Sequential leaf senescence and correlatively controlled increases in xylem flow resistance

In bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L. (Contender), the directly measured hydraulic resistance of the xylem pathway between roots and primary leaf pulvinal junctions increased rapidly and progressively from 21 to 28 days after planting. These increases in xylem resistance (+390%) were specifically located in the pulvinal junction of the primary leaf. Moreover, they occurred just prior to the onset of primary leaf yellowing. Developmental increases in xylem hydraulic flow resistance and stomatal resistance, as well as subsequent primary leaf yellowing, were completely prevented by detopping the shoots above the primary leaves at 21 days. Thus, the onset of these senescence-associated symptoms was correlatively controlled. In short-term investigations of the mechanisms involved, flow between petiole and cut tip of excised leaves was rapidly reduced by infiltration of 20 picomoles of soluble dextran into the xylem. Moreover, imbibition of approximately 120 picomoles of dextran by excised leaves increased stomatal resistances. A programmed secretion of hormonal concentrations of similar polysaccharides into specific xylem sections in vivo might provide a mechanism for regulating the partitioning of essential xylem supplies between leaves, thus inducing sequential leaf senescence.     

Heterogeneity of gas exchange rates over the leaf surface in tobacco: an effect of hydraulic architecture?

Spatial heterogeneity of gas exchange rates in the leaves of Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco) was investigated. Leaf conductance to water vapour was higher (by about 18%) at the apical regions of leaves than at the basal ones. Local, small-scale measurements of pressure-volume (PV) parameters and water status (performed with a dewpoint hygrometer) revealed that bulk leaf water potential, osmotic potential, turgor pressure and bulk modulus of elasticity were not significantly different in the leaf apex or base. Hydraulic measurements showed that the apical regions of the leaf blade were about 30% more conductive than the basal regions. Such differences were explained by analogous differences in terms of venation patterns. In fact, vein density turned out to be higher (by about 13%) near the leaf apex with respect to the leaf base. On the contrary, stomatal density was the same both in the apical and basal leaf portions. Our data suggest that spatial stomatal heterogeneity may arise from heterogenous distribution of local hydraulic resistances and would be addressed to maintaining local water potential above critical values, possibly triggering vein cavitation.     

The temperature dependence of shoot hydraulic resistance: implications for stomatal behaviour and hydraulic limitation

Recent soil pressurization experiments have shown that stomatal closure in response to high leaf–air humidity gradients can be explained by direct feedback from leaf water potential. The more complex temperature‐by‐humidity interactive effects on stomatal conductance have not yet been explained fully. Measurements of the change in shoot conductance with temperature were made on Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) to test whether temperature‐induced changes in the liquid‐phase transport capacity could explain these temperature‐ by‐humidity effects. In addition, shoot hydraulic resistances were partitioned within the stem and leaves to determine whether or not leaves exhibit a greater resistance. Changes in hydraulic conductance were calculated based on an Ohm’s law analogy. Whole‐plant gas exchange was used to determine steady‐ state transpiration rates. A combination of in situ psychrometer measurements, Scholander pressure chamber measurements and psychrometric measurements of leaf punches was used to determine water potential differences within the shoot. Hydraulic conductance for each portion of the pathway was estimated as the total flow divided by the water potential difference. Temperature‐induced changes in stomatal conductance were correlated linearly with temperature‐induced changes in hydraulic conductance. The magnitude of the temperature‐induced changes in whole‐plant hydraulic conductance was sufficient to account for the interactive effects of temperature and humidity on stomatal conductance.     

Hydraulic limitation not declining nitrogen availability causes the age‐related photosynthetic decline in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.)

Declining net primary production (NPP) with forest age is often attributed to a corresponding decline in gross primary production (GPP). We tested two hypotheses explaining the decline of GPP in ageing stands (14–115 years old) of Pinus taeda L.: (1) increasing N limitation limits photosynthetic capacity and thus decreases GPP with increasing age; and (2) hydraulic limitations increasingly induce stomatal closure, reducing GPP with increasing age. We tested these hypotheses using measurements of foliar nitrogen, photosynthesis, sap‐flow and dendroclimatological techniques. Hypothesis (1) was not supported; foliar N retranslocation did not increase and declines were not observed in foliar N, leaf area per tree or photosynthetic capacity. Hypothesis (2) was supported; declines were observed in light‐saturated photosynthesis, leaf‐ and canopy‐level stomatal conductance, concentration of CO₂ inside leaf air‐spaces (corroborated by an increase in wood δ¹³C) and specific leaf area (SLA), while stomatal limitation and the ratio of sapwood area (SA) to leaf area increased. The sensitivity of radial growth to inter‐annual variation in temperature and drought decreased with age, suggesting that tree water use becomes increasingly conservative with age. We conclude that hydraulic limitation increasingly limits the photosynthetic rates of ageing loblolly pine trees, possibly explaining the observed reduction of NPP.     

