Prediction of Stem Water Potential in Olive Orchards Using High-Resolution Planet Satellite Images and Machine Learning Techniques

Assessing plant water status accurately in both time and space is crucial for maintaining satisfactory crop yield and quality standards, especially in the face of a changing climate. Remote sensing technology offers a promising alternative to traditional in situ measurements for estimating stem water potential (Ψstem). In this study, we carried out field measurements of Ψstem in an irrigated olive orchard in southern Italy during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Water status data were acquired at midday from 24 olive trees between June and October in both years. Reflectance data collected at the time of Ψstem measurements were utilized to calculate vegetation indices (VIs). Employing machine learning techniques, various prediction models were developed by considering VIs and spectral bands as predictors. Before the analyses, both datasets were randomly split into training and testing datasets. Our findings reveal that the random forest model outperformed other models, providing a more accurate prediction of olive water status (R2 = 0.78). This is the first study in the literature integrating remote sensing and machine learning techniques for the prediction of olive water status in order to improve olive orchard irrigation management, offering a practical solution for estimating Ψstem avoiding time-consuming and resource-intensive fieldwork.