The Influence of the Lignotuber on Hydraulic Conductance and Leaf Conductance in Eucalyptus behriana Seedlings

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 857 ◽  
Author(s):  
BA Myers

Hydraulic conductances of stem segments and stem-plus-lignotuber segments were estimated for 3-year-old seedlings of the mallee eucalypt Eucalyptus behriana F. Muell. Stems of seedlings were cut underwater and either above or below the lignotuber. Cutting the stem of intact seedlings underwater and above the lignotuber resulted in rapid increases in leaf water potential (Ψ); 1.1 MPa in 10-15 min with a concomitant decrease in leaf conductance. Cutting the stem below the lignotuber did not significantly affect leaf Ψ or leaf conductance. Transpirational flow through whole seedlings and segments of seedlings was about 10-9 m3 s-1. The hydraulic conductance of the lignotuber (2.27 × 10-9 m3 s-1 Mpa-1) was about half that of the stem. This work suggests that resistance to water flow through the lignotuber accounts, in part, for the persistently low dawn Ψ of the foliage of mature trees of E. behriana.

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Maurel ◽  
Cécile Robin ◽  
Thierry Simonneau ◽  
Denis Loustau ◽  
Erwin Dreyer ◽  
...  

The effects of root infection by Phytophthora cinnamomi on stomatal conductance in Castanea sativa L. saplings were investigated to determine the potential role of root-derived chemical signals. A split-root experiment was carried out, in which inoculation of the pathogen or drought was applied to the root systems in either one or both compartments. At the end of the experiment plant sap extracts were collected and their effects on stomatal conductance were determined by leaf bioassay. Inoculation or drought imposed in both compartments resulted in decreases in stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate, soil-to-leaf specific hydraulic conductance, leaf water potential, xylem [ABA] and root biomass, but not in the ratio of root-to-leaf mass in inoculated plants. Conversely, only gs and xylem [ABA] were affected in plants inoculated or droughted in one compartment, and no changes were detectable in leaf water potential and soil-to-leaf specific hydraulic conductance. The leaf bioassay showed that gs in chestnut was sensitive to ABA but not to Phytophthora elicitins. Stomatal conductance was reduced by some sap extracts, both from control and inoculated plants. Our results suggest the involvement of different signals, chemical and hydraulic, in regulating stomatal conductance of chestnut at different stages of stress.


1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 241 ◽  
Author(s):  
NZ Saliendra ◽  
FC Meinzer

Stomatal conductance, leaf and soil water status, transpiration, and apparent root hydraulic conductance were measured during soil drying cycles for three sugarcane cultivars growing in containers in a greenhouse. At high soil moisture, transpiration and apparent root hydraulic conductance differed considerably among cultivars and were positively correlated, whereas leaf water potential was similar among cultivars. In drying soil, stomatal and apparent root hydraulic conductance approached zero over a narrow (0.1 MPa) range of soil water suction. Leaf water potential remained nearly constant during soil drying because the vapor phase conductance of the leaves and the apparent liquid phase conductance of the root system declined in parallel. The decline in apparent root hydraulic conductance with soil drying was manifested as a large increase in the hydrostatic pressure gradient between the soil and the root xylem. These results suggested that control of stomatal conductance in sugarcane plants exposed to drying soil was exerted primarily at the root rather than at the leaf level.


1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Running

This study reports measurements of leaf conductance, leaf water potential, temperature, humidity, and radiation collected on a stand of Pinuscontorta Dougl. ex Loud, lodgepole pine throughout a growing season at the Fraser Experimental Forest in central Colorado, U.S.A. The daily range of leaf conductances decreased 10-fold from June through August. A high correlation (R2 = 0.75) was found between predawn leaf water potential and morning maximum leaf conductance. Low atmospheric humidity significantly decreased midday leaf conductance. A comparison with humidity responses published for other conifers showed good agreement with this study. Seasonal change in total soil–plant resistance to water flux was nonlinearly correlated (R2 = 0.99) with change in predawn leaf water potential, an indirect measure of soil water potential.


1975 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 941-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. DUBÉ ◽  
K. R. STEVENSON ◽  
G. W. THURTELL ◽  
H. H. NEUMANN

Determinations of plant resistance to water flow from measurements of leaf water potential at steady transpiration rates were made on different lines of corn (Zea mays L.). Two inbreds, Q188, a wilting mutant, and DR1, an inbred line shown to have at least some heat and drought tolerance under field conditions, were compared to a commercial single-cross hybrid, United 106. The purpose of the experiment was to isolate the cause of the wilting characteristic of Q188. A linear relationship was found between leaf water potential and transpiration rate for all lines. No water potential gradients were found at zero transpiration. Low total plant resistances were observed in United 106 and DR1, with the major resistance being in the root system in both genotypes. Although the resistance to water movement through the roots and lower stalk in Q188 did not appear to differ from those of the other lines, a much larger resistance was found in the upper stalk of Q188; resistance to water movement through the lower stalk (up to node 5) decreased as the plants matured from 55 to 70 days of age but no comparable changes occurred in the upper portions of the stem. In vivo detection of the xylem vessels with staining techniques confirmed the observed differences in resistances.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshio Shibuya ◽  
Ryoko Terakura ◽  
Yoshiaki Kitaya ◽  
Makoto Kiyota

Application of a low-relative-humidity treatment (LHT) to seedlings can reduce water stress on cuttings harvested from the seedlings, after the cuttings are planted. Effects of illumination during LHT and LHT duration on leaf water potential and leaf conductance in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings used as the model plant material and on growth of harvested cuttings were investigated to determine optimal LHT conditions. The seedlings received LHT for 12 or 24 h in a lighted or dark growth chamber at air temperatures of 28 to 31 °C and relative humidity of 12% to 25%. Cuttings including a foliage leaf and two cotyledons were harvested by cutting the hypocotyl of the seedlings immediately after the treatment, and then the cuttings were planted in vermiculite medium. Four days after planting, the total fresh weight of the cuttings from seedlings that had received LHT in the lighted chamber was 2.2 times that of cuttings from seedlings that had not received LHT, whereas the total fresh weight of those that had received LHT in the dark increased by 1.3 to 1.8 times. Significant effects of illumination during LHT were also observed in the transpiration rate and growth of the cuttings, harvested following the treatment, after they were planted. By varying LHT duration, it was also found that leaf water potential and leaf conductance of the seedlings decreased as LHT duration increased up to 18 h. Thus, illumination during LHT increased the growth of cuttings taken following the treatment, and optimal treatment duration of around 18 h was estimated from the seedlings' leaf conductance and leaf water potential.


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