Dew Can Prolong Photosynthesis and Water Status During Drought in Some Epiphytic Bromeliads From a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest

Dew can represent an alternate water source in epiphytic bromeliads. However, the physiological relevance of dew to withstand the dry season, within seasonal forests, is not fully understood. To study the effect of dew deposition in the physiological response of four Tillandsia species with contrasting morphologies, we performed an experiment in the tropical dry deciduous forest of Dzibilchaltún, Mexico, during the transition from the wet to the dry season. Half of the individuals were covered every night with a plastic tarp to prevent dew deposition. Environmental variables were monitored, and physiological variables (relative water content, leaf succulence, nocturnal tissue acidification and electron transport rate) were measured at the beginning and end of the experiment. We found that throughout the drought, there was consistent nighttime dew formation for >4 h. Both the time the leaves spent at a temperature below dew point of the air and the effect on water and carbon metabolism was species -specific, as evidenced by the comparison among the exposed and covered (dew -deprived) plants. Tillandsia elongata and Tillandsia brachycaulos had longer times of dew formation and showed higher water content at the end of the experiment when exposed to dew, the latter species also had a significant effect of dew on nocturnal acidity. In contrast, neither Tillandsia yucatana nor Tillandsia fasciculata seemed to be using dew as a relevant source of water during the dry period. We discuss the species’ morphoanatomical traits that may be related to the differences in dew formation and use.

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Dew absorption by the leaf trichomes of Combretum leprosum in the Brazilian semiarid region

Functional Plant Biology ◽

10.1071/fp15337 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (9) ◽

pp. 851 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Ana L. C. B. Pina ◽

Roberta B. Zandavalli ◽

Rafael S. Oliveira ◽

Fernando R. Martins ◽

Arlete A. Soares

Keyword(s):

Water Status ◽

Water Source ◽

Leaf Water ◽

Semiarid Region ◽

Leaf Water Status ◽

Leaf Trichomes ◽

Brazilian Semiarid ◽

Dew Formation ◽

Combretum Leprosum ◽

Leaf Tissues

Dew formation is common in several regions of the world, but in arid and semiarid regions dew may represent an important water source for plants. In this study, we tested whether the leaves of a common shrub in the semiarid region of Brazil, Combretum leprosum Mart. (Combretaceae) absorb dew. We also identified the leaf anatomical structures that are involved in this process and tested whether dew absorption favours hydration of leaf tissues in both field and greenhouse experiments. The translucent and shiny leaf trichomes of C. leprosum absorbed dew. Leaf water absorption through hydrophilic trichomes and the presence of hydrophilic polysaccharides in C. leprosum increased its leaf water status. The presence of paraveinal mesophyll and the role of this tissue in the redistribution of water in the leaf are shown for the first time in Combretaceae.

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Moisture distribution within a maize crop due to dew.

Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.18174/njas.v38i2.16599 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 117-129

Author(s):

A.J. Atzema ◽

A.F.G. Jacobs ◽

L. Wartena

Keyword(s):

Free Water ◽

Bowen Ratio ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Dew Point ◽

Moisture Distribution ◽

Maize Crop ◽

Dew Formation ◽

Balance Technique ◽

The Difference ◽

Dew Deposition

During 16 nights in Sept. and Oct. 1986, the process of dew formation was studied within a crop of maize cv. Vivia. With the Bowen ratio energy balance technique the total dewfall from above the canopy was measured. By estimating the soil characteristics and measuring the soil moisture and temp. gradients of the topsoil, an assessment of the dewrise from the soil could be made. To estimate the distribution of free water within the crop, the liquid water profile was measured with Leick plates at 5 levels. Dewfall proved to contribute most to the total dew deposition. As an av. for the experimental period, nearly 5% could be attributed to dewrise and 25% could be attributed to dewfall. On the 10 occasions, the total amount of dew ranged between 0.01 and 0.41 mm per night. To obtain a simple but rough indication for the amount of dew, the difference between the min. and midday dew point temp. could be applied, or, if the soil was well-watered, the topsoil temp. gradient could be applied. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

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The Method of Plant Water Status Measurement in Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatas (L) Lam.)

