Sara Álvarez

Verified

Sara verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

Verified

Sara verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

Learn more

• PhD
• Researcher at Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León, Spain

Remote sensing (RS) and machine learning (ML) are driving significant changes in agriculture [...]

In recent years, pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) cultivation is undergoing a great expansion in Spain, which is promising for regions where water and winter chilling are not limiting. Many areas of Castilla y León (Spain) provide suitable conditions for pistachio production, but heat requirement could be a limiting factor. The aims of this study were...

Pistachio trees have become a significant global agricultural commodity because their nuts are renowned for their unique flavour and numerous health benefits, contributing to their high demand worldwide. This study explores the application of Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) and Machine Learning (ML) to determine pistachio nuts' geographic origin and ir...

Anthropogenic activities have aggravated the effects of global climate change on ecosystems. Plants, because of their inability to escape from an adverse environment, suffer to a great extent from stresses, which can negatively impact their growth and development. Global warming is increasingly causing extreme climatic situations such as very high...

This editorial introduces a Research Topic which collects publications that study in detail the resilience mechanisms (tolerance and/or resistance) developed by plants to successfully cope with different biotic and abiotic stresses related to climate change at morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. By promoting discussions...

Since the 20th century, satellites have been key in remote sensing, but the 21st century saw the rise of UAVs, especially in agriculture. While both are vital tools, their implications are often misunderstood. Precision agriculture requires an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, especially with changing climate patterns affecting crops l...

Soil water deficit and salinity represent a major factor impacting plant survival and agricultural production. The frequency and severity of both abiotic stresses are expected to increase in a context of climate change, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This work studied the growth pattern, biomass and mineral distribution and the seasonal...

Featured Application Pistachio orchard management using remote sensing with UAVs. Abstract Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) has earned recognition as a significant crop due to its unique nutrient composition and its adaptability to the growing threat of climate change. Consequently, the utilization of remote sensing techniques for non-invasive pistach...

Almond cultivation in the Mediterranean area has undergone important changes leading to the current trend of intensification. In this scenario, low-vigor rootstocks have recently been developed, such as the ‘Rootpac®’ series, but knowledge about the rootstock’s influence on adaptation to high-density planting systems is very scarce. The objective o...

This Special Issue is focused on “Advances in Plant Physiology of Abiotic Stresses”. Several authors have contributed novel research, reviews, and opinion pieces to this Special Issue, covering a large number of topics associated with how plants respond to physical and chemical stresses associated with abiotic stress. In addition, most of these art...

Drought stress is one of the main factors limiting horticultural crops, especially in environments such as the Mediterranean basin, which is often characterized by sub-optimal water availability [...]

Interest in pistachios has increased in recent years due to their healthy nutritional profile and high profitability. In pistachio trees, as in other woody crops, the volume of the canopy is a key factor that affects the pistachio crop load, water requirements, and quality. However, canopy/crown monitoring is time-consuming and labor-intensive, as...

A total of 248 UAV RGB images were taken in the summer of 2021 over a representative pistachio orchard in Spain (X: 341450.3, Y: 4589731.8; ETRS89/UTM zone 30N). It is a 2.03 ha plot, planted in 2016 with Pistacia vera L. cv. Kerman grafted on UCB rootstock, with a NE–SW orientation and a 7 × 6 m triangular planting pattern. The ground was kept fre...

Editorial of the special issue Advances in Plant Physiology of Abiotic Stresses

The application of deficit irrigation with different objectives has been widely studied in tree crops, less has been investigated in ornamental plants that grow in pots. Under these conditions, it is more difficult to manage the desirable water deficit to achieve a good quality plant. This is due to the fact that the speed in the development of cer...

The effectiveness of a seeded cover crop to minimize soil nutrient losses was evaluated in a rainfed vineyard. Two sediment tanks were installed (ST2: drainage area with high ground cover (GC: 82%) and ST3: very high GC (89%)) and samples from 26 time-integrated periods (TIP) were collected over 15 months. The average soil nutrient content was prev...

The effectiveness of a seeded cover crop to minimize soil nutrient losses was evaluated in a rainfed vineyard, located in NE Spain (42 02’04” N; 0 04’13” E ), province of Huesca. Two sediment tanks were installed ( ST2 and ST3 ) in the course of two ephemeral gullies and buried installed below the soil surface in order to avoid any disturbance with...

