ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT IRRIGATION METHODS BY SATELLITE INDICATORS IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Three vegetation indexes derived from remote sensing (NDVI, SAW and EVI) were used to assess, in a citrus orchard, the performance of three irrigation treatments: control (full irrigation), regulated deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying. In addition, midday steam water potential and canopy temperature were measured for comparison with the vegetation indexes values. No statistically significant differences were found among treatment in the evaluated parameters, indicating the irrigation treatments did not induce a severe soil water deficit affecting tree water status. The good agreement found between the ground measurements and the indexes derived from remote sensing highlights the potentialities of this technology for assessing the performance of different irrigation methods.