We present new remote sensing indices of plant water status: the ratio between the reflectance at 970 nm, one of the water absorption bands, and the reflectance at a reference wavelength, 900 nm (R970/R9000; the first derivative minimum in this near-infrared region (d_NIRminimum ) and the wavelength where this minimum is found ( λ_NIRminimum). In order to evaluate them, we carried out three experiments. Daily irrigated gerbera plants were allowed to dry until almost wilting and then daily irrigation was restarted; pepper and bean plants were grown for four months submitted to two different irrigation treatments; and bean detached leaves were submitted to progressive dehydration whereas pressure-volume curves were being carried out.

In gerbera plants, the trough about 950–970 nm decreased as the drought was increasing. Therefore, the R970/R900 index and the d_NIRminimum closely tracked the changes in relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and the foliage-air temperature differences. The λd_NIRminimum tracked even better these changes in gerberas. However, these water status indices began to be significant when the water stress was already well developed, at RWC smaller than 85 per cent. The same happened to detached leaves of beans which did not present differences above −1·55 MPa water potential. Beans and peppers growing at soil matric potentials larger than −0·04 MPa presented higher R970/R900 values than those growing at soil matric potentials only larger than −0·01 MPa.

In all the cases, the maximum response of these indices was found in the varieties or the species that lost cell wall elasticity in response to drought stress. This could indicate an important structural component in these indices changes. Relative water content itself seemed to be, however, the most important factor as shown by the highest correlation coefficients with these spectral indices. These spectral signals were more evident at canopy level than at leaf level. They seem to be useful as water status indicators at ground level, especially when there are not important changes of LAI and when plants wholly cover the soil.