Potential of UAS-Based Remote Sensing for Estimating Tree Water Status and Yield in Sweet Cherry Trees

The present work aims to assess the usefulness of five vegetation indices (VI) derived from multispectral UAS imagery to capture the effects of deficit irrigation on the canopy structure of sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) in southeastern Spain. Three irrigation treatments were assayed, a control treatment and two regulated deficit irrigation treatments. Four airborne flights were carried out during two consecutive seasons; to compare the results of the remote sensing VI, the conventional and continuous water status indicators commonly used to manage sweet cherry tree irrigation were measured, including midday stem water potential (Ψs) and maximum daily shrinkage (MDS). Simple regression between individual VIs and Ψs or MDS found stronger relationships in postharvest than in preharvest. Thus, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), resulted in the strongest relationship with Ψs (r2 = 0.67) and MDS (r2 = 0.45), followed by the normalized difference red edge (NDRE). The sensitivity analysis identified the optimal soil adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI) as the VI with the highest coefficient of variation in postharvest and the difference vegetation index (DVI) in preharvest. A new index is proposed, the transformed red range vegetation index (TRRVI), which was the only VI able to statistically identify a slight water deficit applied in preharvest. The combination of the VIs studied was used in two machine learning models, decision tree and artificial neural networks, to estimate the extra labor needed for harvesting and the sweet cherry yield.

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Feasibility of Low-Cost Thermal Imaging for Monitoring Water Stress in Young and Mature Sweet Cherry Trees

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10165461 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (16) ◽

pp. 5461 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pedro José Blaya-Ros ◽

Víctor Blanco ◽

Rafael Domingo ◽

Fulgencio Soto-Valles ◽

Roque Torres-Sánchez

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Thermal Imaging ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Water Status ◽

Low Cost ◽

Plant Water Status ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Plant Water ◽

Crop Water Stress Index ◽

Cherry Trees

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.

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Performance Assessment of Thermal Infrared Cameras of Different Resolutions to Estimate Tree Water Status from Two Cherry Cultivars: An Alternative to Midday Stem Water Potential and Stomatal Conductance

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20123596 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

pp. 3596 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marcos Carrasco-Benavides ◽

Javiera Antunez-Quilobrán ◽

Antonella Baffico-Hernández ◽

Carlos Ávila-Sánchez ◽

Samuel Ortega-Farías ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Stomatal Conductance ◽

Water Potential ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Water Status ◽

Thermal Infrared ◽

Stem Water Potential ◽

Cherry Tree ◽

Stem Water ◽

Irrigation Treatments

The midday stem water potential (Ψs) and stomatal conductance (gs) have been traditionally used to monitor the water status of cherry trees (Prunus avium L.). Due to the complexity of direct measurement, the use of infrared thermography has been proposed as an alternative. This study compares Ψs and gs against crop water stress indexes (CWSI) calculated from thermal infrared (TIR) data from high-resolution (HR) and low-resolution (LR) cameras for two cherry tree cultivars: ‘Regina’ and ‘Sweetheart’. For this purpose, a water stress–recovery cycle experiment was carried out at the post-harvest period in a commercial drip-irrigated cherry tree orchard under three irrigation treatments based on Ψs levels. The water status of trees was measured weekly using Ψs, gs, and compared to CWSIs, computed from both thermal cameras. Results showed that the accuracy in the estimation of CWSIs was not statistically significant when comparing both cameras for the representation of Ψs and gs in both cultivars. The performance of all evaluated physiological indicators presented similar trends for both cultivars, and the averaged differences between CWSI’s from both cameras were 11 ± 0.27%. However, these CWSI’s were not able to detect differences among irrigation treatments as compared to Ψs and gs.

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Linking canopy temperature and trunk diameter fluctuations with other physiological water status tools for water stress management in citrus orchards

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp10202 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 106 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Iván F. García-Tejero ◽

Víctor H. Durán-Zuazo ◽

José L. Muriel-Fernández ◽

Juan A. Jiménez-Bocanegra

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Deficit Irrigation ◽

Water Status ◽

Irrigation Treatment ◽

Canopy Temperature ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Stem Water Potential ◽