Applying saline water resources for irrigation ornamental plants is becoming a widespread practice in urban areas in many regions, but it can restrict plant growth and lead to environmental problems. A strategy to reduce the adverse effects of saline water irrigation is the alternate irrigation with fresh and saline water at different phases or dif...

Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategy using reclaimed water (RW) is becoming a common procedure in some Mediterranean regions. Full and regulated deficit irrigation were combined with desalinated (EC w 1 dS m − 1) and saline (EC w 3 dS m − 1) reclaimed water to irrigate young potted almond trees over a 3-year period. The full irrigation treat...

The salinity tolerance of plants can be improved by efficient irrigation management and salt flushing, which require a continuous and precise knowledge of the salinity in the soil or substrate. Soil sensors that measure electrical conductivity play an essential role in monitoring soil salinity. However, the correct interpretation of salinity measur...

Rootstocks with size controlling potential are being used in newly planted intensive almond orchards. Due to increased water scarcity, characterizing the response of these rootstocks to water deficit is required. The current work aims to assess whether the rootstock can improve their drought tolerance. We investigated the morphological and physiolo...

The objective of this work is to evaluate the agronomic, phenological, nutritional quality and organoleptic characteristics of pistachios (Pistacia vera L.) based on the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) calculated in the phenological stage of nut filling from Sentinel satellite imagery. Based on this index, three pistachio tree orchard...

Cover crops (CCs) minimize the loss of soil in permanent cropping systems where the soil is usually bare due to intense tillage or overuse of herbicides. The topsoil, the richer layer in soil organic carbon and organic matter (OM), is affected by water erosion. Nature-based solutions appear as a suitable option for sustainable farming. In this stud...

The application of microorganisms in crops has been proposed as a strategy to cope with adverse environmental conditions. Two separate experiments (I and II) were carried out in laurustinus plants in field conditions. For each experiment, half of the plants were irrigated with control water (C, EC <0.9 dS m⁻¹) and the other half with reclaimed wast...

The conservation of water resources is a key aspect for the economic and environmental sustainability of all types of agricultural systems. Among all abiotic stresses, drought is the major constraint affecting plant physiological processes, causing huge production losses in agriculture. Water scarcity is very common in many areas of the world, and...

In this work, we irrigated myrtle plants with reclaimed waters (RWs) for 90 days with drainage. The treatments consisted of a control (0.8 dS m−1) and two RWs: RW1 (2.0 dS m−1) and RW2 (5.0 dS m−1). In general, nutrients were accumulated in a greater proportion in shoots than in roots and increased in the RW treatments, with the exception of potass...

The shortage of water in many parts of the world has led to the development of new irrigation strategies such as regulated deficit irrigation and sustained deficit irrigation. Water deficit induces different morphological and physiological responses in ornamental plants, but the application of irrigation strategies can obtain quality plants well ad...

The effect of different levels of water deficit on several physiological and morphological parameters in the Mediterranean species Phillyrea angustifolia was studied to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. Nursery grown plants were subjected to three irrigation treatments: a control (watered to container capacity) and two deficit irrigat...

Soil erosion seriously affects vineyards. In this study, the influence of two vegetation covers on topsoil moisture and the effect of different physiographic conditions on runoff and sediment yields were evaluated in a rainfed vineyard formed by four fields (NE Spain) during 15 months. One field had spontaneous vegetation in the inter-row areas, an...

Soil erosion seriously affects vineyards. In this study, the influence of two plant covers on soil moisture and the effect of different physiographic conditions on runoff and sediment yields were evaluated in a rainfed vineyard formed by four fields (NE Spain) during 15 months. One field had spontaneous vegetation as plant cover and three fields ha...

Regions with a Mediterranean climate suffer a permanent scarcity of conventional water resources. This situation leads us to consider the use of the reclaimed water (RW), as alternative water resource which is one current promising solution because it might include several plant nutrients with the possibility of decreasing the use external mineral...

Regions with a Mediterranean climate suffer a permanent scarcity of conventional water resources. This situation leads us to consider the use of the reclaimed water (RW), as alternative water resource which is one current promising solution because it might include several plant nutrients with the possibility of decreasing the use external mineral...

