A non-invasive plant-based probe for continuous monitoring of water stress in real time: a new tool for irrigation scheduling and deeper insight into drought and salinity stress physiology

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The non-invasive, magnetic leaf patch clamp pressure probe (also termed ZIM-probe) allows for the first time to measure continuously turgor pressure changes of plant leaves over long periods of time with high precision and in real time. The probe has become an important tool in plant physiology, molecular biology and ecology, but also in agriculture because the probe is very robust and user-friendly. Growers receive the information about the water status of their plants by wireless telemetry, mobile network and internet on an as-needed basis and can thus adjust very precisely both the timing of irrigation and the quantity of water to apply. Effects of air and leaf temperature, relative humidity, illumination and wind on turgor pressure can be monitored very sensitively both under indoor and outdoor conditions. Even the effects of blue and red light as well as of oscillations of stomata aperture on turgor pressure can be monitored by the probe with high sensitivity. Similarly, water deficit due to increase of the osmotic pressure in the nutrition The applications of the magnetic probe are numerous and one can expect highly interesting developments in plant water relations in the nearest future.

Plant-Based Methods for Irrigation Scheduling of Woody Crops

“…Thus, the collected data are available for the user in nearly real-time. If desired, the system can also measure air temperature, relative humidity and light intensity close to the plant, as well as soil temperature and moisture [163].…”

“…The extent to which this limitation curtails the potential of the ZIM probes to monitor water stress was assessed for olive by Fernández et al [49] and Ehrenberger et al [164]. Other effects of the environmental conditions and plant hydraulic functioning on the performance of the ZIM probe, were detailed by Zimmermann et al [163]. The ZIM system has been tested in a variety of forest tree species [165], grapevines [166,167], and grapefruit [167], banana [168], persimmon [169] and olive trees [49,[170][171][172], as well as in herbaceous crops such as tomato [173], canola [174] and wheat [175,176].…”

Advanced techniques using the plant as indicator of irrigation management

“…ZIMMERMANN et al (2013) mentioned that the new probe has become an important tool in plant physiology, molecular biology and ecology, being also very important for irrigation management evolution. This occur because it is a robust, easy-touse method, through which producers can receive the information about the water needs of their plants by wireless telemetry, mobile network and internet, and can thus precisely adjust both the moment of irrigation and the amount of water to be applied.…”

Electrical signaling, gas exchange and turgor pressure in ABA-deficient tomato (cv. Micro-Tom) under drought

“…Pp is small when Pc is large and vice versa large, when Pc is small (ZIMMERMANN et al, 2013). Thus, during the day when the turgor pressure is low, Pp value is high and at night the relationship is inverse.…”

“…The leaf patch clamp pressure probe (ZIM-probe) is a very good tool to measure continuously turgor pressure changes of plant leaves over long periods of time, providing information in real time about the water status of the plant (ZIMMERMANN et al, 2013).…”