Refining and unifying the upper limits of the least limiting water range using soil and plant properties

The least limiting water range (LLWR) was introduced as an integrated soil water content indicator, measuring the impact of mechanical impedance, oxygen and water availability on water uptake and crop growth. However, a rigorous definition of the upper limit of the LLWR using plant physiological and soil physical concepts was not given. We introduce in this study an upper limit of the LLWR, based on soil physical and plant physiological properties. We further evaluate the sensitivity of this boundary to different soil and crop variables, and compare the sensitivity of the upper limit of the LLWR to previous definitions of soil water content at field capacity. The current study confirms that the upper limit of the LLWR can be predicted from knowledge of the soil moisture characteristic curve, plant root depth and oxygen consumption rate. The sensitivity analysis shows further that the upper limit of the LLWR approaches the volumetric soil water content at saturation when the oxygen consumption rate by plants becomes less than 2 µmol m^?3 s^?1. When plants are susceptible to aeration (e.g. potato and avocado), there is a big difference between the upper limit of the LLWR and the soil water content at field capacity, in particular for sandy soils. Results also show that the soil water content at aeration porosity corresponding to 10% cannot be considered as an appropriate upper limit of LLWR because it does not appropriately reflect the crop water requirements. Similar poor results are obtained when considering the soil water content at matric potential ?0.033 MPa or when defining the soil water content at field capacity based on drainage flux rate. It is observed that the upper limit of the LLWR is higher than either soil water content at ?0.033 MPa matric potential or soil water content at field capacity as based on drainage flux rate, especially in sandy soils.     

Dark transpiration rate and water deficit as growth limiting factors in alfalfa plants

Growth, dark transpiration rate (DTR) as well as water saturation deficit (WSD) of 30 single plants of 8 alfalfa genotypes growing in experimental field of 50 × 10 cm spacing, in four cuts at early bud stage, were studied. The growth and WSD of genotypes examined were significantly different, the differences in DTR were not significant. The growth of alfalfa plants was in negative correlation with both DTR which reflects non-effective water loss and WSD. Significant negative correlation established between plant growth and its variability shows that fodder productivity in alfalfa genotypes was dependent on growth variability of individual plants. Positive correlations established between WSD or DTR and the growth variability show some of the causes of growth variability.     

黄土丘陵沟壑区不同植被类型土壤有效水和持水能力

以黄土丘陵沟壑区坊塌流域不同植被类型为研究对象,在野外调查的基础上,利用离心机法测定不同植被类型0—10、10—20 cm土层不同吸力下的土壤含水率,并利用Van Gennuchten模型对土壤水分特征曲线进行拟合,对比分析了不同植被类型不同土层土壤水分特征曲线、土壤水分有效性和持水性。结果表明:随着植被恢复的进行,不同植被类型土壤水分特征曲线出现了明显的差异,但是其斜率基本不变且不同植被类型0—10、10—20 cm土层土壤水分特征曲线都呈近似的"S"型;不同植被类型0—10、10—20 cm土层土壤有效水范围分别为22.65%—26.80%、23.97%—28.13%,除白羊草群落和刺槐林外呈现出多年生蒿禾类群落低于灌木群落而高于一年生草本群落的变化趋势;不同植被类型土壤持水能力在0—10 cm土层没有显著性差异,在10—20 cm呈现出多年生蒿禾类群落低于灌木群落而高于一年生草本群落,其中白羊草群落最大,刺槐林最低。刺槐林有效水分和土壤持水能力都较低,建议适当采取间伐并促进其近自然化恢复来实现土壤水分的可持续利用,尽量避免在阳坡缺水地区种植刺槐。对于研究地区土壤水分的可持续利用、植被恢复和科学合理的进行植被配置具有重要意义。     

Soil water availability and rooting depth as determinants of hydraulic architecture of Patagonian woody species

