Water stress detection using hyperspectral thermal infrared remote sensing

During summer 2014 a water treatment experiment was adopted on potatoes plants (Solanum tuberosum L. Cilena, n=60) with the objective to detect plant water stress. Therefore, three different sensors were applied, a hyperspectral and broadband thermal infrared (TIR) camera to measure canopy temperature, as well as a leaf porometer to measure stomatal conductance. The results of this study show that water stress can be detected from 2 days after stress based on stomatal conductance measurements using a descriptive t-test (p=0.044∗ at 5% level of significance). Applying the prominent crop water stress index (CWSI) based on canopy, dry and wet references temperatures, control and treatment can be significantly separated starting 8 days after stress (p<0.001∗∗∗) using both hyperspectral and broadband data. Thus, our hypothesis of an earlier and more accurate water stress detection using a hyperspectral TIR system must be falsified for this study.