Articles
Detecting water stress of rainfed sweet cherry trees using heat pulse velocity sap flow sensors
Article number
1419_5
Pages
33 – 40
Language
English
Abstract
Sap flow refers to the movement of water and nutrients within a plant’s vascular system.
By measuring the sap flow rate, one can gain insights into the water status of a tree, enabling the detection of water stress.
This method involves using sap flow sensors, which are attached to the stem of the sweet cherry tree, to monitor the sap flow.
Growers and researchers can make informed decisions regarding irrigation and water management strategies by analyzing the data collected from these sensors.
Irrigation water management in tree crops requires timely and accurate crop water status determination for irrigation scheduling decisions.
Sap flow measurements provide valuable information about the water status of cherry trees.
When a tree experiences water stress, the sap flow rate decreases significantly.
When insufficient soil water is available, trees cannot meet the evaporation demand and are usually exposed to water stress conditions.
The study’s main objective was to determine sweet cherry trees’ water stress levels using sap flow methods during different phenological growth stages.
This study used the heat pulse velocity technique’s heat ratio method to measure tree transpiration rates.
The fraction of transpirable soil water and the normalized transpiration ratio were calculated as soil water stress indicators.
The variable required to calculate the fraction of transpirable soil water accurately was total transpirable soil water.
For all fruit growth stages, the endpoint for the linear decline in normalized transpiration ratio (NTR) occurred at values that ranged between 0.20 and 0.25. The lack of a continuous linear decline in NTR until approaching 0.1 resulted from the lack of water stored in the soil, as the orchard was not under irrigation and transpiration was reduced when the soil was dry.
By measuring the sap flow rate, one can gain insights into the water status of a tree, enabling the detection of water stress.
This method involves using sap flow sensors, which are attached to the stem of the sweet cherry tree, to monitor the sap flow.
Growers and researchers can make informed decisions regarding irrigation and water management strategies by analyzing the data collected from these sensors.
Irrigation water management in tree crops requires timely and accurate crop water status determination for irrigation scheduling decisions.
Sap flow measurements provide valuable information about the water status of cherry trees.
When a tree experiences water stress, the sap flow rate decreases significantly.
When insufficient soil water is available, trees cannot meet the evaporation demand and are usually exposed to water stress conditions.
The study’s main objective was to determine sweet cherry trees’ water stress levels using sap flow methods during different phenological growth stages.
This study used the heat pulse velocity technique’s heat ratio method to measure tree transpiration rates.
The fraction of transpirable soil water and the normalized transpiration ratio were calculated as soil water stress indicators.
The variable required to calculate the fraction of transpirable soil water accurately was total transpirable soil water.
For all fruit growth stages, the endpoint for the linear decline in normalized transpiration ratio (NTR) occurred at values that ranged between 0.20 and 0.25. The lack of a continuous linear decline in NTR until approaching 0.1 resulted from the lack of water stored in the soil, as the orchard was not under irrigation and transpiration was reduced when the soil was dry.
Publication
Authors
P.C. Tharaga, W.A. Tesfuhuney, G.M. Coetzer
Keywords
water stress, transpirable, sap flow, water use, soil moisture
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