Adaptations of species to capture limiting resources is central for understanding structure and function of ecosystems. We studied the water economy of nine woody species differing in rooting depth in a Patagonian shrub steppe from southern Argentina to understand how soil water availability and rooting depth determine their hydraulic architecture. Soil water content and potentials, leaf water potentials (Ψ_Leaf), hydraulic conductivity, wood density (ρ_w), rooting depth, and specific leaf area (SLA) were measured during two summers. Water potentials in the upper soil layers during a summer drought ranged from −2.3 to −3.6 MPa, increasing to −0.05 MPa below 150 cm. Predawn Ψ_Leaf was used as a surrogate of weighted mean soil water potential because no statistical differences in Ψ_Leaf were observed between exposed and covered leaves. Species-specific differences in predawn Ψ_Leaf were consistent with rooting depths. Predawn Ψ_Leaf ranged from −4.0 MPa for shallow rooted shrubs to −1.0 MPa for deep-rooted shrubs, suggesting that the roots of the latter have access to abundant moisture, whereas shallow-rooted shrubs are adapted to use water deposited mainly by small rainfall events. Wood density was a good predictor of hydraulic conductivity and SLA. Overall, we found that shallow rooted species had efficient water transport in terms of high specific and leaf specific hydraulic conductivity, low ρ_w, high SLA and a low minimum Ψ_Leaf that exhibited strong seasonal changes, whereas deeply rooted shrubs maintained similar minimum Ψ_Leaf throughout the year, had stems with high ρ_w and low hydraulic conductivity and leaves with low SLA. These two hydraulic syndromes were the extremes of a continuum with several species occupying different portions of a gradient in hydraulic characteristics. It appears that the marginal cost of having an extensive root system (e.g., high ρ_w and root hydraulic resistance) contributes to low growth rates of the deeply rooted species.     

Conocarpus biochar as a soil amendment for reducing heavy metal availability and uptake by maize plants

The objective of this study was to assess the use of Concarpus biochar as a soil amendment for reducing heavy metal accessibility and uptake by maize plants (Zea mays L.). The impacts of biochar rates (0.0, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0% w/w) and two soil moisture levels (75% and 100% of field capacity, FC) on immobilization and availability of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Cu and Pb to maize plants as well as its application effects on soil pH, EC, bulk density, and moisture content were evaluated using heavy metal-contaminated soil collected from mining area. The biochar addition significantly decreased the bulk density and increased moisture content of soil. Applying biochar significantly reduced NH₄OAc- or AB-DTPA-extractable heavy metal concentrations of soils, indicating metal immobilization. Conocarpus biochar increased shoot dry biomass of maize plants by 54.5–102% at 75% FC and 133–266% at 100% FC. Moreover, applying biochar significantly reduced shoot heavy metal concentrations in maize plants (except for Fe at 75% FC) in response to increasing application rates, with a highest decrease of 51.3% and 60.5% for Mn, 28% and 21.2% for Zn, 60% and 29.5% for Cu, 53.2% and 47.2% for Cd at soil moisture levels of 75% FC and 100% FC, respectively. The results suggest that biochar may be effectively used as a soil amendment for heavy metal immobilization and in reducing its phytotoxicity.     

High levels of inter-ramet water translocation in two rhizomatous Carex species,as quantified by deuterium labelling

We studied water trnaslocation between interconnected mother and daughter ramets in two rhizomatous Carex species, using a newly developed quantitative method based on deuterium tracing. Under homogeneous conditions, in which both ramets were subjected either to wet or dry soil, little water was exchanged between the ramets. When the ramet pair was exposed to a heterogeneous water supply, water translocation became unidirectional and strongly increased to a level at which 30–60% of the water acquired by the wet ramet was exported towards the dry ramet. The quantity of water translocated was unrelated to the difference in water potential between the ramets, but highly correlated to the difference in leaf area. In both species, the transpiration of the entire plant was similar under heterogeneous and homogeneous wet conditions. This was a direct result of an increase in water uptake by the wet ramet in response to the dry conditions experienced by the interconnected ramet. In C. hirta, the costs and benefits of integration in terms of ramet biomass paralleled the responses of water consumption. This species achieved a similar whole-plant biomass in heterogeneous and homogeneous wet treatments, and water translocation was equally effective in the acropetal and basipetal directions. In C. flacca, responses of biomass and water consumption did not match and, under some conditions, water translocation imposed costs rather than benefits to the plants of this species. It is concluded that enhanced resource acquisition by donor ramets may be of critical importance for the net benefits of physiological integration in clonal plants.     

