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Assessing plant water status: Part 2 - Non-destructive and remote sensing approaches
Naila Farooq1, Bo Zhang2, Bastian Leander Franzisky3
1Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
|June 24, 2026
Summary
New non-destructive plant water status assessment techniques offer real-time, high-resolution monitoring. These methods advance plant physiology, optimize water use, and support precision agriculture amid climate change.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Agricultural Science
- Environmental Monitoring
Background:
- Accurate, real-time plant water status assessment is crucial for agriculture and understanding plant physiology.
- Traditional methods are often destructive, provide single-point data, and are unsuitable for field applications.
- Variable climatic conditions necessitate advanced monitoring for crop resilience and precision agriculture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize recent advances in non-destructive techniques for measuring plant water status.
- To evaluate the principles, applications, and limitations of these emerging technologies.
- To provide guidance for selecting appropriate techniques for various experimental objectives and scales.
Main Methods:
- Review of non-destructive techniques including ZIM-probe, terahertz spectroscopy, microwave remote sensing, infrared thermography, LiDAR, and various spectroscopic methods.
- Evaluation of techniques based on their ability to provide high-resolution, real-time data.
- Comparison of methods for applications ranging from leaf-level to ecosystem-scale assessments.
Main Results:
- Emerging non-destructive techniques enable high-resolution, real-time monitoring of plant water status.
- These methods overcome limitations of classical, destructive sampling techniques.
- A comprehensive comparison aids in selecting the most suitable technique for specific research needs.
Conclusions:
- Non-destructive sensing technologies are vital for advancing plant science and precision agriculture.
- These techniques facilitate optimized water management and enhance crop resilience.
- The review guides researchers in choosing appropriate methods for diverse applications, from single leaves to entire ecosystems.
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