Effects of soil water supply and temperature on the photosynthesis of white clover and paspalum in irrigated pastures

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJ Blaikie ◽  
FM Martin ◽  
WK Mason ◽  
DJ Connor

Field canopy chambers were used to measure the effect of a range of soil water contents from surface ponding to very dry soil and the effect of high summer temperatures on the photosynthesis of irrigated white clover and paspalum pastures. Water was ponded for 5-12 days on swards of white clover and paspalum at full cover and on others that had been defoliated to a height of 50 mm. Photosynthetic rate was monitored each day and compared with a non-ponded control. In all cases there was little response in photosynthetic rate to ponding either with or without supplemental nitrogen fertiliser. Photosynthesis of full swards of white clover and paspalum was monitored during a drying cycle following irrigation and compared with the photosynthesis of a well-watered control. Soil water deficit was expressed in terms of cumulative evaporation minus rainfall (mm E - R) after irrigation. Water deficit stress reduced the maximum photosynthetic rate of white clover by 50% (from 0.8 mg CO2/m2.s at 25 mm E - R to 0.4 mg CO2/m2.s at 75 mm E - R), but the photosynthetic rate of paspalum did not decline until 70 mm E - R. At high irradiance, temperatures between 24 and 33�C had little effect on the photosynthetic rate of well-watered white clover, whereas the rate in paspalum was higher at temperatures between 29 and 38�C than at temperatures of 24-29�C. The slow surface drainage and subsequent rapid drying of the root-zone of flood irrigated soils, combined with the high temperatures experienced in northern Victoria during summer, favour paspalum and severely limit the productivity of white clover.

Author(s):  
X. Wang ◽  
J.R. Caradus ◽  
A.C.P. Chu

Growth of five New Zealand white clover cultivars, Grasslands Kopu, Grasslands Pitau, Grasslands Huia, Grasslands Tahora and Prop, was quantified at differing soil moistures in both the field and the glasshouse. The first trial employed a rain-out shelter to impose two soil water treatments. While there were no differences among the cultivars for leaf water status, there were differences in plant growth parameters in response to water deficit. Water deficit did not significantly affect leaf appearance rate of Prop, although there was a 2- fold difference. There was, however, a 3.5- to 6-fold decrease in leaf appearance rate due to water deficit for the other cultivars. Water deficit did not significantly reduce leaf size for the medium- and small-leaved cultivars Huia, Tahora and Prop; but was halved for Kopu and Pitau. Prop had the lowest stolon growing point survival under water deficit and Pitau the highest. Leaf longevity was greatest for Prop and least for Pitau when grown under optimum water supply, but this pattern was reversed under water deficit stress. The second trial, a pot trial, investigated the response of the same five cultivars to three different soil water regimes (control, mild and severe stress). The growth parameters of smaller-leaved cultivars, particularly Prop, were less affected than the large-leaved cultivars in their response to water deficit. These short-term trials showed that some small-leaved cultivars of white clover have an ability to adjust their growth and habit in response to water deficit more effectively than large-leaved cultivars. Prop was able to maintain a higher leaf appearance rate than other cultivars when grown under water deficit. However, while exhibiting this drought tolerance adaptation the low stolon growing point survival of Prop could result in a poor recovery from drought. Small-leaved cultivars are rarely taprooted, a characteristic of plants adapted to more prolonged drought conditions. The probability of combining these characteristics and improving summer production of white clover through identification of drought tolerance is discussed. Keywords: cultivars, drought, Trifolium repens, variation, water deficit


1992 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 659 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Guobin ◽  
DR Kemp ◽  
GB Liu

