whose phenology is sensitive and reactive to environmental factors, to the point that it is considered as a model plant to study climate change [10,11,12,13,14,15,16]
Summary
Climate change is causing a global increase in temperatures and atmospheric CO2 [1] with climatic models forecasting an exacerbation of these conditions with repercussions on different ecosystems. These new scenarios could translate into positive outcomes for northern European regions that could see a diversification of the agricultural species that could be cultivated [2]. The southern regions will face issues related to higher temperatures, and to water scarcity [3,4,5,6,7]. Grapevine is a very plastic species, whose phenology is sensitive and reactive to environmental factors, to the point that it is considered as a model plant to study climate change [10,11,12,13,14,15,16].
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