Soil drying and nitrogen availability modulate carbon and water exchange over a range of annual precipitation totals and grassland vegetation types

Increased intensity in precipitation events and longer periods of water deficit are predicted as a general trend under future climate scenarios with potentially large effects on terrestrial ecosystem function. The primary objective of this study was to understand how variation in the intensity of precipitation inputs followed by intermittent soil drying events influence leaf and ecosystem carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water exchange in a California annual grassland mesocosm experiment. We further examined how nitrogen (N) availability, and differences in plant community composition (grass-forb combinations) affected gas exchange responses to the precipitation treatments. Net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) and evapotranspiration (ET) increased significantly with greater precipitation and were positively correlated with soil moisture. A repeated 10-day soil drying period, following 11 days of watering, strongly depressed NEE over a range of annual precipitation totals (297, 657 and 987 mm), and plant community types. Ecosystem dark respiration ( R _e) and leaf level photosynthesis ( A _max) showed greater sensitivity to periods of soil drying in the low precipitation plots (297 mm). N additions significantly increased NEE and R _e, particularly as water availability was increased. Across the range of precipitation totals and plant community types, intermittent periods of soil moisture deficit and native soil N availability constrained leaf and ecosystem level CO₂ exchange, while the influence on water vapor exchange was less pronounced.     

Survival of Mycobacterium avium in drinking water biofilms as affected by water flow velocity, availability of phosphorus, and temperature

Mycobacterium avium is a potential pathogen occurring in drinking water systems. It is a slowly growing bacterium producing a thick cell wall containing mycolic acids, and it is known to resist chlorine better than many other microbes. Several studies have shown that pathogenic bacteria survive better in biofilms than in water. By using Propella biofilm reactors, we studied how factors generally influencing the growth of biofilms (flow rate, phosphorus concentration, and temperature) influence the survival of M. avium in drinking water biofilms. The growth of biofilms was followed by culture and DAPI (4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining, and concentrations of M. avium were determined by culture and fluorescence in situ hybridization methods. The spiked M. avium survived in biofilms for the 4-week study period without a dramatic decline in concentration. The addition of phosphorus (10 microg/liter) increased the number of heterotrophic bacteria in biofilms but decreased the culturability of M. avium. The reason for this result is probably that phosphorus increased competition with other microbes. An increase in flow velocity had no effect on the survival of M. avium, although it increased the growth of biofilms. A higher temperature (20 degrees C versus 7 degrees C) increased both the number of heterotrophic bacteria and the survival of M. avium in biofilms. In conclusion, the results show that in terms of affecting the survival of slowly growing M. avium in biofilms, temperature is a more important factor than the availability of nutrients like phosphorus.     

Plant growth, leaf water potential, nitrogenase activity and nodule anatomy in Leucaena leucocephala as affected by water stress and nitrogen availability

 The effects of water stress and nitrogen availability on leaf water potential, nitrogenase activity, and growth was studied in a pot experiment with Leucaena leucocephala seedlings. Water stress was imposed on fertilized and unfertilized plants after inoculation with Rhizobium. Non-inoculated seedlings were used as control plants. Water stress lowered leaf water potential in all seedlings after 14 days of treatment. In inoculated seedlings, fertilized plants were more sensitive to water stress than unfertilized plants, as shown by a higher leaf water potential in plants of the latter treatment. Uninoculated and fertilized seedlings were most affected by water stress. This indicates that Rhizobium might increase stress tolerance in unfertilized seedlings at moderate water stress levels. The combined effects of water stress and applied fertilizers resulted in cessation of nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation came to a complete stop after 22 days of water stress in fertilized seedlings. The different treatments were accompanied by anatomical changes of nodule structure. It is hypothesised that the leaf water potential may be used as an indicator to predict changes in nitrogen fixation in legume tree/shrub species during periods of water stress. Received: 21 October 1996 / Accepted: 12 May 1997     

