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This research was funded by the Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry (MINECO) and the European Agricultural Funds for Rural Development. Reference: AGL2013-49047-C2-1-R, AGL2016-77282-C33-R and the Fundacion Seneca, Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnologia of the Region of Murcia under the Excellence Group Program 19895/GERM/15. Pedro Jose Blaya-Ros and Victor Blanco acknowledge the research initiation grant received from the Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT).

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Blanco, VAuthor

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December 19, 2023
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Feasibility of Low-Cost Thermal Imaging for Monitoring Water Stress in Young and Mature Sweet Cherry Trees

Publicated to:Applied Sciences-Basel. 10 (16): 5461- - 2020-08-07 10(16), DOI: 10.3390/app10165461

Authors: Jose Blaya-Ros, Pedro; Blanco, Victor; Domingo, Rafael; Soto-Valles, Fulgencio; Torres-Sanchez, Roque

Affiliations

Univ Politecn Cartagena UPCT, Dept Automat Ingn Elect & Tecnol Elect, Campus Muralla S-N, E-30202 Cartagena, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Cartagena UPCT, Dept Ingn Agron, Paseo Alfonso XIII 48, E-30203 Cartagena, Spain - Author

Abstract

Infrared thermography has been introduced as an affordable tool for plant water status monitoring, especially in regions where water availability is the main limiting factor in agricultural production. This paper outlines the potential applications of low-cost thermal imaging devices to evaluate the water status of young and mature sweet cherry trees (Prunus aviumL.) submitted to water stress. Two treatments per plot were assayed: (i) a control treatment irrigated to ensure non-limiting soil water conditions; and (ii) a water-stress treatment. The seasonal evolution of the temperature of the canopy (Tc) and the difference between Tc and air temperature (Delta T) were compared and three thermal indices were calculated: crop water stress index (CWSI), degrees above control treatment (DAC) and degrees above non-water-stressed baseline (DANS). Midday stem water potential (psi stem) was used as the reference indicator of water stress and linear relationships of Tc, Delta T, CWSI, DAC and DANS with psi stem were discussed in order to assess their sensitivity to quantify water stress. CWSI and DANS exhibited strong relationships with psi stem and two regression lines to young and mature trees were found. The promising results obtained highlight that using low-cost infrared thermal devices can be used to determine the plant water status in sweet cherry trees.

Keywords

Almond treesCanopy temperatureConductanceDeficit irrigationDetect waterIndexesIndicatorLow-cost thermographyManagementNon-transpiration baselineNon-water-stressed baselinesPrunus aviumlStem water potentialThermal indexesThermographyTranspirationWater stress

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Applied Sciences-Basel due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2020, it was in position 38/90, thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Engineering, Multidisciplinary. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q2 para la agencia Scopus (SJR) en la categoría Instrumentation.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 1.01. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 14, 2024)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

  • Field Citation Ratio (FCR) from Dimensions: 6.52 (source consulted: Dimensions Aug 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-08-02, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 31
  • Google Scholar: 43

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-08-02:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 56 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.