In the present study, the soil apparent electrical conductivity, ECa, and the plant water status were analyzed in plum production (Prunus domestica L 'Tophit plus'/Wavit) targeting (i) the spatial characterization of soil ECa and fruit yield, (ii) instantaneous water status, and (iii) cumulative pattern of water status and yield.

The plum orchard is located in semi-humid, temperate climate (Potsdam, Germany), capturing 0.37 ha with 156 trees. Measurements were carried out on each tree; this includes soil ECa, laser scanning, crop load, leaf water potential, thermal imaging of crop analyzing the crop water index (CWSI), and fruit quality. Statistical analyses were carried out for delineating hot-spots using the statistical package for MATLAB® (R2010B, MathWorks, U.S.).

In our study, spatial pattern of ECa were correlated with instantaneous CWSI as well as yield and fruit quality. Analysis of the spatial variability of CWSI and leaf area ratio showed higher correlation coefficients and enhanced significance level compared to soil data.