Study on Variation of Leaf Temperature at Different Stages of Growth of Brinjal Crops

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm of Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, BCKV, Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, during the year 2018 to study the variation of leaf temperature at different stages of growth of brinjal crops. The leaf and air temperatures were taken by handheld infrared thermometer at 12.00 and 4.00 p.m., and the corresponding soil moisture at 15 cm depth of crop field was measured by the gravimetric method during the study period. The data were processed for leaf temperature (at 12.00 and 4.00 p.m.), air temperature (at 12.00 and 4.00 p.m.) and the difference between leaf and air temperatures (at 12.00 and 4.00 p.m.) corresponding to soil moisture. The leaf temperature at 12.00 and 4 p.m. was used to develop the relation with corresponding soil moisture. The standard deviations of these two sets of data were found as 1.042 and 0.27, respectively. The standard deviation between the observed and estimated values was found as 7.21 and 9.67 at 12.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m., respectively; while comparing the level of adequacy in estimating the soil moisture by using the leaf and the difference between leaf and air temperatures, the later one was found much better, though both of the practices are acceptable within the desired level of accuracy. The statistical analysis of soil moisture content versus the difference between leaf and air temperatures explained the estimated values of soil moisture for noon and evening times by an average of 91.61% and 96.86%, respectively.