Articles
Continuous monitoring of plant water status using trunk microtensiometers and dendrometers in almond, nectarine and pear
Article number
1468_48
Pages
365 – 374
Language
English
Abstract
Efficient irrigation management in semi-arid regions requires accurate, continuous monitoring of plant water status, but conventional measurements such as stem water potential are labor-intensive and unsuitable for real-time applications.
Plant-based sensors, including emerging microtensiometers and trunk dendrometers, offer a non-destructive, automatable approach for monitoring water status.
However, sensor-derived data may be influenced by environmental conditions and tree characteristics, potentially limiting reliability.
Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity, and limitations of these sensors for continuous monitoring of water status in almond (Prunus dulcis), nectarine (Prunus persica var. nucipersica), and pear (Pyrus communis) under contrasting water availability and climatic conditions.
The experiment was conducted during the 2025-2026 growing season in nectarine, pear, and almond orchards, where three irrigation regimes (control, severe stress, and rainfed) were imposed to generate contrasting plant water status conditions.
Continuous measurements of xylem water potential (Ψxylem) and trunk diameter variations were obtained using microtensiometers and dendrometers, respectively, to explore relationships against stem water potential (Ψstem) and stomatal conductance (gs) through regression and ANOVA analyses. Ψxylem closely tracked irrigation treatments and showed strong relationships with both Ψstem and gs across species, confirming its reliability as a continuous water status indicator.
Among dendrometer-derived indices, tree water deficit (TWD) consistently discriminated irrigation treatments in all species, outperforming maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) and trunk growth rate (TGR). Our results demonstrate the reliability and versatility of microtensiometers for continuous monitoring of plant water status in almond, nectarine, and pear, and identified TWD as the most effective dendrometer-derived index, as it also accounts for cumulative water stress.
However, further research is needed to understand the influence of crop load, canopy size, and water stored in plant tissues on the dendrometer-derived indices.
Plant-based sensors, including emerging microtensiometers and trunk dendrometers, offer a non-destructive, automatable approach for monitoring water status.
However, sensor-derived data may be influenced by environmental conditions and tree characteristics, potentially limiting reliability.
Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity, and limitations of these sensors for continuous monitoring of water status in almond (Prunus dulcis), nectarine (Prunus persica var. nucipersica), and pear (Pyrus communis) under contrasting water availability and climatic conditions.
The experiment was conducted during the 2025-2026 growing season in nectarine, pear, and almond orchards, where three irrigation regimes (control, severe stress, and rainfed) were imposed to generate contrasting plant water status conditions.
Continuous measurements of xylem water potential (Ψxylem) and trunk diameter variations were obtained using microtensiometers and dendrometers, respectively, to explore relationships against stem water potential (Ψstem) and stomatal conductance (gs) through regression and ANOVA analyses. Ψxylem closely tracked irrigation treatments and showed strong relationships with both Ψstem and gs across species, confirming its reliability as a continuous water status indicator.
Among dendrometer-derived indices, tree water deficit (TWD) consistently discriminated irrigation treatments in all species, outperforming maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) and trunk growth rate (TGR). Our results demonstrate the reliability and versatility of microtensiometers for continuous monitoring of plant water status in almond, nectarine, and pear, and identified TWD as the most effective dendrometer-derived index, as it also accounts for cumulative water stress.
However, further research is needed to understand the influence of crop load, canopy size, and water stored in plant tissues on the dendrometer-derived indices.
Authors
S. Nesi, I. Goodwin, M.G. OConnell, K. Murphy, G. Caruso, A. Scalisi
Keywords
irrigation management, stem water potential, stomatal conductance, tree water deficit, trunk diameter variations
Groups involved
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