TY - JOUR
T1 - Leaf thickness and electrical capacitance as measures of plant water status
AU - Afzal, A.
AU - Duiker, S. W.
AU - Watson, J. E.
AU - Luthe, D.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the support of Scott Diloreto, greenhouse manager at Pennsylvania State University (PSU), for his help during the crop growth period. The authors also appreciate the support of Paul Heinemann, head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at PSU, for providing lab space and the growth chamber. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Hatch Project 4425). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Plant-based sensors can potentially be an answer to mitigate the shortcomings of the common plant water status monitoring methods. In this study, leaf thickness and leaf electrical capacitance (CAP) were investigated as indicators of water stress. The experiment was conducted on a tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum) in a growth chamber with a constant temperature of 28°C and 12 h on/off photoperiod for 11 days. The growth medium used was a peat potting mixture, with its volumetric water content (θ) measured by a soil moisture sensor. The soil water content was maintained at field capacity for the first three days and allowed to dehydrate thereafter, over a period of eight days. The daily leaf thickness variations were minor, with no significant day-to-day changes between soil moisture contents from field capacity to wilting point. However, leaf thickness changes were more noticeable at soil moisture contents below the wilting point until leaf thickness stabilized during the final two days of the experiment when the moisture content reached 5%. The CAP stayed roughly constant at a minimum value during dark periods and increased rapidly during light periods, implying that CAP was a reflection of photosynthetic activity. The daily CAP variations decreased when soil moisture was below the wilting point and completely ceased below the soil volumetric water content of 11%, suggesting that the effect of water stress on CAP was observed through its impact on photosynthesis. The results suggest that leaf thickness and CAP can be used for estimating plant water status.
AB - Plant-based sensors can potentially be an answer to mitigate the shortcomings of the common plant water status monitoring methods. In this study, leaf thickness and leaf electrical capacitance (CAP) were investigated as indicators of water stress. The experiment was conducted on a tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum) in a growth chamber with a constant temperature of 28°C and 12 h on/off photoperiod for 11 days. The growth medium used was a peat potting mixture, with its volumetric water content (θ) measured by a soil moisture sensor. The soil water content was maintained at field capacity for the first three days and allowed to dehydrate thereafter, over a period of eight days. The daily leaf thickness variations were minor, with no significant day-to-day changes between soil moisture contents from field capacity to wilting point. However, leaf thickness changes were more noticeable at soil moisture contents below the wilting point until leaf thickness stabilized during the final two days of the experiment when the moisture content reached 5%. The CAP stayed roughly constant at a minimum value during dark periods and increased rapidly during light periods, implying that CAP was a reflection of photosynthetic activity. The daily CAP variations decreased when soil moisture was below the wilting point and completely ceased below the soil volumetric water content of 11%, suggesting that the effect of water stress on CAP was observed through its impact on photosynthesis. The results suggest that leaf thickness and CAP can be used for estimating plant water status.
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U2 - 10.13031/trans.12083
DO - 10.13031/trans.12083
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85028862066
SN - 2151-0032
VL - 60
SP - 1063
EP - 1074
JO - Transactions of the ASABE
JF - Transactions of the ASABE
IS - 4
ER -