RGB Imaging and Irrigation Management Reveal Water Stress Thresholds in Three Urban Shrubs in Northern China

RGB Imaging and Irrigation Management Reveal Water Stress Thresholds in Three Urban Shrubs in Northern China

The context of global climate change, water stress has a significant impact on the ecological function and landscape value of urban greening shrubs. In this study, three typical greening shrubs (<i>Euonymus japonicus</i>, <i>Ligustrum</i> × <i>vicaryi</i>, and <...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yuan Niu, Xiaotian Xu, Wenxu Huang, Jiaying Li, Shaoning Li, Na Zhao, Bin Li, Chengyang Xu, Shaowei Lu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
image processing
color mode
drought tolerance
color index
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/15/2253
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Summary:The context of global climate change, water stress has a significant impact on the ecological function and landscape value of urban greening shrubs. In this study, three typical greening shrubs (<i>Euonymus japonicus</i>, <i>Ligustrum</i> × <i>vicaryi</i>, and <i>Berberis thunbergii</i> var. <i>atropurpurea</i>) in North China were subjected to a two-year field-controlled experiment (2022–2023) with four water treatments: full irrigation, deficit irrigation, natural rainfall, and extreme drought. The key findings are as follows: (1) Extreme drought reduced the color indices substantially—the G<sub>CC</sub> of <i>E. japonicus</i> decreased by 40% (2023); the R<sub>CC</sub> of <i>B. thunbergii</i> var. <i>atropurpurea</i> declined by 35% (2022); and the color indices of <i>L.</i> × <i>vicaryi</i> remained stable (variation < 15%). (2) Early-season soil water content (SWC) strongly correlated with the color index of <i>E. japonicus</i> (r<sup>2</sup> = 0.42, <i>p</i> < 0.05) but weakly with <i>B. thunbergii</i> (r<sup>2</sup> = 0.28), suggesting species-specific drought-tolerance mechanisms like reduced leaf area. (3) Deficit irrigation (SWC ≈ 40%) maintained color indices between fully irrigated and drought-stressed levels. Notably, <i>B. thunbergii</i> retained high redness (R<sub>CC</sub> > 0.8) at an SWC ≈ 40%; <i>E. japonicus</i> required an SWC > 60% to preserve greenness (G<sub>CC</sub>). The research results provide a scientific basis for urban greening plant screening and water-saving irrigation strategies, and expand the application scenarios of color coordinates in plant physiological and ecological research.
ISSN:2223-7747

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