Hydraulic architecture of plants of Helianthus annuus L. cv. Margot: evidence for plant segmentation in herbs

The hydraulic architecture of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. cv. Margot) was studied in terms of the partitioning of the hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) of leaves inserted at progressively more apical nodes both in growing plants (GP) and in plants at full anthesis (mature plants, MP). Leaf conductance to water vapour (gL), leaf water potential (PsiL), leaf water potential at zero turgor (Psi tlp), and leaf osmotic potential at full turgor (pi0) were also measured. Sunflower plants showed gL and Kleaf values significantly increasing in the acropetal direction, while PsiL of basal leaves was significantly more negative than that of distal leaves; Psi tlp markedly decreased in the acropetal direction in MP so that leaves of MP retained increasingly more turgor the more apical they were. This hydraulic pattern, already present in very young plants (GP), strongly favours apical leaves. These data suggest that the progressive leaf dieback starting from the stem base, as observed when the inflorescence of sunflower reached maturity, might be due to time-dependent loss of hydraulic conductance. In fact, Kleaf loss was correlated with PsiL drop and stomatal closure. Leaf dehydration was aggravated by solute exportation from the basal towards the apical leaves, as revealed by the acropetal decrease of pi0. Kleaf was shown to be linearly and positively related to the prevailing ambient irradiance during plant growth, thus suggesting that leaf hydraulics is very sensitive to environmental conditions. It was concluded that the pronounced apical dominance of some sunflower cultivars is determined, among other factors, by plant hydraulic architecture.     

Leaf hydraulic architecture correlates with regeneration irradiance in tropical rainforest trees

The leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf)) is a major determinant of plant water transport capacity. Here, we measured K(leaf), and its basis in the resistances of leaf components, for fully illuminated leaves of five tree species that regenerate in deep shade, and five that regenerate in gaps or clearings, in Panamanian lowland tropical rainforest. We also determined coordination with stomatal characters and leaf mass per area. K(leaf) varied 10-fold across species, and was 3-fold higher in sun- than in shade-establishing species. On average, 12% of leaf hydraulic resistance (= 1/K(leaf)) was located in the petiole, 25% in the major veins, 25% in the minor veins, and 39% outside the xylem. Sun-establishing species had a higher proportion of leaf resistance in the xylem. Across species, component resistances correlated linearly with total leaf resistance. K(leaf) correlated tightly with indices of stomatal pore area, indicating a coordination of liquid- and vapor-phase conductances shifted relative to that of temperate woody species. Leaf hydraulic properties are integrally linked in the complex of traits that define differences in water use and carbon economy across habitats and vegetation zones.     

Co-ordination of vapour and liquid phase water transport properties in plants

The pathway for water movement from the soil through plants to the atmosphere can be represented by a series of liquid and vapour phase resistances. Stomatal regulation of vapour phase resistance balances transpiration with the efficiency of water supply to the leaves, avoiding leaf desiccation at one extreme, and unnecessary restriction of carbon dioxide uptake at the other. In addition to maintaining a long-term balance between vapour and liquid phase water transport resistances in plants, stomata are exquisitely sensitive to short-term, dynamic perturbations of liquid water transport. In balancing vapour and liquid phase water transport, stomata do not seem to distinguish among potential sources of variation in the apparent efficiency of delivery of water per guard cell complex. Therefore, an apparent soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance based on relationships between liquid water fluxes and driving forces in situ seems to be the most versatile for interpretation of stomatal regulatory behaviour that achieves relative homeostasis of leaf water status in intact plants. Components of dynamic variation in apparent hydraulic conductance in intact plants include, exchange of water between the transpiration stream and internal storage compartments via capacitive discharge and recharge, cavitation and its reversal, temperature-induced changes in the viscosity of water, direct effects of xylem sap composition on xylem hydraulic properties, and endogenous and environmentally induced variation in the activity of membrane water channels in the hydraulic pathway. Stomatal responses to humidity must also be considered in interpreting co-ordination of vapour and liquid phase water transport because homeostasis of bulk leaf water status can only be achieved through regulation of the actual transpirational flux. Results of studies conducted with multiple species point to considerable convergence with regard to co-ordination of stomatal and hydraulic properties. Because stomata apparently sense and respond to integrated and dynamic soil-to-leaf water transport properties, studies involving intact plants under both natural and controlled conditions are likely to yield the most useful new insights concerning stomatal co-ordination of transpiration with soil and plant hydraulic properties.     