The effect of water stress during summer and recovery after rain on herbage accumulation, leaf growth components, stomatal conductance and leaf water relations of white clover (Trifolium repens cv. Haifa) and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica cv. Australian Commercial) was studied in an established mixed pasture under dryland (dry) or irrigated (wet) conditions. Soil water deficits under dry conditions reached 150 mm and soil water potentials in the top 20 cm declined to nearly -2 MPa after 50 days of dry weather. Water stress severely restricted growth of both species but then after rain fell, white clover growth rates exceeded those of phalaris. Under irrigation, white clover produced twice the herbage mass of phalaris but under dry conditions herbage production was similar from both species. Leaf appearance rates per tiller or stolon were slightly higher for white clover than phalaris but were reduced by 20% under water stress in both species. Leaf or petiole extension rates were more sensitive to water stress than leaf appearance rates and declined by 75% in phalaris and 90% in white clover. The ratio of leaf or petiole extension rates on dry/wet treatments was similar for both species in relation to leaf relative water contents, but in relation to leaf water potentials phalaris maintained higher leaf growth rates. Phalaris maintained a higher leaf relative water content in relation to leaf water potentials than did white clover and also maintained higher leaf water potentials in relation to the soil water potential in the top 20 cm. Stomata1 conductances for both species declined by 80-90% with increasing water stress, and both species showed similar stomatal responses to bulk leaf water potentials and leaf relative water contents. It is suggested that the poorer performance of white clover under water stress may be due principally to a shallower root system than phalaris and not due to any underlying major physiological differences. The white clover cultivar used in this study came from the mediterranean region and showed some different responses to water stress than previously published evidence on white clover. This suggests genetic variation in responses to water stress may exist within white clover. To maintain white clover in a pasture under dry conditions it is suggested that grazing practices aim to retain a high proportion of growing points.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Sexton ◽  
J. M. Bennett ◽  
K. J. Boote

Abstract Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) fruit growth is sensitive to surface soil (0-5 cm) conditions due to its subterranean fruiting habit. This study was conducted to determine the effect of soil water content in the pegging zone (0-5 cm) on peanut pod growth rate and development. A pegging-pan-root-tube apparatus was used to separately control soil water content in the pegging and root zone for greenhouse trials. A field study also was conducted using portable rainout shelters to create a soil water deficit. Pod phenology, pod and seed growth rates, and final pod and seed dry weights were determined. In greenhouse studies, dry pegging zone soil delayed pod and seed development. In the field, soil water deficits in the pegging and root zone decreased pod and seed growth rates by approximately 30% and decreased weight per seed from 563 to 428 mg. Pegs initiating growth during drought stress demonstrated an ability to suspend development during the period of soil water deficit and to re-initiate pod development after the drought stress was relieved.


1987 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-406
Author(s):  
C. Dirksen

With closed, high-frequency irrigation systems, the water supply can be tailored to the instant needs of plants. To be able to do this optimally, it is necessary to understand how plants interact with their environment. To study water uptake under a variety of non-uniform conditions in the root zone, lucerne was grown in laboratory soil columns with automated gamma ray attenuation, tensiometer and salinity sensor equipment to measure soil water contents, pressure potentials and osmotic potentials, respectively. The columns were irrigated with water of different salinity at various frequencies and leaching fractions. This paper presents results obtained in a column irrigated daily with water of conductivity 0.33 S/m (h0 = -13.2 m) at a target leaching fraction of 0.08. This includes the drying and wetting patterns under daily irrigations in deficit and excess of evapotranspiration, respectively. After 230 days the salination of the column had still not reached a steady state. Salinity increased rapidly with depth and root water uptake was shallow for the deep-rooting lucerne. Water and salt transport under daily irrigation cannot be described without taking hysteresis of soil water retention into account. The data presented are suitable for testing various water uptake models, once numerical water and salt transport models of the required complexity are operational. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)


2007 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1271-1279 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.-R. Lee ◽  
K.-Y. Kim ◽  
W.-J. Jung ◽  
J.-C. Avice ◽  
A. Ourry ◽  
...  

1990 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 267 ◽  
Author(s):  
CS Tan ◽  
WS Meyer ◽  
RCG Smith ◽  
HD Barrs

The effect of soil modification on changing the availability of water and the onset of crop water deficit stress in wheat was assessed during 2 drying periods. The different methods of determining the onset of stress generally agreed with each other. Differences were either related to the different parts of the canopy measured or to different physiological processes measured. Because foliage temp. was continuously monitored, the dynamic development of stress in relation to increasing soil water deficit and root growth became evident. The allowable soil water deficit at the onset of stress varied widely between soil treatments and the stage of crop growth at which deficit stress occurred. Physically modifying the soil increased plant available water by 80%. This resulted from both changes in amount of soil water stored and through a more uniformly distributed root system. Wheat growing in undisturbed soil was unable to adapt to post-anthesis stress, as frequent irrigations prior to anthesis concentrated root distribution in the upper layers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter L. Ballizany ◽  
Rainer W. Hofmann ◽  
M. Z. Zulfiqhar Jahufer ◽  
Brent A. Barrett

