Abstract
This paper evaluates the sensitivity of two different methods of water stress detection in a simulated patch of pasture grown in a greenhouse. The performance of two indices, based respectively on canopy temperature and soil water content values — the latter gauged by means of a time domain reflectometry (TDR) system, was assessed against actual evapotranspiration, measured by a very accurate weighing system. Both methods were able to detect water shortage by the time transpiration was reduced to some 80% of its potential value. The soil-based index, however, relied on the estimate of root water extraction rate, which may not be known. It is concluded that detection of water shortage by means of a canopy temperature-based stress index is to be preferred to measuring soil water deficits by time domain reflectometry, despite the accuracy of the TDR-based soil water content estimate.
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Stanghellini, C., De Lorenzi, F. A comparison of soil- and canopy temperature-based methods for the early detection of water stress in a simulated patch of pasture. Irrig Sci 14, 141–146 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00193136
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00193136