Pistacia lentiscus is a wild species that grows widely in the Mediterranean area. However, despite it appearing to be particularly resistant to some stressful conditions, drought and salinity may alter its physiological and morphological behavior. While the responses of P. lentiscus to both stresses have been partially studied, its avoidance and to...

Topsoil water content (TSWC) varies at spatial and temporal scales owing to the influence of several factors. In woody crops, few studies have analysed these dynamics under rainfed conditions. The temporal stability of the spatial patterns of TSWC in a Mediterranean rainfed sub-catchment (27 ha; Spain) was analysed during 12 months. Cropland includ...

Digital elevation models (DEMs) can be derived from several sources, for example, using contour line maps, remote sensing, Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology, photogrammetric restitution, and most recently Structure-from-Motion (SfM). These DEMs are characterized by different degrees of precision and accuracy, as well as varying ranges...

Digital elevation models (DEMs) can be derived from several sources, for example, using contour line maps, remote sensing, Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology, photogrammetric restitution, and most recently Structure-from-Motion (SfM). These DEMs are characterized by different degrees of precision and accuracy, as well as varying ranges...

Cover crops (CC) in vineyards and other woody crops (olive, almond and other fruit trees) provide an environmental-friendly alternative to conventional tillage (CT) for land management. Indeed, CC reduce soil, nutrients and organic matter losses and pesticide delivery in comparison with CT and notillage systems. Water infiltration improves in the i...

Maps provide spatially distributed information of physical, chemical, topographic, climatic, geomorphic and land use and management parameters and processes. This data allow estimating soil budgets at field and catchment scales. Besides, maps make up the main input of rainfall-runoff and soil erosion models. Thus, accurate mapping becomes necessary...

Cover crops (CC) in vineyards and other woody crops (olive, almond and other fruit trees) provide an environmental-friendly alternative to conventional tillage (CT) for land management. Indeed, CC reduce soil, nutrients and organic matter losses and pesticide delivery in comparison with CT and notillage systems. Water infiltration improves in the i...

Maps provide spatially distributed information of physical, chemical, topographic, climatic, geomorphic and land use and management parameters and processes. This data allow estimating soil budgets at field and catchment scales. Besides, maps make up the main input of rainfall-runoff and soil erosion models. Thus, accurate mapping becomes necessary...

Digital elevation model (DEM) resolution influences hydrological simulation. However, its influence when modelling hydrological connectivity (HC) in woody crops remains to be seen. We assessed surface topography, microtopography and HC in an agricultural sub-catchment (27.4 ha) using six photogrammetry-derived DEMs with 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 an...

WE ASSESSED THE SPATIAL PATTERNS OF TOPSOIL WATER CONTENT AND THEIR TEMPORAL STABILITY IN A RAIN-FED AGRO-ECOSYSTEM DEVOTED TO TYPICAL MEDITERRANEAN CROPS, SUCH AS VINEYARDS, OLIVE GROVES AND CEREALS.

The main goal was to assess the spatial patterns of topsoil water content and their temporal stability in a Mediterranean rain-fed agro-ecosystem (27 ha) in Huesca province (NE Spain) during 12 months. The total rainfall depth and ET0 were 494 and 1191 mm. The driest survey was on August 2016 and the wettest in February 2017. For all surveys (2,664...

Mediterranean agro-ecosystems are characterised by fragmented fields and patched vegetation. This shape governs the spatial patterns of water, soil and nutrient redistribution. Rainfall parameters, human infrastructures, crop management, support practices, and land use changes (set aside crops, land abandonment) control the magnitude of these proce...

Much of the water and sediment fluxes in semi-arid landscapes are found to be concentrated in localized pathways. Identifying the location of these pathways is important for management and restoration. This task becomes more complicated in flat areas, such as alluvial terraces, where geomorphic features of concentrated overland flow (rills and ephe...

Much of the water and sediment fluxes in semi-arid landscapes are found to be concentrated in localized pathways. Identifying the location of these pathways is important for management and restoration. This task becomes more complicated in flat areas, such as alluvial terraces, where rills and ephemeral gullies are scarce or inexistent. Field ident...

