Cotton Irrigation Regimes Alter Accumulation of Canopy Temperature-Based Heat Units

Heat units that represent the thermal environment of the developing crop are often used to predict and explain physiological responses of the plant to the environment over the growing season. While the temperature of the plant is related to the temperature of the surrounding air, the water status of the crop influences this relationship. In this study continuously monitored cotton canopy temperatures were used to calculate canopy temperature-based heat units. Variation in canopy temperature heat units was found to be present among different irrigation treatments. Inclusion of canopy temperature in heat unit calculations may provide new insight into the effects of water deficits on cotton development.