Assessing water stress in a hedgerow olive orchard from sap flow and trunk diameter measurements

We used sap flow and trunk diameter measurements for assessing water stress in a high-density `Arbequina¿ olive orchard with control trees irrigated to replace 100% of the crop water needs, and 60RDI and 30RDI trees, in which irrigation replaced ca. 60% and 30% of the control, respectively. We calculated the daily difference both for tree water consumption (DEp) and maximum trunk diameter (DMXTD) between RDI trees and control trees. The seasonal dynamics of DEp agreed reasonably well with that of the stem water potential. We identified peculiarities on the response DEp to changes in water stressing conditions, which must be taken into account when using the index. An analysis of the water-stress variability in the orchard is required for choosing the instrumented trees. The reliability of the DMXTD index was poorer than that of DEp. The maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) was not a reliable water-stress indicator.This experiment was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, research project AGL2009- 11310/AGR.Peer Reviewe

Assessing water stress in a hedgerow olive orchard from sap flow and trunk diameter measurements

International audienceWe used sap flow and trunk diameter measurements for assessing water stress in a high-density 'Arbequina' olive orchard with control trees irrigated to replace 100 % of the crop water needs, and 60RDI and 30RDI trees, in which irrigation replaced ca. 60 and 30 % of the control, respectively. We calculated the daily difference for both tree water consumption () and maximum trunk diameter (D (MXTD)) between RDI trees and control trees. The seasonal dynamics of agreed reasonably well with that of the stem water potential. We identified peculiarities on the response to changes in water stressing conditions, which must be taken into account when using the index. An analysis of the water stress variability in the orchard is required for choosing the instrumented trees. The reliability of the D (MXTD) index was poorer than that of . The maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) was not a reliable water stress indicator