Are my plants getting enough water? Most farmers worry about that, but a new sensor system eliminates the guesswork.<\/p>\n Irrigated crops need a supply of water matched to the plants\u2019 changing demands. Even a briefly inadequate supply can decrease crop yields by up to 40 %. Ideally, farmers would provide exactly as much water as plants need, precisely when they need it. However, in practice, this is difficult to achieve. Therefore many farmers tend to overwater to be safe. The extent varies depending on region and crop, but 20\u201350 % overwatering is common. Overwatering causes numerous environmental problems, plus unnecessary extra costs for farmers. <\/p>\n Matching the water supply to plants\u2019 needs would increase yields and save money. With this goal, the EU-funded StemSense<\/a> project developed a sensor that measures fruit trees\u2019 and vines\u2019 demand for water. The current project is a continuation of an earlier EU-funded project of the same name, which studied the device\u2019s feasibility and validated the production. The new project miniaturised the sensor, finalised the software and industrial processes and demonstrated the technology in the marketplace.<\/p>\n Key to the operation of the sensor is the physiological principle of stem water potential<\/a> (SWP). \u201cThis is a direct measurement of the water tension force in the plant\u2019s xylem tissues, its upward water transport channel,\u201d explains Anat Halgoa Solomon, project coordinator. \u201cExpressed simplistically, SWP describes the energy that the plant needs to pull water from the soil to the leaf.\u201d The less energy the plant exerts getting water, the more will be available for the development of fruit. <\/p>\n![\"Saturas](\"https:\/\/avital.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/434377.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nStem water potential<\/h2>\n