Interactions between plant nutrients,water and carbon dioxide as factors limiting crop yields

Biomass production of annual crops is often directly proportional to the amounts of radiation intercepted, water transpired and nutrients taken up. In many places the amount of rainfall during the period of rapid crop growth is less than the potential rate of evaporation, so that depletion of stored soil water is commonplace. The rate of mineralization of nitrogen (N) from organic matter and the processes of nutrient loss are closely related to the availability of soil water. Results from Kenya indicate the rapid changes in nitrate availability following rain.<br>Nutrient supply has a large effect on the quantity of radiation intercepted and hence, biomass production. There is considerable scope for encouraging canopy expansion to conserve water by reducing evaporation from the soil surface in environments where it is frequently rewetted, and where the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil is sufficient to supply water at the energy limited rate (e.g. northern Syria). In regions with high evaporative demand and coarse-textured soils (e.g. Niger), transpiration may be increased by management techniques that reduce drainage.<br>Increases in atmospheric [CO₂] are likely to have only a small impact on crop yields when allowance is made for the interacting effects of temperature, and water and nutrient supply. <br>     

Transpiration, water absorption, and internal water balance of cotton plants as affected by light and changes in saturation deficit

In controlled environment studies of cotton plants (Gossypium barbadense L.) a light-induced acceleration of transpiration upset the water balance established in the dark because of a lag in water absorption. A plant-water deficit could be generated either by sudden illumination at a given saturation deficit (sd) of the air, or by raising the sd in conjunction with illumination, without different effects.

Direct water balance measurements were confirmed in every experiment by beta ray gauge detection of changes in leaf-water content resulting from unequal gain and loss of water by the whole plant.

Recovery from the initial loss of turgidity always was faster and more complete at the higher than at the lower values of sd. Recovery occurred even in the light at the higher values of sd, but was enhanced by return to darkness and a lower sd, which at times resulted in superhydration.

Rehydration in the light could be attributed to at least 2 processes: A) a diminished transpiration rate if earlier water loss was sufficient to induce stomatal closure, and B) an increased rate of water absorption. The data suggest that a water deficit, temporary or persisting, does not cause a significantly lowered transpiration rate; thus, recovery must depend on increased absorption. The communicative link between the 2 processes appears weak, transmitting strong signals only.

     

The effects of season and water availability on chemical composition,secondary metabolites and biological activity in plants

Plants react towards changes in their environment, which can be a result of biotic or abiotic activities. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of abiotic stress on plants, and how it affects the primary as well as secondary metabolism. Generally it is accepted that plants react to environmental stress by increasing secondary metabolites. This is however a very broad and simplified explanation and often inaccurate. Various examples are provided where plants react positively, and often negatively towards seasonal variation and water availability, resulting in a lowering of certain secondary metabolites concentration, while others are increased. Furthermore species differences, cultivars and interaction of other environmental factors such as temperature complicates a simple conclusion from the effect of stress on plants. The differential expression of genes in different species and in different metabolic pathways ensures a complex and very specific reaction of a plant to environmental stress. Overall the paper provides support for a complex and intricate response system which differs for each plant species, and could be explained by understanding and studying the different metabolic pathways responsible for secondary metabolite production.     

Modulation of growth,photosynthetic capacity and water relations in salt stressed wheat plants by exogenously applied 24-epibrassinolide