Plant transpiration at high elevations: Theory,field measurements,and comparisons with desert plants

Summary The influence of elevational changes on plant transpiration was evaluated using leaf energy balance equations and well-known elevational changes in the physical parameters that influence water vapor diffusion. Simulated transpirational fluxes for large leaves with low and high stomatal resistances to water vapor diffusion were compared to small leaves with identical stomatal resistances at elevations ranging from sea level to 4 km. The specific influence of various air temperature lapse rates was also tested. Validation of the simulated results was accomplished by comparing actual field measurements taken at a low elevation (300 m) desert site with similar measurements for a high elevation (2,560 m) mountain research site. Close agreement was observed between predicted and measured values of transpiration for the environmental and leaf parameters tested.Substantial increases in solar irradiation and the diffusion coefficient for water vapor in air (D _wv) occurred with increasing elevation, while air and leaf temperatures, the water vapor concentration difference between the leaf and air, longwave irradiation, and the thermal conductivity coefficient for heat in air decreased with increasing elevation. These changes resulted in temperatures for sunlit leaves that were further above air temperature at higher elevations, especially for large leaves. For large leaves with low stomatal resistances, transpirational fluxes for low-elevation desert plants were close to those predicted for high-elevation plants even though the sunlit leaf temperatures of these mountain plants were over 10°C cooler. Simulating conditions with a low air temperature lapse rate (0.003° C m^-1 and 0.004° C m^-1) resulted in predicted transpirational fluxes that were greater than those calculated for the desert site. Transpiration for smaller leaves decreased with elevation for all lapse rates tested (0.003° C m^-1 to 0.010° C m^-1). However, transpirational fluxes at higher elevations were considerably greater than expected for all leaves, especially larger leaves, due to the strong influence of increased solar heating and a greater D _wv. These results are discussed in terms of similarities in leaf structure and plant habit observed among low-elevation desert plants and high-elevation alpine and subalpine plants.     

The Effect of VA Mycorrhizal Infection and Phosphorus Status on Sunflower Hydraulic and Stomatal Properties

Koide, R. 1985. The effect of VA mycorrhizal infection and phosphorusstatus on sunflower hydraulic and stomatal properties.—J. exp. Bot. 36: 1087–1098. Mycorrhizal (M) and non-mycorrhizal (NM) sunflower plants weregrown in a soil of low phosphorus availability (with and withoutphosphorus amendment) and in a soil of moderate phosphorus availability(without phosphorus amendment). Using the Ohm's law analogyand measured leaf water potentials, stem water potentials, andtranspiration rates, hydraulic resistances were calculated forthe whole plant, leaf, and below leaf components. Mycorrhizalinfection (as high as 89%) was shown to have no effect on theintrinsic hydraulic properties of the soil/plant system overa wide range of transpiration rates in either soil when M andNM plants of equivalent root length were compared. When grownin the soil of moderate phosphorus availability, calculatedhydraulic resistances under given environmental conditions werethe same for M and NM plants, as were stomatal resistances andtranspiration rates. When grown in the soil of low phosphorusavailability, calculated values of hydraulic resistance werelower for M plants than for NM plants under given sets of environmentalconditions. These differences in calculated hydraulic resistancewere not due to a difference in the intrinsic hydraulic propertiesof M and NM plants. The differences were evident because stomatalresistances were lower and transpiration rates higher for Mplants and because hydraulic resistance varied inversely withtranspiration rate. When plants of significantly greater rootlength were compared to plants of lesser root length, the calculatedhydraulic resistances under given environmental conditions weremuch lower for the plants of greater root length. This differencewas largely due to a difference in the intrinsic hydraulic propertiesbetween large and small plants, and not because of differencesin transpiration rate. The elevated transpiration rates exhibitedby M plants were attributed to an enhanced phosphorus status.Short term phosphorus amendments made to phosphorus-deficientNM plants improved transpiration; transpiration rates were similarfor M and NM plants before NM plants became phosphorus-deficient,and phosphorus-amended M and NM plants had similar transpirationrates. The data are discussed in relation to other reports ofmycorrhizal influence on hydraulic and stomatal resistances.Possible mechanisms for the influence of infection on stomatalresistance are also briefly discussed. Key words: Hydraulic resistance, stomatal resistance, mycorrhizas     