Crop Water ◽

Trunk Diameter ◽

Trunk Diameter Fluctuations

The continuous monitoring of crop water status is key to the sustainable management of water stress situations. Two deficit irrigation (DI) treatments were studied during the maximum evapotranspirative demand period in an orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb. cv. Navelina): sustained deficit irrigation irrigated at 55% crop evapotranspiration (ETC), and low-frequency deficit irrigation treatment, in which the plants were irrigated according to stem water potential at midday (Ψstem). Additionally, a control treatment irrigated at 100% of ETC was established. The daily canopy temperature (TC) was measured with an infrared thermometer camera together with measurements of trunk diameter fluctuations (TDF), Ψstem and stomatal conductance (gS). The time course of all physiological parameters and their relationships were analysed, confirming that canopy air temperature differential (TC – Ta) variations and TDF are suitable approaches for determining the water stress. In addition, the maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) and TC – Ta showed high sensitivity to water stress in comparison to Ψstem and gS. Significant relationships were found among MDS and TC – Ta with Ψstem and gS, for monitoring the crop water status by means of MDS vs Ψstem and TC – Ta vs Ψstem. Thus, the combination of these techniques would be useful for making scheduling decisions on irrigation in orchards with high variability in plant water stress.

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Foliar Application of Calcium and Growth Regulators Modulate Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Tree Performance

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9040410 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 410 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sofia Correia ◽

Filipa Queirós ◽

Helena Ferreira ◽

Maria Cristina Morais ◽

Sílvia Afonso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Regulators ◽

Management Practices ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Foliar Application ◽

Water Status ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Physiological Performance ◽

Prunus Avium L ◽

Cherry Trees

Cracking of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) fruits is caused by rain events close to harvest. This problem has occurred in most cherry growing regions with significant economic losses. Several orchard management practices have been applied to reduce the severity of this disorder, like the foliar application of minerals or growth regulators. In the present study, we hypothesized that preharvest spray treatments improve the physiological performance of sweet cherry trees and could also mitigate environmental stressful conditions. Effects of repeated foliar spraying of calcium (Ca), gibberellic acid (GA3), abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), glycine betaine (GB), and the biostimulant Ascophyllum nodosum (AN) on the physiological and biochemical performance of ‘Skeena’ sweet cherry trees during two consecutive years (without Ca in 2015 and in 2016 with addition of Ca) were studied. Results showed that in general spray treatments improved the physiological performance and water status of the trees. AN and ABA sprays were demonstrated to be the best compounds for increasing yield and reducing cherry cracking as well as improving photosynthetic performance and leaf metabolites content. In conclusion, AN and ABA might be promising tools in the fruit production system.

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Effects of foliar Application with Zinc and Boron On fruitset and yield of Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. var. Bing): تأثير الرش بالزنك والبورون في نسبة العقد والإنتاج للكرز الحلو (Prunus avium L. var. Bing)

Journal of agricultural, environmental and veterinary sciences - مجلة العلوم الزراعية والبيئية والبيطرية ◽

10.26389/ajsrp.m050821 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 87-78

Author(s):

Ammar Motea Askarieh, Sawsan Suleiman, Mahasen Tawakalna Ammar Motea Askarieh, Sawsan Suleiman, Mahasen Tawakalna

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Foliar Application ◽

Foliar Spray ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Maturity Stage ◽

Fruit Drop ◽

Cherry Orchard ◽

Prunus Avium L ◽

Cherry Trees

The study aims to increase the fruitset percentage of sweet cherry trees, reduce their fall rate and increase fruit retention percentage that reaches the maturity stage. It was conducted during 2019/2020 years at Cherry orchard located in Sargaya- Al- Zabadani area in Rural Damascus, in Syria. the experiment included 4 foliar spray treatments (T1: Control, T2: Zn (100 ppm), T3: B (500 ppm), T4: (100 ppm Zn + 500 ppm B) on sweet cherry trees (Prunus Avium L.) cultivar (Bing) the fruitset percentage, fruit drop percentage, fruiting factor, and yield quantity were calculated for all treatments. The results showed that all treatments (T2, T3, T4) recorded higher fruitset percentage, compared to the control (T1) with no significant differences between (74.83, 76.35, 76.25%) respectively, while the control fruitset percentage (72.76%), and (T4) has achieved the highest percentage of fruiting factor (41.40%) with no significant differences between it and treatment (T3) (37.12%), and the highest yield (19.98 kg), as well as (T2, T3) treatments was (9.39, 10.80 kg/tree) respectively, while the control yield was (5.93 kg/tree). Therefore, it can be considered that treatment (T4) has succeeded in reducing Sweet cherry fruit drop, where the fruit drop percentage didn't exceed (70.27%), and in (T2, T3) treatments was (74.94, 72.99%) respectively, while it reached in the control treatment to (80.64%).

