The influences of temperature and soil water on growth, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation of red alder (Alnusrubra) seedlings

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1029-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Hawkins ◽  
S. McDonald

A 3 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the interaction of temperature and soil water status on the growth, photosynthetic, transpiration, and nitrogen fixation rates of 2-month-old red alder (Alnusrubra Bong.) seedlings. Three day: night temperature treatments, 15:10 °C, 20:10 °C, and 25:10 °C were used. Two soil-water treatments kept pots between 85 and 100% of field capacity (wet) and 70–85% of field capacity (dry). Treatment effects on growth, net photosynthetic, transpiration and nitrogen fixation rates, plant water potential, and foliar nutrient concentration were measured over a 9-week period. The greatest seedling growth occurred at 25 °C day temperatures, while 20 and 25 °C days produced the greatest nodule growth. The allocation of biomass to roots increased with decreasing temperature. The highest rates of net photosynthesis occurred at 15 and 20 °C whereas transpiration was greatest at 25 °C. Plant water stress was greatest at 25 °C. The difference in plant water potential between the wet and dry treatments was only 0.04 MPa, which was not great enough to produce significant effects on growth or photosynthesis. Nitrogen fixation rates were highest in the wet treatment seedlings at 20 and 25 °C.

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 250e-251
Author(s):  
Hui-lian Xu ◽  
Jean Caron ◽  
André Gosselin

Water potential at soil–root interface (ψ s-r) indicates soil water availability to the plants. It is related to plant water potential and transpiration. To know the characteristics of ψ s-r, in the plants under a subirrigation system, hysteresis of ψ s-r, as well as xylem water potential (ψ x) and transpiration were examined in response to soil dehydration for Prunus × cistena grown in three soil mixes: mix 1-composted bark, peat, and sand; mix 2—peat, bark, sand, and compost; and mix 3—peat, sawdust, and sand. When the soil mixes were dried from high to low water potential (ψ s), plants grown in mix 2 maintained higher ψ s-r, as well as higher ψ x and higher transpiration. However, when the soil mixes were dehydrated from the bottom, the relationships of ψ s-r, ψ x, and transpiration to ψ s showed strong hysteresis effect. ψ s-r was always lower at a given ψ s when soil was rewetted from dry to wet conditions than when soil was dried from wet conditions. ψ x and transpiration also showed hysteresis in response to soil dehydration. The extent of hysteresis was the largest in mix 2 and the smallest in mix 3. Hysteresis of ψ X or transpiration showed a similar trend to that of ψ s-r. This suggests that ψ s-r is a good indicator of soil water availability to the plants and more directly related to ψ X and transpiration than is ψ s. The difference in hysteresis of ψ s-r among soil mixes might be related to the properties of hydraulic conductance, which are determined by the soil texture. Hence, further study is needed to elucidate the mechanism of the hysteresis phenomenon.


1984 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. McGowan ◽  
P. Blanch ◽  
P. J. Gregory ◽  
D. Haycock

SummaryShoot and root growth and associated leaf and soil water potential relations were compared in three consecutive crops of winter wheat grown in the same field. Despite a profuse root system the crop grown in the second drought year (1976) failed to dry the soil as throughly as the crops in 1975 and 1977. Measurements of plant water potential showed that the restricted utilization of soil water reserves by this crop was associated with failure to make any significant osmotic adjustment, leading to premature loss of leaf turgor and stomatal closure. The implications of these results for models to estimate actual crop evaporation from values of potential evaporation are discussed.


1981 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
BR Tunstall ◽  
DJ Connor

Water input, soil water storage and plant water status were measured at monthly intervals over 2� years In a mature brigalow (Acacla harpophylla) forest. Redistribution of rainfall by the canopy was slight and stem flow averaged only 1.8%, but the direct loss of intercepted water accounted for 15% of the Annual ramfall In the wettest condltlon the soil stored 890 mm of water to a depth of 3 m The minimum sod water store measured under severe drought conditions was 840 mm when the dawn values of plant water potential were -6.8 MPa The soil water potentials below 1 m were consistently around -3.5 MPa due largely to high salt concentrations The tendency in a drying soil was towards a uniform profile of soil water potentlal, and soil water at depths below 1 m was extracted only when dawn plant water potentials were less than - 3.5 MPa Over monthly Intervals the maximum and minimum rates of evapotransplratlon were 3.3 and 0 .46 mm/d respectively, and the pattern of community water use was related to rainfall and not to potentlal evaporation. To survive in such an environment the plants develop and withstand extremely low water potentials associated wlth the low availability of water and the high evaporative demand.


1975 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
BR Tunstall ◽  
DJ Connor

On one day each month over a period of 2½ years, diurnal measurements of plant water status, leaf diffusive resistance, carbon uptake, irradiance, ambient temperature and humidity were made in a brigalow community. Diurnal changes in leaf diffusive resistance, osmotic potential, plant water potential, and carbon uptake are shown to follow general patterns and the changes in plant water potential were related to the dawn value of plant water potential. The data suggest the development of negative turgor in brigalow and demonstrate the capacity of the plant to maintain high tissue water contents at low water potentials. Measurements of shoot extension and litter fall showed that litter fall occurred principally following shoot extension.


1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. SMITH ◽  
M. DIJAK ◽  
D. J. HUME

White bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is generally reported to fix less N than soybean (Glycine max Merrill [L.]). Recent work has shown that in soybean the onset of physiological responses that conserve plant and soil water occurs at greater water deficits than in some other legumes. Little is known about water use regulation in white bean. Research was conducted to compare the responses of these two species to water deficit, particularly its effects on N2 fixation, in both controlled environment and field conditions. In the growth room, plant water potential, leaf diffusive resistance, acetylene reduction and nodule mass per plant were measured for both species during progressive drought, and compared to watered controls. In the field, the leaf diffusive resistance of irrigated and unirrigated plants of both species was measured, as was the soil water potential in plots where these crops were grown. Under conditions of increasing water deficit white bean reacts to conserve plant and soil water sooner than soybean: closing its stomates earlier under drought conditions and maintaining higher plant water potentials. White bean acetylene reduction declined more rapidly over time and over plant water potential levels, but not over changes in leaf diffusive resistance, than that of soybean, as the droughting progressed. In the field, under drought conditions, white bean root nodules senesced, while soybean nodules did not, and white bean was observed to exhibit more parahelionasty than soybean. The onset of physiological responses that conserve plant and soil water occurred at lesser water deficits in white bean than soybean, and this was reflected in more extreme effects on N2 fixation by white bean.Key words: White bean, soybean, water deficit, acetylene reduction, nitrogen fixation, nodulation


2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-115
Author(s):  
Johannes Hertzler ◽  
Steffen Rust

Soil water potential can be used as a proxy for plant available water in irrigation scheduling. This study investigated the relationship between soil water potential and plant water status of pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) planted into two different substrates. Predawn leaf water potential as a well-established measure of the plant water status and soil water potential correlated very well. However, estimating the plant water status from individual sensor readings is subject to significant estimation errors. Furthermore, it was shown that heterogeneous soil/root ball combinations can lead to critical effects on the soil water balance, and that sensors installed outside of the root balls cannot estimate the plant water status without site-specific calibration.


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