Beccariana Botanical Research Bulletin ◽

10.30862/bbrp.v7i1.274 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Saraswati Prabawardani

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Sweet Potato ◽

Relative Water Content ◽

Water Status ◽

Plant Water Status ◽

Equilibration Time ◽

Plant Water ◽

Font Size ◽

Potato Leaf ◽

Relative Water

The measurement of plant water status such as leaf water potential (LWP) and leaf relative water content (RWC) is important part of understanding plant physiology and biomass production. Preliminary study was made to determine the optimum amount of leaf abrasion and equilibration time of sweet potato leaf inside the thermocouple psychrometer chambers. Based on the trial, the standard equilibration time curve of a Peltier thermocouple for sweet potato leaf was between 2 and 3 hours. To increase the water vapour conductance across the leaf epidermis the waxy leaf cuticle should be removed or broken by abrasion. The result showed that 4 times leaf rubbings was accepted as the most effective way to increase leaf vapour conductance of sweet potato in the psychrometer chambers. In calculating the leaf relative water content, unstressed water of sweet potato leaves require 4 hours imbibition, whereas water stressed of sweet potato leaves require 5 to 6 hours to reach the saturation time. Either leaf water potential or relative water content can be used as a parameter for plant water status in sweet potato.

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Capability of leaf water content and its threshold values in reflection of soil–plant water status in maize during prolonged drought

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107395 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 124 ◽

pp. 107395

Author(s):

Huailin Zhou ◽

Guangsheng Zhou ◽

Qijin He ◽

Li Zhou ◽

Yuhe Ji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Water Status ◽

Leaf Water ◽

Plant Water Status ◽

Leaf Water Content ◽

Plant Water ◽

Threshold Values ◽

Prolonged Drought

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Tree-Ring Formation, Radial Increment Periodicity, and Phenology of Tree Species from a Seasonal Semi-Deciduous Forest in Southeast Brazil

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-90000179 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 189-207 ◽

Cited By ~ 85

Author(s):

Claudio S. Lisi ◽

Mário Tomazello Fo ◽

Paulo C. Botosso ◽

Fidel A. Roig ◽

Vivian R.B. Maria ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Rings ◽

Tree Species ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Dry Season ◽

Tree Age ◽

Radial Increment ◽

Future Studies ◽

Southeast Brazil

Many tropical tree species produce growth rings in response to seasonal environmental factors that influence the activity of the vascular cambium. We applied the following methods to analyze the annual nature of treering formation of 24 tree species from a seasonal semi-deciduous forest of southeast Brazil: describing wood anatomy and phenology, counting tree rings after cambium markings, and using permanent dendrometer bands. After 7 years of systematic observations and measurements, we found the following: the trees lost their leaves during the dry season and grew new leaves at the end of the same season; trunk increment dynamics corresponded to seasonal changes in precipitation, with higher increment (active period) during the rainy season (October–April) and lower increment (dormant period) during the dry season (May–September); the number of tree rings formed after injuries to the cambium coincided with the number of years since the extraction of the wood samples. As a result of these observations, it was concluded that most study trees formed one growth ring per year. This suggests that tree species from the seasonal semi-deciduous forests of Brazil have an annual cycle of wood formation. Therefore, these trees have potential for use in future studies of tree age and radial growth rates, as well as to infer ecological and regional climatic conditions. These future studies can provide important information for the management and conservation of these endangered forests.

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Detection of bark lesions caused by Phytophthoracinnamomi in Eucalyptusmarginata with the plant impedance ratio meter and the Shigometer

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x87-190 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 17 (10) ◽

pp. 1228-1233 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Joanna T. Tippett ◽

Joanne L. Barclay

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Electrical Resistance ◽

Water Status ◽

Healthy Tissue ◽

Plant Tissues ◽

Tissue Water Content ◽

Tissue Water ◽

Impedance Ratio ◽

New Instrument ◽

Electrical Admittance

A new instrument, the plant impedance ratio meter (PIRM), has been used to determine the extent of lesions caused by Phytophthoracinnamomi Rands in Eucalyptusmarginata Sm. The performance of the PIRM, which measures electrical admittance (the inverse of impedance) of plant tissues at two frequencies (from which an impedance ratio is calculated), was evaluated and compared with that of the Shigometer. The electrical admittance measured at 1 and 10 kHz (PIRM) and the electrical resistance (Shigometer) of healthy tissue varied with both the depth of tissue probed and the water status of stems. However, the impedance ratios (calculated from the admittance values) remained relatively constant for healthy tissue and changes were independent of depth of probing. Hence, changes in ratios indicated a change in tissue condition or necrosis rather than changes in either tissue water content or depth of probing. The impedance ratios recorded for healthy bark tissues were consistently higher than those for the P. cinnamomi lesions in E. marginata. Trends in electrical resistance measured across the boundaries of the lesions with the Shigometer were variable depending on lesion age. The PIRM was used successfully to detect P. cinnamomi lesions in E. marinate and lesion fronts were predicted to an accuracy of ± 7.2 mm (n = 150), lesions being up to 1.0 m long at the time stems were harvested.

