Prediction of olive tree water requirements under limited soil water availability, based on sap flow estimations

Abstract

The forecast of irrigation requirements in commercial olive orchards in the era of climate change is at the forefront of scientific research. Simplified models that are based on monitoring soil and plant water status, along with microclimatic variables are well established. In the present study, an attempt was made to correlate the olive tree sap fluxes and the theoretical grass water losses, as expressed by reference evapotranspiration (ETo) in mild to moderate water-stress conditions. The water flow in the soil–plant–air continuum was monitored using soil water and thermal dissipation probes (TDP), which have a comparatively low cost and satisfactory reliability, while microclimatic variability was monitored by a meteorological station placed within the experimental orchard. The assessment of water stress was conducted via a stress coefficient (Ks), which was determined according to soil water availability, and validated with measurements of pre-dawn water potential and stomatal conductance. The results suggest the existence of an exponential correlation (R2 = 0.869) between daily plant transpirational losses and reference evapotranspiration, while the methodology’s applicability is verified by the validation process (R2 = 0.804 and RMSE = 0.579 L per day).