scholarly journals SurEau: a mechanistic model of plant water relations under extreme drought

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Cochard ◽  
François Pimont ◽  
Julien Ruffault ◽  
Nicolas Martin-StPaul

Abstract Key message A new process-based model,SurEau, is described. It predicts the risk of xylem hydraulic failure under drought. Context The increase in drought intensity due to climate change will accentuate the risk of tree mortality. But very few process-based models are currently able to predict this mortality risk. Aims We describe the operating principle of a new mechanistic model SurEau that computes the water balance, water relations, and hydraulics of a plant under extreme drought. Methods SurEau is based on the formalization of key physiological processes of plant response to water stress. The hydraulic and hydric functioning of the plant is at the core of this model, which focuses on both water flows (i.e., hydraulic) and water pools (i.e., hydric) using variable hydraulic conductances. The model considers the elementary flow of water from the soil to the atmosphere through different plant organs that are described by their symplasmic and apoplasmic compartments. For each organ, the symplasm is described by a pressure-volume curve and the apoplasm by its vulnerability curve to cavitation. The model is evaluated on mature oak trees exposed to water stress. Results On the tested oak trees, the model captures well the observed soil water balance, water relations, and level of embolism. A sensitivity analysis reveals that the level of embolism is strongly determined by air VPD and key physiological traits such as cuticular transpiration, resistance to cavitation, and leaf area. Conclusion The process-based SurEau model offers new opportunities to evaluate how different species or genotypes will respond to future climatic conditions.

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 618
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Griffith ◽  
Susan Rutherford ◽  
Kerri L. Clarke ◽  
Nigel W. M. Warwick

This study examined the water relations of sclerophyllous evergreen vegetation (wallum) on coastal sand barriers in eastern Australia. Many wallum species may be groundwater dependent, although the extent of this dependency is largely unknown. Twenty-six perennial tree, shrub and herb species were investigated in three groundwater habitats (ridge, open depression, closed depression). Pre-dawn and midday shoot xylem water potentials (ψx) were measured monthly between late autumn 2010 and late summer 2011. Pressure–volume curve traits were determined in mid- to late spring 2009, including the osmotic potential at full (π100) and zero (π0) turgor, and bulk modulus of elasticity (ε). Carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) were also determined in mid- to late spring 2009, to measure water-use efficiency (WUE). The species displayed a range of physiological strategies in response to water relations, and these strategies overlapped among contrasting growth forms and habitats. Linear relationships between osmotic and elastic adjustment were significant. A strong correlation between δ13C and distribution along the hydrological gradient was not apparent. Banksia ericifolia subsp. macrantha (A.S.George) A.S.George, Eucalyptus racemosa Cav. subsp. racemosa and Eucalyptus robusta Sm. displayed little seasonal variation in ψx and maintained a comparatively high pre-dawn ψx, and are therefore likely to be phreatophytic. Wetland vegetation in the lowest part of the landscape appeared to tolerate extreme fluctuations in water availability linked to a prevailing climatic pattern of variable and unreliable seasonal rainfall.


2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. K. V. CARR ◽  
J. W. KNOX

SUMMARYThe results of research on the water relations and irrigation needs of sugar cane are collated and summarized in an attempt to link fundamental studies on crop physiology to irrigation practices. Background information on the centres of production of sugar cane is followed by reviews of (1) crop development, including roots; (2) plant water relations; (3) crop water requirements; (4) water productivity; (5) irrigation systems and (6) irrigation scheduling. The majority of the recent research published in the international literature has been conducted in Australia and southern Africa. Leaf/stem extension is a more sensitive indicator of the onset of water stress than stomatal conductance or photosynthesis. Possible mechanisms by which cultivars differ in their responses to drought have been described. Roots extend in depth at rates of 5–18 mm d−1 reaching maximum depths of > 4 m in ca. 300 d providing there are no physical restrictions. The Penman-Monteith equation and the USWB Class A pan both give good estimates of reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo). The corresponding values for the crop coefficient (Kc) are 0.4 (initial stage), 1.25 (peak season) and 0.75 (drying off phase). On an annual basis, the total water-use (ETc) is in the range 1100–1800 mm, with peak daily rates of 6–15 mm d−1. There is a linear relationship between cane/sucrose yields and actual evapotranspiration (ETc) over the season, with slopes of about 100 (cane) and 13 (sugar) kg (ha mm)−1 (but variable). Water stress during tillering need not result in a loss in yield because of compensatory growth on re-watering. Water can be withheld prior to harvest for periods of time up to the equivalent of twice the depth of available water in the root zone. As alternatives to traditional furrow irrigation, drag-line sprinklers and centre pivots have several advantages, such as allowing the application of small quantities of water at frequent intervals. Drip irrigation should only be contemplated when there are well-organized management systems in place. Methods for scheduling irrigation are summarized and the reasons for their limited uptake considered. In conclusion, the ‘drivers for change’, including the need for improved environmental protection, influencing technology choice if irrigated sugar cane production is to be sustainable are summarized.


2015 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 16-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Uzawa ◽  
Mikiya Otsuji ◽  
Koichi Nakazawa ◽  
Wei Fan ◽  
Yoshitsugu Yamada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary J. Robbins ◽  
Chonggang Xu ◽  
Brian H. Aukema ◽  
Polly C. Buotte ◽  
Rutuja Chitra‐Tarak ◽  
...  

1976 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Lai-Fook ◽  
T. A. Wilson ◽  
R. E. Hyatt ◽  
J. R. Rodarte

The elastic constants of dog lungs were determined at various degrees of inflation. In one set of experiments, the lobes were subjected to deformations that approximated the conditions of uniaxial loading. These data, together with the bulk modulus data obtained from the local slope of the pressure-volume curve, were used to determine the two elastic moduli that are needed to describe small nonuniform deformations about an initial state of uniform inflation. The bulk modulus was approximately 4 times the inflation pressure, and Young's modulus was approximately 1.5 times the inflation pressure. In a second set of experiments, lobes were subjected to indentation tests using cylindric punches 1–3 cm in diameter. The value for Young's modulus obtained from these data was slightly higher, approximately twice the inflation pressure. These experiments indicate that the lung is much more easily deformable in shear than in dilatation and that the Poisson ratio for the lung is high, approximately 0.43.


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