Salts present in irrigation water are serious problems for commercial horticulture, particularly in semi-arid regions. Reclaimed water (RW) typically contains, among others elements, high levels of salts, boron and heavy metal. Phytotoxic ion accumulation in the substrate has been linked to different electric conductivities of the treatments. Based...

The raster digital elevation model (DEM) resolution has influence on simulating hydrological features. However, we did not find any study dealing with the effect of DEM resolution on the magnitude and patterns of simulated hydrological features in woody crops. Hence, there is a necessity of bridging the gap between the different DEM resolutions and...

It is known that the raster digital elevation model (DEM) resolution has influence on simulating hydrological features such as stream characterization, watershed delineation, flow accumulation threshold values and network morphology. The accuracy and resolution of the input DEM have serious implications on the values of the hydrologically spatial i...

Evaluate the effect of five DEM resolutions (5, 1, 0.5, 0.1 and 0.03 m; LIDAR- and Photogrammetry-derived) on the magnitude and spatial patterns of simulated Hydrological Connectivity (IC index of Borselli et al., 2008) in a complex Mediterranean agro-ecosystem with different crop types (vineyards, cultivated and abandoned olive groves, cereal fiel...

Myrtus communis, an important Mediterranean ornamental shrub, was used to study the effect of irrigation water with different chemical compositions in the plant response. A treatment with NaCl was used to establish the plant resistance to high salinity at long term. Plants were subjected to four irrigation treatments with drainage for three months:...

To perform this tolerant response, these plants implement different adaptative mechanisms to cope with salt stress(4, 8 and 12 dS/m-1). The first one is related with the uptake and translocation of the toxic ions Na + and Cl-. The second differential response is related with the anatomical changes observed in leaves from E. myrtifolia plants in res...

Poster sent to 12t h International Conference on Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Plants: from model systems to field and celebrated in Verona (Italy).

Physiological and biochemical changes in Myrtus communis L. plants after being subjected to different solutions of NaCl (44, and 88mM) for up to 30 days (Phase I) and after recovery from the salinity period (Phase II) were studied. Myrtle plants showed salinity tolerance by displaying a series of adaptative mechanisms to cope with salt-stress, incl...

Main conclusion: We studied the response of Eugenia myrtifolia L. plants, an ornamental shrub native to tropical and subtropical areas, to salt stress in order to facilitate the use of these plants in Mediterranean areas for landscaping. E. myrtifolia plants implement a series of adaptations to acclimate to salinity, including morphological, physi...

The use of reclaimed water (RW) constitutes a valuable strategy for the efficient management of water and nutrients in landscaping. However, RW may contain levels of toxic ions, affecting plant production or quality, a very important aspect for ornamental plants. The present paper evaluates the effect of different quality RWs on physiological and b...

La salinidad es uno de los estreses abióticos que más afecta al crecimiento y a la productividad vegetal. Los principales efectos negativos que la salinidad produce en las plantas incluyen el estrés osmótico y la toxicidad iónica. Además, el estrés salino también produce un estrés oxidativo a nivel subcelular, contribuyendo a la aparición de síntom...

The influence of irrigation with different sources of reclaimed water on physiological and morphological changes in Myrtus communis plants was investigated to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. M. communis plants, growing in a growth chamber, were subjected to four irrigation treatments over 4 months (120 d): a control [tap water (0.8...

Plant responses to water stress and salinity have been widely discussed in many species. The growth of stressed plants is often limited by the ability of roots to extract water from the soil and transport it to the shoot, which determines the concentration of substances reaching the aerial part. In spite of this, little work has been done in connec...

The effect of saline stress on physiological and morphological parameters in Callistemon citrinus plants was studied to evaluate their adaptability to irrigation with saline water. C. citrinus plants, grown under greenhouse conditions, were subjected to two irrigation treatments lasting 56 weeks: control (0.8 dS·m(-1) ) and saline (4 dS·m(-1) ). Th...

Tolerance of plants to salinity is the ability to grow and complete their life cycle in a substrate containing high levels of soluble salts. Tolerance mechanisms developed by plants involve morphological, biochemical and molecular changes (Munns 2002). The following biochemical strategies have been described, among others: (a) selective accumulatio...

