Evaluation of non-water-stressed baselines for crop water stress monitoring in North China Plain

Canopy surface temperature measured with infrared thermometers or other remote IR sensor is an important tool for crop water stress monitoring. Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) is the most often used index to detect crop water stress based on canopy surface temperature. The calculation of CWSI relies on two baselines: the non-water-stressed baseline, and the maximum stressed baseline. This paper evaluates the application of the most often used non-water-stressed baselines in North China Plain (NCP): the Idso´s empirical baseline, and the Jackson´s theoretical baseline. The results show that the Jackson´s model makes better than the Idso´s in monitoring winter wheat water stress in NCP.