Functional design space of single-veined leaves: role of tissue hydraulic properties in constraining leaf size and shape

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Morphological diversity of leaves is usually quantified with geometrical characters, while in many cases a simple set of biophysical parameters are involved in constraining size and shape. One of the main physiological functions of the leaf is transpiration and thus one can expect that leaf hydraulic parameters can be used to predict potential morphologies, although with the caveat that morphology in turn influences physiological parameters including light interception and boundary layer thickness and thereby heat transfer and net photosynthesis. METHODS: An iterative model was used to determine the relative sizes and shapes that are functionally possible for single-veined leaves as defined by their ability to supply the entire leaf lamina with sufficient water to prevent stomatal closure. The model variables include the hydraulic resistances associated with vein axial and radial transport, as well as with water movement through the mesophyll and the leaf surface. KEY RESULTS: The four parameters included in the model are sufficient to define a hydraulic functional design space that includes all single-veined leaf shapes found in nature, including scale-, awl- and needle-like morphologies. This exercise demonstrates that hydraulic parameters have dissimilar effects: surface resistance primarily affects leaf size, while radial and mesophyll resistances primarily affect leaf shape. CONCLUSIONS: These distinctions between hydraulic parameters, as well as the differential accessibility of different morphologies, might relate to the convergent evolutionary patterns seen in a variety of fossil lineages concerning overall morphology and anatomical detail that frequently have evolved in linear and simple multi-veined leaves.     

Structural and hydraulic correlates of heterophylly in Ginkgo biloba

This study investigates the functional significance of heterophylly in Ginkgo biloba, where leaves borne on short shoots are ontogenetically distinct from those on long shoots. Short shoots are compact, with minimal internodal elongation; their leaves are supplied with water through mature branches. Long shoots extend the canopy and have significant internodal elongation; their expanding leaves receive water from a shoot that is itself maturing. Morphology, stomatal traits, hydraulic architecture, Huber values, water transport efficiency, in situ gas exchange and laboratory-based steady-state hydraulic conductance were examined for each leaf type. Both structure and physiology differed markedly between the two leaf types. Short-shoot leaves were thinner and had higher vein density, lower stomatal pore index, smaller bundle sheath extensions and lower hydraulic conductance than long-shoot leaves. Long shoots had lower xylem area:leaf area ratios than short shoots during leaf expansion, but this ratio was reversed at shoot maturity. Long-shoot leaves had higher rates of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration than short-shoot leaves. We propose that structural differences between the two G. biloba leaf types reflect greater hydraulic limitation of long-shoot leaves during expansion. In turn, differences in physiological performance of short- and long-shoot leaves correspond to their distinct ontogeny and architecture.     

Photosynthesis in relation to leaf characteristics of cotton from controlled and field environments

In situ and light-saturated net photosynthetic rates per unit leaf area were greater in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants grown in pots in the field than in similar plants from a phytotron growth chamber. Light-saturated stomatal resistances did not differ in leaves of similar age and exposure on field and chamber plants; lower photosynthetic rates in chamber leaves were associated with greater mesophyll resistance. Differences in net photosynthetic rates were related to differences in leaf thickness. When the photosynthetic rates were expressed per unit of mesophyll volume or per unit chlorophyll differences between field and chamber plants were much less than when rates were expressed per unit leaf area. Characterization of the chloroplast lamellar proteins showed that the field leaves had smaller photosynthetic units than the chamber leaves. Since the field leaves also contained more chlorophyll per unit area, this resulted in a much larger number of photosynthetic units per unit area in the field leaves.     

