Revisiting the Heat Field Deformation (HFD) method for measuring sap flow

doi:10.3832/ifor2381-011

Revisiting the Heat Field Deformation (HFD) method for measuring sap flow

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages 118-130 (2018)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor2381-011
Published: Feb 07, 2018 - Copyright © 2018 SISEF

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The Heat Field Deformation (HFD) technique is a thermodynamic method for measuring sap flow. Based on continuous heating the HFD method allows for high time resolution measurements which are highly important when studying plant responses to abrupt environmental changes. This work provides a succinct review of previously described features of the HFD methodology. Analyzing symmetrical and asymmetrical temperature differences around a measured linear heater (dT_symand dT_as) relative to their ratio dT_sym/dT_as (so called a K-diagram) is at the heart of this methodology. This key concept, however, has to date only been generally described in previous works on the HFD technique. My objective here is to provide a comprehensive overview describing different types of K-diagrams, their interpretation and application for determining K-values or dT_as for a zero flow condition. The K-value is a measured parameter which is particularly important for objectively characterizing heat conducting properties at the sensor insertion point under specific local measurement conditions. Correctly determining the K-value is critical for accurately calculating sap flow based on recorded temperature measurements. I have included in this review several examples demonstrating how the K-value is dependent upon changes to the environment and its important role in sap flow estimation.

Keywords

K-diagram, K/R-diagram, K-value, Sap Flow per Section, Sap Flux Density, Sensor

Authors’ address

(1)

Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelská 3, 61300 Brno (Czech Republic)

Corresponding author

Nadezhda Nadezhdina
nadezdan@mendelu.cz

Citation

Nadezhdina N (2018). Revisiting the Heat Field Deformation (HFD) method for measuring sap flow. iForest 11: 118-130. - doi: 10.3832/ifor2381-011

Academic Editor

Jesus Julio Camarero

Paper history

Received: Jan 30, 2017
Accepted: Jan 17, 2018

First online: Feb 07, 2018
Publication Date: Feb 28, 2018
Publication Time: 0.70 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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