Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

The use of phytomonitoring equipment in Citrus, Kiwi and Avocado orchards in Chile is described. Plant growth and fruit development response to different irrigation strategies is analyzed, with actual data obtained from phytomonitors installed within the orchards. Continuous, real time monitoring of trunk, stem and fruit diameter, leaf temperature, stem sap flow velocity, soil moisture and microclimatic data (incident radiation, air temperature, wind conditions, relative humidity air) are made possible by using phytomonitoring sensors and special software. The use of phytomonitors in irrigation management represent a significant and comprehensive breakthrough in the evaluation of plant responses to soil water availability.