Proposal of water status monitoring of adult Populus commercial stands using satellite imagery

The Mediterranean climate of central Chile is being strongly affected by a significant reduction in rainfall, Which is a major problem in poplar wood production, due to its high-water consumption. To optimize water use, it is essential to have tools for monitoring water status, which is complex in poplar, due to the complexity of its field operation and the large areas of these plantations. This research proposes the development of a predictive model of water status, using satellite images, which allows online monitoring of water status of poplar plantations. Among the models evaluated, the one that used the Advance Vegetation Index (AVI), presented the best results, with R
²
of 0.95, a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.15, a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.12, and a slope close to 1 of 0.77. The developed model could be implemented as an important tool for the management of plant water status in commercial poplar plantations, allowing growers to use water more efficiently in increasing complex water conditions due to impact of climate change effecting central Chile.