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Non-destructive real-time monitoring of leaf water status is important for precision irrigation practice to increase water productivity and reduce its use. To this end, we tested and validated a novel leaf sensor (Leaf Water Meter, LWM), based on the photon attenuation during the passage of the light through the leaf, to monitor plant water status. Four woody species were subjected to multiple cycles of dehydration and re-hydration, and the signals recorded by the LWM were compared with classical measurements of plant water relations (relative water content and water potential). A good agreement between the signals recorded by LWM sensor and the destructive measurements, throughout the repeated water stress and rewatering cycles, was found across all species. These results demonstrate that LWM sensor is a sensitive, non-destructive and easy-to-handle device to reliably monitor in continuous fashion leaf water status. In conclusion, this sensor may be considered a promising tool for smart irrigation scheduling in precision agriculture context to decrease water wastage in light of global change and increasing conflicts over water demand., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The article “On-line monitoring of plant water status: validation of a novel sensor based on photon attenuation of radiation through the leaf ” has not been published previously and it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. The publication of this article is approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. We declare that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)