scholarly journals Sand Dune Height Increases Water Use Efficiency at the Expense of Growth and Leaf Area in Mongolian Pine Growing in Hulunbeier Steppe, Inner Mongolia, China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chan-Beom Kim ◽  
Yong Suk Kim ◽  
Hyung Tae Choi ◽  
Jeonghwan Kim ◽  
Seongjun Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Sand Dune ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Shoot Length ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Dune Height

The Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) is one of the most common tree species in semiarid and arid areas of China, especially in the sand dunes of the Hulunbeier steppe. This study addresses the morphological and physiological characteristics of the Mongolian pine according to sand dune height. Five sites were chosen with various sand dune heights (P1–P5). Nine years after planting, tree growth, leaf area, leaf mass per leaf unit area (LMA), diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, diameter at root collar (DRC), longest shoot length, carbon isotope composition, and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) were measured to explore the responses of Mongolian pine trees to drought. DBH, tree height, DRC, leaf area, leaf length, and longest shoot length significantly decreased with greater sand dune height (p < 0.05). However, the carbon isotope actually increased with dune height (p < 0.05). Conversely, the iWUE of current-year pine needles was significantly higher at measurement points P3 (132.29 μmol CO2 mol −1 H2O), P4 (132.96 μmol CO2 mol −1 H2O), and P5 (125.34 μmol CO2 mol −1 H2O) than at the lower points P1 (95.18 ± 9.87 μmol CO2 mol −1 H2O) and P2 (103.10 ± 11.12 μmol CO2 mol −1 H2O). Greater sand dune height increases the distance to groundwater, which in this study led to an increase in iWUE in the Mongolian pines, thus these trees appear to adapt to increased sand dune height by increasing their iWUE and decreasing their leaf area. However, prolonged periods characterized by such adaptations can lead to tree death. We expect these findings to be useful when selecting plantation sites for Mongolian pines in semiarid and arid climates.

scholarly journals Consistent Differences in Field Leaf Water-Use Efficiency among Soybean Cultivars

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Bunce
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Vapor Pressure Deficit ◽  
Cultivar Differences ◽  
Stomatal Response ◽  
Soybean Cultivars ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency

High intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi), the ratio of leaf photosynthesis to stomatal conductance, may be a useful trait in adapting crops to water-limited environments. In soybean, cultivar differences in stomatal response to vapor pressure deficit have not consistently translated into differences in WUEi in the field. In this study, six cultivars of soybeans previously shown to differ in WUEi in indoor experiments were grown in the field in Beltsville, Maryland, and tested for mid-day WUEi on nine clear days during the mid-seasons of two years. Measurement dates were chosen for diverse temperatures, and air temperatures ranged from 21 to 34 °C on the different dates. Air saturation deficits for water vapor ranged from 0.9 to 2.2 kPa. Corrected carbon isotope delta values for 13C (CID) were determined on mature, upper canopy leaves harvested during early pod filling each year. WUEi differed among cultivars in both years and the differences were consistent across measurement dates. Correlations between mean WUEi and CID were not significant in either year. It is concluded that consistent cultivar differences in WUEi exist in these soybean cultivars under field conditions, but that carbon isotope ratios may not be useful in identifying them because of cultivar differences in mesophyll conductance.

scholarly journals Multidecadal records of intrinsic water-use efficiency in the desert shrubEncelia farinosareveal strong responses to climate change

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (31) ◽  
pp. 18161-18168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avery W. Driscoll ◽  
Nicholas Q. Bitter ◽  
Darren R. Sandquist ◽  
James R. Ehleringer
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Carbon Isotope Ratios ◽  
Population Mean ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency

While tree rings have enabled interannual examination of the influence of climate on trees, this is not possible for most shrubs. Here, we leverage a multidecadal record of annual foliar carbon isotope ratio collections coupled with 39 y of survey data from two populations of the drought-deciduous desert shrubEncelia farinosato provide insight into water-use dynamics and climate. This carbon isotope record provides a unique opportunity to examine the response of desert shrubs to increasing temperature and water stress in a region where climate is changing rapidly. Population mean carbon isotope ratios fluctuated predictably in response to interannual variations in temperature, vapor pressure deficit, and precipitation, and responses were similar among individuals. We leveraged the well-established relationships between leaf carbon isotope ratios and the ratio of intracellular to ambient CO2concentrations to calculate intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) of the plants and to quantify plant responses to long-term environmental change. The population mean iWUE value increased by 53 to 58% over the study period, much more than the 20 to 30% increase that has been measured in forests [J. Peñuelas, J. G. Canadell, R. Ogaya,Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr.20, 597–608 (2011)]. Changes were associated with both increased CO2concentration and increased water stress. Individuals whose lifetimes spanned the entire study period exhibited increases in iWUE that were very similar to the population mean, suggesting that there was significant plasticity within individuals rather than selection at the population scale.

Relationships among Water Use Efficiency, Carbon Isotope Discrimination, and Specific Leaf Area in Maize

2009 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1115-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong-Zhi ZHANG ◽  
Jia-Bao ZHANG ◽  
Bing-Zi ZHAO ◽  
Hui ZHANG ◽  
Ping HUANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Carbon Isotope Discrimination ◽  
Isotope Discrimination ◽  
Use Efficiency

scholarly journals Association of carbon isotope discrimination with leaf gas exchange and water use efficiency in maize following soil amendment with superabsorbent hydrogel

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 484-490
Author(s):  
Yang Wei ◽  
Li Pin-Fang
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Carbon Isotope Discrimination ◽  
Photosynthetic Gas Exchange ◽  
Superabsorbent Hydrogel ◽  
Isotope Discrimination ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency

The correlation of carbon isotope discrimination (△<sup>13</sup>C) with photosynthetic gas exchange and water use efficiency (WUE) in maize was investigated under low rainfall conditions with or without superabsorbent polymer (SAP). SAP (45 kg/ha) was mixed into the top 10 cm soil layer at sowing in lysimeters. Compared with the control plants not treated with SAP, the application of SAP increased net photosynthesis rate; stomatal conductance (g<sub>s</sub>); transpiration rate; chlorophyll content (Chl) and intrinsic water use efficiency at leaf level (WUE<sub>i</sub>), but decreased intercellular CO<sub>2</sub> concentration (C<sub>i</sub>) and leaf △<sup>13</sup>C. In plants supplied with SAP, leaf △<sup>13</sup>C was positively correlated with C<sub>i</sub> (r = 0.864, P &lt; 0.01) and negatively correlated with g<sub>s</sub> and WUE<sub>i</sub> (r = –0.860 and –0.626, P &lt; 0.01, respectively). Leaf △<sup>13</sup>C was not correlated with Chl with or without SAP. Grain △<sup>13</sup>C significantly decreased by 12.4% and showed a significant negative correlation with grain WUE under SAP treatments (r = –0.670, P &lt; 0.05). These results suggest that in the presence of SAP, maize leaf and grain △<sup>13</sup>C could be good indicators for evaluating maize WUE during periods of low rainfall.

Increasing intrinsic water-use efficiency over the past 160 years does not stimulate tree growth in southeastern China

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Guo ◽  
K Fang ◽  
J Li ◽  
HW Linderholm ◽  
D Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Southeastern China ◽  
The Past ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency

Improving Intrinsic Water-Use Efficiency and Crop Yield

Crop Science ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Condon ◽  
R. A. Richards ◽  
G. J. Rebetzke ◽  
G. D. Farquhar
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Use Efficiency
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