Applicability and limitations of using the crop water stress index as an indicator of water deficits in citrus orchards

Abstract

Accurate measurements of the crop water status are becoming essential in irrigated agriculture, as water resources are limited and its use must be optimized, especially in semi-arid conditions. Indicators derived from thermal information have shown to be closely related to water status in several fruit tree species, and have shown promise for assessing the spatial variations among and within whole orchards. Here, a methodology is proposed for assessing the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) of mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Clemenvilla) and navel orange (Citrus sinensis L cv. Powell) located in Southern Spain, taking into account the short-term fluctuations in canopy temperature observed..