Remote Sensing of Thermal Water Stress Indicators in Peach

Abstract

Canopy temperature is a well known indicator of water stress, as any reduction in canopy conductance due to stomatal closure results in a further increase of canopy temperature. However, canopy temperature is affected by different ambient factors, such as air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, and net radiation, among others. Standardization is required in order to obtain reliable indicators of plant water status from canopy temperature. Different approaches have been developed during the past decades, such as the Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) developed in the 80s by Idso and Jackson's group (Idso et al., 1981), providing a normalized 0-1 index to quantify water stress independently of ai..