Abstract:

Knowledge of plant water status is essential for decision-making in crop management, especially in contexts of water stress and irrigation optimization. Among the available tools, the Scholander pressure chamber is a pressure device that allows direct measurement of leaf water potential in plant tissues, providing physiological information for field diagnosis.

This proposal presents a teaching innovation activity, focused on the integration of the Scholander pressure chamber as a training resource to help students understand, quantify, and interpret plant water stress levels. The educational objectives of the activity are to improve students’ ability to perform physiological measurements, interpret water potential values, and translate these data into agronomic recommendations. The activity is structured in two complementary phases and is framed within an active learning-by-doing methodology, so students must interpret real data and make informed decisions. This approach provides added value compared with traditional theoretical instruction, as it exposes students to real measurement instruments and authentic decision-making scenarios.

First, students carry out measurements in a greenhouse using plant material subjected to stress conditions (deficit irrigation) and plants in good water status. This phase allows them to observe differences in water potential values, understand the underlying physiological principles, and become familiar with pressure units (MPa, kPa, bar, etc.). In addition, calibration curves are plotted to classify different levels of stress in the plant.

In a second step, students apply the knowledge acquired to a real case by analyzing another plant not included in the calibration. The water status of this plant is unknown to the students, who must interpret the measurements obtained using the previously established curve and the knowledge acquired. Finally, an agronomic diagnosis that integrates both theory and direct measurement on plant material will allow them to solve a problem similar to those they would encounter in a professional context.

The main objective of this proposal is to provide a learning-by-doing environment in which students understand how the Scholander pressure chamber works and develop the ability to link measured values with sound agronomic decisions. Through this practice, students not only strengthen their critical thinking, data analysis, and technical skills in agronomy and laboratory work, but also develop essential soft skills related to teamwork, scientific communication, and problem-solving, promoting a more reflective and autonomous decision-making process. Feedback from students shows increased confidence in understanding physiological measurements and enhanced engagement with practical plant physiology.

Keywords:

Active learning, Plant physiology education, Practical measurement skills, Data-driven decision-making, Laboratory innovation, Student competencies.