Cross-validation on saplings of High-Capacity Tensiometer and Thermocouple Psychrometer for continuous monitoring of xylem water potential

The Pressure Chamber, the most popular method used to measure xylem water potential, is a discontinuous and destructive technique and therefore not suitable for automated monitoring. Continuous non-destructive monitoring could only be achieved until very recently via the Thermocouple Psychrometer (TP). We here present the High-Capacity Tensiometer (HCT) as alternative method for continuous non-destructive monitoring. This provided us with a unique chance to cross-validate the two instruments by installing them simultaneously on the same sapling stem. The HCT and the TP showed excellent agreement for xylem water potential < -0.5 MPa. Response to day/night cycles and watering was remarkably in phase, indicating excellent response time of both instruments despite substantially different working principles. For xylem water potential > -0.5 MPa, the discrepancies sometimes observed between the HCT and TP were mainly attributed to the kaolin paste used to establish contact between the xylem and the HCT, which becomes hydraulically poorly conductive in this range of water potential once dried beyond its air-entry value and subsequently re-wetted. Notwithstanding this limitation, which can be overcome by selecting a clay paste with higher air-entry value, the HCT has been shown to represent a valid alternative to the TP.

Measurement of xylem water pressure using High-Capacity Tensiometer and benchmarking against Pressure Chamber and Thermocouple Psychrometer

The response of the shallow portion of the ground (vadose zone) and of earth structures is affected by the interaction with the atmosphere. Rainwater infiltration and evapotranspiration affect the stability of man-made and natural slopes and cause shallow foundations and embankments to settle and heave. Very frequently, the ground surface is covered by vegetation and, as a result, transpiration plays a major role in ground-atmosphere interaction. The soil, the plant, and the atmosphere form a continuous hydraulic system, which is referred to as Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum (SPAC). The SPAC actually represents the ‘boundary condition’ of the geotechnical water flow problem. Water flow in soil and plant takes place because of gradients in hydraulic head triggered by the negative water pressure (water tension) generated in the leaf stomata. To study the response of the SPAC, (negative) water pressure needs to be measured not only in the soil but also in the plant. The paper presents a novel technique to measure the xylem water pressure based on the use of the High-Capacity Tensiometer (HCT), which is benchmarked against conventional techniques for xylem water pressure measurements, i.e. the Pressure Chamber (PC) and the Thermocouple Psychrometer (TP).

The water relations of two tropical rainforest species (Virola surinamensis and Eperua falcata): Is Virola unusual as previously reported?

The objective of this study was to examine the water relations and hydraulic architecture and vulnerability to cavitation in Virola surinamensis and V. michelii and to compare to similar measurements in Eperua falcata. In several previous reports Virola was seen to have a rather narrow range of xylem pressure potentials (Ψx) near zero in the course of a wet-season day while having water fluxes quite close to Eperua. We tested the hypothesis that the narrow range of Ψx might be consistent with very high hydraulic conductivities of stems, roots and shoots and high vulnerability to cavitation in Virola compared to Eperua. When this hypothesis proved false we concluded that the previous determinations of Ψx might be wrong in Virola due to latex. We re-examined the determination of Ψx in Virola by the pressure chamber technique and compared results to determination of Ψleaf by the thermocouple psychrometer technique and found that the likely range of Ψx are more negative than previously reported. Problems concerning the determination of Ψx in species with latex are discussed.

Temperature Effects on Soil Suction for Compacted Clay Soils

An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of temperature, compaction water content, and compaction efforts on soil suction of two expansive subgrade soils. For this purpose, two expansive soils were statically compacted at target water contents ranging from 5% to 20%. This made it possible to explore a broad spectrum of compaction conditions. Filter paper method and thermocouple psychrometer were used to measure soil suction at temperatures ranging from 10°C to 60°C. Experimental results show that compaction water content, compaction effort, and temperature have influences on soil suction. As water content increases, the influences of compaction effort and temperature on suction become less significant. Finally multiple regression formulations for predicting the soil suction of as-compacted clayey soil were established.

Turgor Closely Relates to Postharvest Fruit Softening and Can Be a Useful Index to Select a Parent for Producing Cultivars with Good Storage Potential in Apple

Changes in turgor and flesh firmness during storage at 20 °C were investigated using 27 apple (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) cultivars for 2 years. Flesh firmness was measured using a penetrometer, and turgor was determined using a thermocouple psychrometer. Firmness and turgor of fruit decreased during storage. The cultivars with little softening during storage had low rates of reduction in turgor. The softening rates in mealy cultivars were high, but there were cultivars with low rates of turgor reduction. When the rates of reduction in turgor after harvest were low, the mealy cultivars of the fruit tended to develop severe mealiness during storage. Therefore, a low rate of reduction in turgor could contribute to cultivars with both good shelf life and severe mealiness. The reduction rates of turgor in progeny cultivars were nearly identical to the mean reduction rates of turgor of their parents. This suggests that a cultivar with a low reduction rate of turgor, although it can be mealy, has the potential to produce a progeny with a low reduction rate of turgor.