Using sap flow measurements to quantify water consumption in apricot trees

Abstract

The relationship between water loss via transpiration and trunk sap flow using the compensation heat-pulse (CHP) technique was studied in apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca L.) in order to determine their transpiration fluxes in real time. Some differences could be observed in the relationship between sap flow and transpiration measurements, although, in general, the different diurnal courses of sap flow showed a behaviour very similar to the diurnal changes in transpiration in both young and adult apricot trees. The results obtained validate sap flow measurements obtained using the CHP technique as an acceptable indicator of the amount of water transpired by apricot trees and demonstrate that it is feasible to develop an irrigation schedule for apricot trees as an additional tool for linking irrigation management to an automated, plant-based stress indicator.