Gretchen Sassenrath, USDA-ARS APTRU, USDA-ARS APTRU, PO Box 36, Stoneville, MS 38776
Conservation production systems alter the soil water availability. Our research is focused on developing methods to detect the onset of water stress in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. sps). In this study, we examined soil and plant water status in conventional (subsoiled, no cover crop) and conservation (no subsoiling, winter wheat cover crop) production systems for two soil types common to the Mississippi Delta. Direct measurements of leaf water potentials were correlated with infrared thermometer measures of leaf temperature, and hyperspectral radiances in the near to mid-infrared ranges. This information is being used to develop remote methods of detecting crop water stress for irrigation scheduling.