1. Introduction
Drip irrigation, a widespread practice in arid and semi-arid
areas, allows the optimal use of water and fertilizer, since both
are applied directly to the plant roots through low-flow emitters.
The impact on plant growth and, especially, on crop yield marks
this technique as probably the most important innovation in agriculture since the 1960s. Due to the shortage of water resources in
these areas, there is an increasing need to maximise water productivity (Playán and Mateos, 2006), which has led to the further
development of deficit irrigation strategies (Fereres and Soriano,
2007; Ruiz-Sánchez et al., 2010).
Identification of the level of water stress suffered by the plant is
essential when using deficit irrigation strategies. Visual assessment
of the plant water status is not accurate, since only severe water
1. IntroductionDrip irrigation, a widespread practice in arid and semi-aridareas, allows the optimal use of water and fertilizer, since bothare applied directly to the plant roots through low-flow emitters.The impact on plant growth and, especially, on crop yield marksthis technique as probably the most important innovation in agriculture since the 1960s. Due to the shortage of water resources inthese areas, there is an increasing need to maximise water productivity (Playán and Mateos, 2006), which has led to the furtherdevelopment of deficit irrigation strategies (Fereres and Soriano,2007; Ruiz-Sánchez et al., 2010).Identification of the level of water stress suffered by the plant isessential when using deficit irrigation strategies. Visual assessmentof the plant water status is not accurate, since only severe water
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