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Drought-Adaptive Mechanisms of Young Sweet Cherry Trees in Response to Withholding and Resuming Irrigation Cycles

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11091812 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1812

Author(s):

Pedro José Blaya-Ros ◽

Víctor Blanco ◽

Roque Torres-Sánchez ◽

Rafael Domingo

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Water Potential ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Sweet Cherry ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Stem Water Potential ◽

Adaptive Mechanisms ◽

Severe Water Stress ◽

Cherry Trees

The present work evaluates the main adaptive mechanisms developed by young sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) to cope with drought. For this purpose, the young trees were subjected to two drought cycles with different water stress intensities followed by a recovery period. Three irrigation treatments were applied: control treatment (CTL) irrigated to ensure non-limiting soil water conditions; moderate water stress (MS) subjected to two drying cycles whose duration was dependent on the time elapsed until the trees reached values of midday stem water potential (Ψstem) of −1.3 and −1.7 MPa for the first and second cycle, respectively; and severe water stress (SS) similar to MS, but with reference values of −1.6 and −2.5 MPa. In-between drought cycles, MS and SS trees were irrigated daily as the CTL trees until reaching Ψstem values similar to those of CTL trees. The MS and SS trees showed an important stomatal regulation and lower vegetative growth. The decreasing leaf turgor potential (Ψturgor) during the drought periods accounted for 40–100% of the reduction in leaf water potential at midday (Ψmd). The minimum osmotic potential for mature leaves was about 0.35 MPa lower than in well-irrigated trees. The occasional osmotic adjustment observed in MS and SS trees was not sufficient to maintain Ψturgor values similar to the CTL trees or to increase the specific leaf weight (SLW). The leaf insertion angle increased as the water stress level increased. Severe water stress (Ψstem < −2.0 MPa) resulted in clear early defoliation as a further step in water conservation.

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Remote Sensing for Plant Water Content Monitoring: A Review

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13112088 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2088

Author(s):

Carlos Quemada ◽

José M. Pérez-Escudero ◽

Ramón Gonzalo ◽

Iñigo Ederra ◽

Luis G. Santesteban ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽

Continuous Wave ◽

Technological Development ◽

Water Status ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Coefficient Of Determination ◽

Plant Water ◽

Monitoring Methods

This paper reviews the different remote sensing techniques found in the literature to monitor plant water status, allowing farmers to control the irrigation management and to avoid unnecessary periods of water shortage and a needless waste of valuable water. The scope of this paper covers a broad range of 77 references published between the years 1981 and 2021 and collected from different search web sites, especially Scopus. Among them, 74 references are research papers and the remaining three are review papers. The different collected approaches have been categorized according to the part of the plant subjected to measurement, that is, soil (12.2%), canopy (33.8%), leaves (35.1%) or trunk (18.9%). In addition to a brief summary of each study, the main monitoring technologies have been analyzed in this review. Concerning the presentation of the data, different results have been obtained. According to the year of publication, the number of published papers has increased exponentially over time, mainly due to the technological development over the last decades. The most common sensor is the radiometer, which is employed in 15 papers (20.3%), followed by continuous-wave (CW) spectroscopy (12.2%), camera (10.8%) and THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) (10.8%). Excluding two studies, the minimum coefficient of determination (R2) obtained in the references of this review is 0.64. This indicates the high degree of correlation between the estimated and measured data for the different technologies and monitoring methods. The five most frequent water indicators of this study are: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (12.2%), backscattering coefficients (10.8%), spectral reflectance (8.1%), reflection coefficient (8.1%) and dielectric constant (8.1%).

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INSECT TRANSMISSION OF THE VIRUS CAUSING LITTLE CHERRY DISEASE

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps60-103 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 707-712 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

W. H. A. Wilde

Keyword(s):

Sweet Cherry ◽

Prunus Avium ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Insect Transmission ◽

Prunus Avium L ◽

Cherry Trees

Little cherry virus disease of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) was transmitted under screenhouse conditions by 3 species of leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) out of 24 species tested. Macrosteles fascifrons (Stal), the 6-spotted leafhopper, transmitted the disease in seven tests; Scaphytopius acutus (Say), the sharp-nosed leafhopper, transmitted it once; and Psammotettix lividellus (Zett.) transmitted it once. The transmissions were made from diseased sweet cherry trees of the variety Lambert to indicators of the varieties Star or Sam. With the exception of 1 transmission, 2 to 4 years were necessary following inoculation for unmistakable expression of symptoms in the indicators. M. fascifrons was also implicated in 18 successful transmissions to mature sweet cherry trees grown in the open.

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