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important pasture legume in temperate regions, but growth is often strongly reduced under summer drought. Cloned individuals from a full-sib progeny of a pair cross between two phenotypically distinct white clover populations were exposed to water deficit in pots under outdoor conditions for 9 weeks, while control pots were maintained at field capacity. Water deficit decreased leaf water potential by more than 50% overall, but increased the levels of the flavonol glycosides of quercetin (Q) and the ratio of quercetin and kaempferol glycosides (QKR) by 111% and by 90%, respectively. Water deficit reduced dry matter (DM) by 21%, with the most productive genotypes in the controls showing the greatest proportional reduction. The full-sib progeny displayed a significant increase in the root : shoot ratio by 53% under water deficit. Drought-induced changes in plant morphology were associated with changes in Q, but not kaempferol (K) glycosides. The genotypes with high QKR levels reduced their DM production least under water deficit and increased their Q glycoside levels and QKR most. These data show, at the individual genotype level, that increased Q glycoside accumulation in response to water deficit stress can be positively associated with retaining higher levels of DM production.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 832-842
Author(s):  
Clebson Gomes Gonçalves ◽  
Antonio Carlos da Silva Junior ◽  
Maynumi Scarano ◽  
Maria Renata Rocha Pereira ◽  
Dagoberto Martins

ABSTRACT Water deficit is a limiting factor for the soybean yield; it triggers different physiological and anatomical adaptations that have deleterious effects on the plants and can affect the selectivity of herbicides, causing production losses. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the action of the chlorimuron-ethyl herbicide when applied at different stages of soybean plants, using conventional and transgenic cultivars, and different soil water potentials. A rate of 20 g ha-1 of the chlorimuron-ethyl herbicide was applied to two soybean cultivars (MG/BR46-Conquista - conventional, and BRS-Valiosa-RR - transgenic) at two phenological stages (V2 - first fully expanded trifoliate leaves, and V4 - third fully expanded trifoliate leaves), using three soil water potentials (-0.03 MPa, -0.07 MPa, and -0.5 MPa). Phytotoxicity, and plant height were evaluated at 3, 7, 14, and 21 days after the herbicide application. The shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and root system nodulation were evaluated. The soybean plants had lower phytotoxicity when subjected to application of chlorimuron-ethyl under water deficit conditions. The use of chlorimuron-ethyl reduced the growth and biomass of soybean plants and affected the plants' root system nodulation. The transgenic cultivar (BRS-Valiosa-RR) presented better performance when subjected to a moderate water deficit (-0.07 MPa), which contributes to biological nitrogen fixation.


1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJ Blaikie ◽  
FM Martin ◽  
WK Mason ◽  
DJ Connor

The water relations of white clover and paspalum as monocultures and components of a mixed pasture were studied on a normal and a modified soil profile during the interval between 2 successive irrigations. Responses of individual species were similar in monocultures and mixed pastures. On the normal profile white clover was the first species to react to soil water deficit when the rate of leaf elongation fell by 33% to about 10 mm/day after 30 mm of cumulative evaporation minus rainfall (E - R). This was followed by a reduction in dawn and midday leaf water potential at around 50 mm E - R. After 65 mm E - R, leaf elongation had ceased. In contrast, paspalum showed no signs of water shortage until 70-80 mm E - R. At this stage both the rate of leaf elongation and midday leaf water potential fell. After 90 mm E - R the dawn leaf water potential fell and by 120 mm E - R leaf elongation was negligible. Modification of the profile increased soil water availability by allowing more extraction of water at depth in the profile. This delayed the onset of water stress by about 40 mm E - R in both species. These observations show that the common irrigation interval of 60-90 mm E - R in northern Victoria is likely to restrict pasture yields because it causes a period of soil water deficit stress, especially for white clover, and the development of leaf area is impeded, increasing the time taken for canopies to recover maximum productivity after grazing. To overcome these limitations farmers will have to water more frequently or modify the soil profile to provide pastures with a better water supply.


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