For 20 weeks, the physiological responses of Euonymus japonica plants to different irrigation sources were studied. Four irrigation treatments were applied at 100 % water holding capacity: control (electrical conductivity (EC) <0.9 dS m(-1)); irrigation water normally used in the area (irrigator's water) IW (EC: 1.7 dS m(-1)); NaCl solution, NaCl (...

Rhamnus alaternus is used as an ornamental plant in Mediterranean regions. The objective of this research was to analyse the ability of R. alaternus to overcome water stress in terms of adjusting its physiology and morphology. For this, potted plants were grown in a greenhouse and subjected to water stress by reducing irrigation water by 50% compar...

The effect of different levels of water deficit and salinity on physiological and morphological alterations in Phlomis purpurea plants was studied to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. P. purpurea plants growing under greenhouse conditions were subjected to four irrigation treatments between November and May 2008: control (C, 1 dS m-1)...

The effect of different levels of water deficit and saline stress on physiological and morphological parameters in Phlomis purpurea plants was studied to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. P. purpurea plants, grown under greenhouse conditions, were subjected to four irrigation treatments lasting 26 weeks: control (C, 1 dS m−1, 100% wat...

The irrigation water requirements and sensitivity to water deficits of ornamental plants is of great interest to horticultural producers for planning irrigation strategies. The effect of different deficit irrigation strategies on physiological and morphological parameters in geranium plants was studied in different growth phases to evaluate how suc...

Callistemon es utilizada como arbusto de flor en jardines y paisajismo en el área mediterránea. Sin embargo, el estrés hídrico prolongado puede alterar el comportamiento fisiológico y morfológico de la planta. Plantas de Callistemon citrinus en condiciones de vivero fueron sometidas a tres tratamientos de riego: un control regado diariamente a capa...

We studied the effect of salicylic acid (SA) treatment on the response of pea plants to salinity. Sodium chloride (NaCl)-induced damage to leaves was increased by SA, which was correlated with a reduction in plant growth. The content of reduced ascorbate and glutathione in leaves of salt-treated plants increased in response to SA, although accumula...

Callistemon es utilizada como arbusto de flor en jardines y paisajismo en el área mediterránea. Sin embargo, el estrés hídrico prolongado puede alterar el comportamiento fisiológico y morfológico de la planta. Plantas de Callistemon citrinus en condiciones de vivero fueron sometidas a tres tratamientos de riego: un control regado diariamente a capa...

Primer resumen: Las relaciones entre la salinidad, estrés hídrico y la nutrición mineral de las plantas son complejas. Estas condiciones adversas pueden inducir desórdenes nutricionales y modificaciones morfológicas que, a su vez, pueden reducir la calidad de la planta, aspecto que resulta de interés para la utilización de especies con fines orname...

An experiment was set up to determine the effects of irrigation with treated municipal wastewater with different electrical conductivities (1.5 dS m-1, 4 dS m-1 and 8 dS m-1) on growth, water relations and ion uptake of Eugenia myrtifolia plants grown in pot and controlled environment (growth chamber). The plants were irrigated with reclaimed water...

The purpose of this study was to analyze the physiological and morphological response of carnation plants to different levels of irrigation and to evaluate regulated deficit irrigation as a possible technique for saving water through the application of controlled drought stress. Carnations, Dianthus caryophyllus L. cultivar, were pot-grown in an un...

SUMMARY The influence of different levels of water deficit on physiological and morphological alterations in Myrtus communis plants was investigated to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. M. communis plants, growing under greenhouse conditions, were subjected to three irrigation treatments between February and August 2007: a control, an...

Geranium plants are an important part of urban green areas but suffer from drought, especially when grown in containers with a limited volume of medium. In this experiment, we examined the response of potted geraniums to different irrigation levels. Geranium (Pelargoniumxhortorum L.) seedlings were grown in a growth chamber and exposed to three irr...

The root dynamics of young early-season peach trees (Prunus persica L. Batsch, cv. Flordastar) were studied during one growing season. The trees were submitted to three drip irrigation treatments: T1 (control) irrigated at 100% of the estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) requirements, T2 (continuous deficit) irrigated at 50% ETc and T3 (partial...