Abaxial and Adaxial Stomatal Density, Stomatal Conductances and Water Status of Bean Primary Leaves as Affected by Paclobutrazol

The plant growth retardant, paclobutrazol at 8.5 or 17.0 μM concentrations effectively inhibited the stem elongation and primary leaf expansion of bean seedlings. Although the retardant reduced the relative water content in well-watered plants, the water and pressure potentials remained high in the primary leaves. K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ contents in the primary leaves of the paclobutrazol-treated plants were not significantly different from those in the control. The stomatal density increased on both surfaces but the length of guard cells was not reduced significantly on the adaxial epidermes of the paclobutrazol-treated primary leaves. The inhibitory effect of paclobutrazol on the abaxial stomatal conductances became more pronounced with time during the light period but the adaxial surfaces displayed similar or slightly higher conductances than those of the control. The transpiration rate on a unit area basis did not change significantly or increased in the treated leaves thus the reduced water loss of paclobutrazol-treated plants was due to the reduced leaf area. Stomatal conductances of the adaxial surfaces responded more intensively to exogenous abscisic acid and the total leaf conductance decreased faster with increasing ABA concentration in the control than in the paclobutrazol-treated leaves. Paclobutrazol, an effective inhibitor of phytosterol biosynthesis, not only amplified the stomatal differentiation but increased the differences between the adaxial and abaxial stomatal conductances of the primary leaves.     

Acclimation to Drought in Acer pseudoplatanus L. (Sycamore) Seedlings

A glasshouse experiment was conducted with well-watered andwater-stressed seedlings of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.)grown in soil columns. Water was withheld when the seedlingswere 82-d-old. Effects of soil drying on stomatal behaviour,water relations, xylem cavitation, and growth of leaves androots were evaluated. Stomatal conductance declined well before any observable changein bulk leaf water potentials, and was correlated with soilwater status. At seven weeks, osmotic potential had declinedby 0·51 MPa and 0·44 MPa at full and zero turgor,respectively. Drought significantly increased both bulk elasticmodulus and leaf dry weight to turgid weight ratio of water-stressedplants. Drought had no effect on relative water content at zeroturgor. Water cavitation in the xylem was detected as ultrasonic acousticemissions (AE). Water-stressed plants displayed significantlyhigher rates of AE than well-watered plants. Maximum rate ofAE coincided with the minimum level of stomatal conductanceand apparent rehydration of the leaves. Drought caused changes in the root distribution profile andit increased the root weight. The increase in root weight wasmainly due to a substantial shift in assimilates allocated infavour of roots with total biomass being unaffected. Leaf growthwas maintained for six weeks without any significant declinein expansion rate. However, the development of severe waterstress reduced both leaf production and expansion.     

Involvement of plant growth substances in the alteration of leaf gas exchange of flooded tomato plants

Ethylene, abscisic acid, and cytokinins were tested for their ability to either induce or prevent the changes which occur in gas exchange characteristics of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Rheinlands Ruhm) leaves during short-term soil flooding. Ethylene, which increases in the shoots of flooded plants, had no effect on stomatal conductance or photosynthetic capacity of drained plants. Abscisic acid, which also accumulates in the shoots of flooded plants, could reproduce the stomatal behavior of flooded plants when sprayed on the leaves of drained plants. However, photosynthetic capacity of drained plants was unaffected by abscisic acid sprays. Cytokinin export from the roots to the shoots declines in flooded plants. Spray applications of benzyladenine increased stomatal conductance in both flooded and drained plants. In addition, the decline in photosynthetic capacity during flooding was largely prevented by supplementary cytokinin applications. The possible involvement of these growth substances in modifying leaf gas exchange during flooding is discussed.     

Coordination and trade‐offs between leaf and stem hydraulic traits and stomatal regulation along a spectrum of isohydry to anisohydry

The degree of plant iso/anisohydry, a widely used framework for classifying species‐specific hydraulic strategies, integrates multiple components of the whole‐plant hydraulic pathway. However, little is known about how it associates with coordination of functional and structural traits within and across different organs. We examined stem and leaf hydraulic capacitance and conductivity/conductance, stem xylem anatomical features, stomatal regulation of daily minimum leaf and stem water potential (Ψ), and the kinetics of stomatal responses to vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in six diverse woody species differing markedly in their degree of iso/anisohydry. At the stem level, more anisohydric species had higher wood density and lower native capacitance and conductivity. Like stems, leaves of more anisohydric species had lower hydraulic conductance; however, unlike stems, their leaves had higher native capacitance at their daily minimum values of leaf Ψ. Moreover, rates of VPD‐induced stomatal closure were related to intrinsic rather than native leaf capacitance and were not associated with species' degree of iso/anisohydry. Our results suggest a trade‐off between hydraulic storage and efficiency in the leaf, but a coordination between hydraulic storage and efficiency in the stem along a spectrum of plant iso/anisohydry.     

