Practical Use of the Crop Water Stress Index Model in California Almonds
Date
2023-05
Authors
Alarcon, Marco
Major Professor
Kwaw-Mensah, David
Advisor
Committee Member
Cruse, Richard
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Altmetrics
Abstract
The definition of non-water stress baseline (NWSB) and water stress baseline (WSB) is the first step in the validation of the practical use of CWSI to monitor water stress (Gardner et al., 1992). The results obtained in this study indicate that the use of infrared sensors to calculate the NWSB and WSB as part of the crop water stress index (CWSI) model can be a reliable tool to monitor water stress in almond trees. This study demostrates that that trees transpiring at higher potential resuts in a lower average tree water stress and could indicate a higher potential nut yield. Similarly, trees transpiring at a lower potential due to limiting water availability will indicate CWSI levels closer to 0.5 and a possible lower nut yield. The first attempt to impement the CWSI at large-scale almond orchards, provided valuable insights regarding the reliability and practical use of the model as a possible irrigation management tool.
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creative component
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Copyright
2023