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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #307869
Title: Measurement of photosynthetic response to plant water stress using a multi-modal sensing system

Author
item KIM, JAMES - Monsanto Corporation
item Glenn, David

Submitted to: Transactions of the ASABE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/2/2015
Publication Date: 3/18/2015
Citation: Kim, J.Y., Glenn, D.M. 2015. Measurement of photosynthetic response to plant water stress using a multi-modal sensing system. Transactions of the ASABE. 58(2):233-240.

Interpretive Summary: The development of productive high density peach orchards is often limited by the excessive vegetative growth of the trees that reduces productivity and quality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate upright pillar and standard architecture peach trees in a production setting. Water use of the pillar can exceed water use of the standard due to increased light in the canopy. The present work demonstrated that as pillar growth types are integrated into production systems, more research will be needed to efficiently schedule the water needs of the pillar architecture in order to maximize fruit size and quality due the greater illumination of the canopy interior.

Technical Abstract: Plant yield and productivity are significantly affected by abiotic stresses such as water or nutrient deficiency. An automated, timely detection of plant stress can mitigate stress development, thereby maximizing productivity and fruit quality. A multi-modal sensing system was developed and evaluated to identify the onset and severity of plant stress on young apple trees (cultivar ‘Gale Gala’) under five different water treatments in a greenhouse. The multi-modal sensors include a multispectral camera, an NDVI sensor, a digital camera, an ultrasonic range finder, and a thermal imager. Photosynthesis measurements for each water treatment group were recorded to determine photosynthesis reduction due to water stress and compared with multi-modal sensor responses. Data analysis determined that spectral signature (NDVI) and canopy temperature are highly correlated to plant water stress. The highest correlation to photosynthesis reduction was found in canopy temperature (r2 equals 0.83), followed by Greenseeker NDVI (r2 equals 0.76) and multispectral camera (r2 equals 0.64).