Leaf wall yield threshold of field-grown soybean measured by vapour pressure psychrometry

Abstract. Wall-yield threshold pressures of growing leaves obtained from field-grown soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.) plants were measured in vapour pressure psychrometers. The plants were grown either under well-watered or water deficit conditions. Wall-yield threshold pressures were measured at night when turgor pressure was expected to exceed the wall-yield threshold pressure both in drought-stressed and well-watered growing leaves. Wall-yield threshold pressure increased as the area of the growing leaves increased in both treatments. After an 8-d drought, wall-yield threshold pressure in leaves which had recently emerged from the meristem was 0.50 MPa, while in well-watered leaves these values ranged from 0.03 to 0.23 MPa. Upon release from drought, wall-yield threshold pressure rapidly returned to unstressed values.