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Soil water content at the catchment level and plant water status relationships in a Mediterranean Quercus ilex forest

Journal of Hydrology ◽

10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.05.002 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 357 (1-2) ◽

pp. 67-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. Bellot ◽

J.M. Ortiz de Urbina

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Quercus Ilex ◽

Water Status ◽

Plant Water Status ◽

Plant Water ◽

Quercus Ilex Forest

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Branch elongation and diameter growth were temporally dissociatedin "cerrado" tree species

Hoehnea ◽

10.1590/s2236-89062009000300005 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 437-444 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Davi Rodrigo Rossatto

Keyword(s):

Water Status ◽

Carbon Assimilation ◽

Dry Season ◽

Diameter Growth ◽

Wet Season ◽

Dry Period ◽

Central Brazil ◽

Branch Growth ◽

Tree Community ◽

One Year

Here is a communicating about time differences between branch and diameter growth in a tree community of ten species in Neotropical savanna ("cerrado") of Central Brazil. This work was conducted to study branch expansion and diameter growth in a period of one year between 2006 and 2007. Branch growth had begin in middle dry season and had the peak occurrence during the dry period in September, while diameter growth had begin in late dry season and peaked in the middle of wet season in December. The majority of species followed the same pattern. Branch growth did not have relation with rainfall, while diameter growth had a clear and positive relation with rainfall records. These results suggested that branch growth was not depend on rainfall but only on water status recover, while diameter growth probably depends strongly on water and to carbon assimilation that occurs after branch and leaf expansion.

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Dry Season Den Use by Pygmy Spotted Skunk (Spilogale pygmaea) in a Tropical Deciduous Forest of Mexico

Biotropica ◽

10.1111/j.1744-7429.2008.00482.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 347-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lisette Cantú-Salazar ◽

Mircea G. Hidalgo-Mihart ◽

Carlos A. López-González ◽

Alberto González-Romero

Keyword(s):

Deciduous Forest ◽

Dry Season ◽

Tropical Deciduous Forest ◽

Den Use

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SURFACE RESIDUES: EFFECTS ON SOIL MOISTURE AND TEMPERATURE1

Revista Caatinga ◽

10.1590/1983-21252021v34n416rc ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 887-894

Author(s):

GUSTAVO HADDAD SOUZA VIEIRA ◽

ARILDO SEBASTIÃO SILVA ◽

ARUN DILIPKUMAR JANI ◽

LUSINERIO PREZOTTI ◽

PAOLA ALFONSA VIEIRA LO MONACO

Keyword(s):

Soil Temperature ◽

Water Content ◽

Soil Water ◽

Soil Water Content ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Block Design ◽

Soil Disturbance ◽

Dry Season ◽

Depth Range ◽

Sunn Hemp

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine how crop residue placement and composition would affect soil water content and temperature during the dry season in the central region of Espírito Santo state, Brazil. A 19-week field study was conducted from April to August 2017. A 2 x 4 factorial study with four replications was implemented using a randomized complete block design. Factors were soil management [conventional tillage (CT) and no soil disturbance (ND)] and residue amendment [maize (Zea mays L.), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.), a maize-sunn hemp mixture, and a no amendment control]. Soil water content and temperature were measured weekly at predetermined soil depth intervals. Soil water content was higher in ND plots amended with surface residues than under all other treatments in the 0 to 0.05 m depth range. All residue amendments in this range were equally effective in conserving soil water. Surface residues reduced soil temperature by up to 8.4 °C relative to the control in ND plots. Incorporating residue amendments by CT cancelled all temperature-moderating benefits provided by surface residues. These results indicate that surface residues from cereals, legumes, or cereal/legume mixtures are equally effective in conserving soil water and moderating soil temperature during the dry season. Additional research is needed to determine how improved soil environmental conditions, generated by surface residues, would affect nutrient acquisition and crop performance.

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