Stomatal and hydraulic conductance in growing sugarcane: stomatal adjustment to water transport capacity*

Abstract Stomatal conductance per unit leaf area in well-irrigated field- and greenhouse-grown sugarcane increased with leaf area up to 0.2 m² plant ¹, then declined so that maximum transpiration per plant tended to saturate rather than increase linearly with further increase in leaf area. Conductance to liquid water transport exhibited parallel changes with plant size. This coordiantion of vapour phase and liquid phase conductances resulted in a balance between water loss and water transport capacity, maintaining leaf water status remarkably constant over a wide range of plant size and growing conditions. The changes in stomatal conductance were not related to plant or leaf age. Partial defoliation caused rapid increases in stomatal conductance, to re-establish the original relationship with remaining leaf area. Similarly, pruning of roots caused rapid reductions in stomatal conductance, which maintained or improved leaf water status. These results suggest that sugarcane stomata adjusted to the ratio of total hydraulic conductance to total transpiring leaf area. This could be mediated by root metabolites in the transpiration stream, whose delivery per unit leaf area would be a function of the relative magnitudes of root system size, transpiration rate and leaf area.     

Stomatal diffusion resistances and leaf growth during droughting of Lolium perenne plants selected for contrasting epidermal ridging

Groups of Lolium perenne plants selected for either deep or shallow adaxial epidermal ridging were grown in a 16 h day of 70 W m^-2 at 25°C, and either watered daily to 33% or allowed to dry to and then watered daily to 21% or to 16% soil moisture. During a 9 day experimental period, adaxial leaf resistances (r₁) were measured with a diffusion porometer four times daily, transpiration was estimated gravimetrically, and daily rates of leaf extension were recorded. Measurements were also made of minimum abaxial resistances, stomatal frequencies and lengths, and relative leaf water content (RLWC). At 33%, 21% or 16% soil moisture, leaf extension rates of deep ridged leaves were, respectively, slower, the same, and more rapid than those with shallow ridges. At 21% or 16% soil moisture, the adaxial r_l of deep-ridged was much lower than that of shallow-ridged leaves at all four sampling times. This difference was most marked on leaves below the youngest fully expanded, and was observed among older leaves even when plants were well watered. At low RLWC (< 85%), leaf resistance was greatest in leaves with shallow ridges. There was no significant difference between the leaf types in the calculated contributions of stomatal frequency or of morphology at any one pore opening, to r_l but deep-ridged leaves had more stomataonthe abaxial surface. Daily rate of plant water loss was directly correlated (r=+ 0.86, P < 0.01) with mean daily maximum stomatal conductance (1/r_l), and rate of leaf extension negatively with maximum r_l. It is suggested that stomata operating in the concavity formed by deep ridges open wider and are less responsive to internal changes in, for example, leaf water status, than those on shallow-ridged leaves because of a more humid microenvironment at the epidermal surface. The results are discussed in relation to the concept of ‘water-savers’ and ‘water-spenders’ and its application to breeding for dry conditions.     

土壤-植物-大气连续体水流阻力分布规律的研究

本文依据田间实测资料,分析了土壤-植物-大气连续体水流阻力的相对重要性,结果表明在连续体中的水流阻力主要分布于从叶气孔腔到大气的扩散过程和根系的吸水过程。叶-气之间的水流阻力比土-根之间要大50倍。最后,讨论了控制连续体水流运动的气孔阻力的变化规律及其与环境因素之间的关系。     

Seasonal changes in sugar beet photosynthesis as affected by exogenous cytokininN 6-(m- hydroxybenzyl)adenosine

Foliar sprays withN ⁶-(m-hydroxybenzytyadenosine, (mOH)-[9R]BAP, one of the synthetic cytokinins, were applied to field-grown sugar beet twice during the vegetation period: before full canopy closing(I), 6 weeks before harvest(II) or both. Application of (mOH)[9R]BAP retained high cytokinin content that usually declines prior to harvest. The total content of isoprenoid cytokinins at harvest was 2.6-fold higher in (mOH)[9R]BAP-treated plants as compared to the controls. TreatmentI had no significant effect on contents of chlorophylls (Chl)a andb and carotenoids, nor on the rates of net photosynthesis (P_N) or photorespiration (R_l), or on CO₂ compensation concentration (Γ) measured during the whole vegetation period on detached leaves under optimum environmental conditions. Increased values in P_N, R_L and Chla andb contents were found in variantsII and I+II linked with a delay in leaf senescence before harvest. Transpiration rate and stomatal conductances of adaxial and abaxial epidermes were not significantly affected by any treatment.