The midday stem water potential (Ψs) and stomatal conductance (gs) have been traditionally used to monitor the water status of cherry trees (Prunus avium L.). Due to the complexity of direct measurement, the use of infrared thermography has been proposed as an alternative. This study compares Ψs and gs against crop water stress indexes (CWSI) calculated from thermal infrared (TIR) data from high-resolution (HR) and low-resolution (LR) cameras for two cherry tree cultivars: ‘Regina’ and ‘Sweetheart’. For this purpose, a water stress–recovery cycle experiment was carried out at the post-harvest period in a commercial drip-irrigated cherry tree orchard under three irrigation treatments based on Ψs levels. The water status of trees was measured weekly using Ψs, gs, and compared to CWSIs, computed from both thermal cameras. Results showed that the accuracy in the estimation of CWSIs was not statistically significant when comparing both cameras for the representation of Ψs and gs in both cultivars. The performance of all evaluated physiological indicators presented similar trends for both cultivars, and the averaged differences between CWSI’s from both cameras were 11 ± 0.27%. However, these CWSI’s were not able to detect differences among irrigation treatments as compared to Ψs and gs.

We evaluated the effects of different post‐harvest irrigation strategies on yield, fruit quality and quantity, and water productivity (WP) of sweet cherry trees, over a two‐growing season experiment. The fruits were evaluated at harvest and after cold storage. The irrigation treatments were T ₀ = control (received 100% of the fruit grower irrigation); T _1, T ₂ , and T ₃ received 50%, 75% and 140% of T ₀ . For both growing seasons, T ₀ and T ₃ averaged a midday stem water potential (Ψ _s ) of −1.02 MPa, while that of T ₁ and T ₂ was at −1.13 MPa. Irrigation strategies applied affecting tree yield, fruit firmness (FF) at harvest, and WP. T ₃ and T ₂ had the highest and lowest yield. The best WP was found in T ₁ . Growing season influenced fruit quality and quantity, and WP in the growing season 2014–2015. The irrigation treatment by growing season interaction was significant for FF. T ₂ and T ₃ exhibited the highest FF in the growing season 2013–2014. After cold storage, significant effects of the growing season were observed in fruit weight. Our results suggests that a moderate post‐harvest water deficit (Ψ _s > −1.5 MPa), does not affect negatively, fruit quality and yield responses of cherry trees.

Background Patterns of seed germination and subsequent seedling growth of the endemic species Nothofagus glauca (Phil.) Krasser (Lophozonia glauca) (Hualo) were studied in two provenances from Mediterranean Central Chile (pre-Andean mountain range provenance and coastal range provenance). The main aim of the study was to determine differences in seed germination and seedling growth at the intra- and inter-provenance levels. Methods The experiment was carried out with seeds from two provenances and four to five different sites from each provenance. Seed germination tests were conducted in 10 × 1 m beds in a greenhouse. Germinated seeds were sown in 140-mL containers and cultivated under nursery conditions for 8 months. After that period, growth and survival were measured. Results Germination, growth and survival were highly variable at the intra-provenance level. Sites from the pre-Andean mountain range provenance exhibited lower germination capacity (33.1%) and seedling survival (76.3%) than sites from the Coastal range provenance (40.2 and 91.3%, respectively). Conclusions Provenance variability was important for seed mass and germination, and seedling survival, while intra-provenance variability was systematically higher, whatever the functional trait considered, indicating a high potential capacity of the species to adapt to climate change. This intra-provenance variability must be conserved with the use of local seed. In our case, pre-Andean sites must be established in high-elevation environments, while coastal provenances must be restricted to more lowland and coastal environments.