Liu et al. (2026) Stage-specific construction of crop water stress index based on canopy–air temperature difference for potato water stress assessment in an arid region

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Water Management
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-02
• Authors: Peng Liu, Xiaohua Shi, Jing Yu, Lan Wu, Liguo Jia, Mingshou Fan
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110598

Research Groups

• College of Agronomy, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
• Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China

Short Summary

This study developed a stage-specific crop water stress index (CWSI) based on canopy-air temperature difference for potato water stress assessment in an arid region. The CWSI was found to be effective in tracking plant water status and yield responses across different irrigation treatments.

Objective

• To establish the lower (non-water-stressed) baseline and the upper (non-transpiring) limit for CWSI calculation, and quantify how these parameters vary across growth stages and years in the Yinshan region.
• To determine stage-specific CWSI thresholds under representative climatic conditions of the study region, providing a quantitative basis for irrigation triggering and scheduling.
• To quantify relationships between CWSI and root-zone soil water dynamics, plant water status (at leaf and whole-plant scales), and gas-exchange traits to evaluate the reliability of CWSI for diagnosing potato water stress.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field experiments were conducted in Kebuer Town, Inner Mongolia, China.
• Temporal Scale: The study spanned two growing seasons (2023–2024).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Empirical approach to calculate CWSI based on canopy-air temperature difference.
• Data sources: Field measurements of soil water content, plant water status, gas-exchange traits, and canopy temperature.

Main Results

• The non-water-stressed baseline (NWSB) and upper limit (UL) for CWSI calculation were established separately for tuber initiation and tuber bulking stages.
• Stage-specific CWSI thresholds were determined to be 0.278 during tuber bulking and 0.364 during tuber initiation.
• The relationships between CWSI and root-zone soil water dynamics, plant water status, and gas-exchange traits were quantified.

Contributions

• This study provides quantitative, stage-specific thresholds for CWSI-based irrigation scheduling in arid and semi-arid potato systems.
• The findings contribute to the development of precision irrigation strategies for improving water use efficiency in potato production.

Funding

• National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52179019)
• Inner Mongolia Agricultural University Research Fund (Grant No. YJSCX2021003)

Citation

@article{Liu2026Stagespecific,
  author = {Liu, Peng and Shi, Xiaohua and Yu, Jing and Wu, Lan and Jia, Liguo and Fan, Mingshou},
  title = {Stage-specific construction of crop water stress index based on canopy–air temperature difference for potato water stress assessment in an arid region},
  journal = {Agricultural Water Management},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110598},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2026.110598}
}