Base water potential of Picea abies as a characteristic of the soil water status

Variation in base water potential (Ψ_b, a daily maximum level of plant water potential, which is presumed to correspond to the condition of equilibrium between the soil and plant water potentials) was examined in shoots of Norway spruce trees growing in well-drained and waterlogged soils. The influence of soil water content, air temperature, and vapour pressure deficit of the atmosphere on Ψ_b was studied using the pressure chamber technique. Maximum daily water potentials were not always observable before dawn; some were registered up to two hours later. This tendency being characteristic of trees growing under stress (shade, waterlogging) conditions, increased with declining soil water availability. In trees growing in well-drained soil, Ψ_b depended asymptotically on the available soil water storage (R²=0.73), while the values were slightly influenced by vapour pressure deficit of the atmosphere as well. In trees growing in waterlogged soil, Ψ_b was independent of the soil water storage, but sensitive to the vapour pressure deficit.