Brassinosteroids promote the growth of plants and are effective in alleviating adverse effects of abiotic stresses such as salinity and drought. Under saline conditions, improvement in grain yield is more important than simple growth. Previously it was found that although foliar application of brassinosteroids improved growth of wheat plants, it did not increase grain yield. In present study, influence of root applied 24-epibrassinolide was assessed in improving growth and yield of two wheat cultivars. Plants of a salt tolerant (S-24) and a moderately salt sensitive (MH-97) were grown at 0 or 120 mM NaCl in continuously aerated Hoagland’s nutrient solution. Different concentrations of 24-epibrassinolide (0, 0.052, 0.104, 0.156 μM) were also maintained in the solution culture. Exogenous application of 24-epibrassinolide counteracted the salt stress-induced growth and grain yield inhibition of both wheat cultivars. Of the varying 24-epibrassinolide concentrations used, the most effective concentrations for promoting growth were 0.104 and 0.052 μM under normal and saline conditions, respectively. However, root applied 0.052 μM 24-epibrassinolide enhanced the total grain yield and 100 grain weight of salt stressed plants of both cultivars and suggested that total grain yield was mainly increased by increase in grain size which might have been due to 24-epibrassinolide induced increase in translocation of more photoassimilates towards grain. Growth improvement in both cultivars due to root applied 24-epibrassinolide was found to be associated with improved photosynthetic capacity. Changes in photosynthetic rate due to 24-epibrassinolide application were found to be associated with non-stomatal limitations, other than photochemical efficiency of PSII and photosynthetic pigments. Leaf turgor potential found not to be involved in growth promotion.     

Determination of gasoline range,diesel range,and mineral oil range organics in soils and water by flame lonization gas chromatography

This article describes a method for the determination of gasoline range, diesel range, and mineral oil range organics in soils and water. It represents the culmination of a series of efforts to go beyond typical GRO and DRO methodology currently available in the literature to include a quantitative determination of mineral oil organics having a boiling range up to C₄₄. It also is the result of an attempt to develop a cost‐effective method that enables the analyst to quantify three different types of hydrocarbon components in one GC run under conditions without a concentration step. Method performance is comparable to that of current protocols for GRO and DRO determinations and validated further by comparisons to certified standards and in‐house standards. Accuracy as percentage recovery for GRO in water is 82 to 84 and 91 to 92% for soils. Accuracy as percentage recovery for MRO in water is 84 to 102 and 75 to 80% for soils. Accuracy as percentage recovery for DRO in water is 78 to 100 and 71 to 90% for soils. Results from the analysis of in‐house standards and certified standards for DRO and MRO gave higher recoveries than was demonstrated in the MDL studies. The MDL for DRO in water is 31 mg/l and 14 mg/kg for soils. The MDL for GRO in water is 8 mg/l and 4 mg/kg for soils. For MRO in water, the MDL is 7 mg/l and for soils 10 mg/kg. Future proposed improvements to this method will involve updated software that will allow automatic blank subtraction, automatic calculation of surrogate recoveries and the automatic incorporation of dry weight factors in the final calculations for soils. In addition, a GRO method with a run time of only 24 min will be used routinely when only GRO analyses have to be performed.     

Hydraulic lift and water use by plants: implications for water balance,performance and plant-plant interactions

During drought periods, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) demonstrates hydraulic lift; nocturnal uptake of water by roots from deep soil layers that is released from shallow roots into upper soil layers. Using standard water relations methods and stable hydrogen isotope analysis of both source-water and plant-water, I investigated (1) the magnitude and radial extent of hydraulic lift by mature, relatively open-grown trees, of A. saccharum, (2) the proportion of hydraulically-lifted water (HLW) used by shallow-rooted neighbors growing at different distances from target trees, and (3) the influence that this water source had on stomatal conductance to water vapor (g), water balance and growth of these neighbors. Soil water potentials (_s) at –20 and –35 cm showed a distinct diel fluctuation. Soil pits dug beneath three mature trees revealed a distinct hard-pan (e.g. fragipan) layer at a depth of approximately 50 cm. Examination of root distributions obtained from soil cores and soil pits revealed that some larger diameter roots (1.9–3.7 cm) did penetrate the fragipan and were established in the ground water table. The presence of the fragipan indicated that the rewetting of the upper soil layer during the night could not be explained by capillary rise from the shallow water table; it was the trees that were taking up ground water and then redepositing it at night into the upper 35 cm of soil, above the fragipan. The greatest fluctuations in _s occurred within 2.5 m of trees and only extended out to approximately 5 m. Application of a two-end-member linear mixing model which used stable hydrogen isotopic data obtained from environmental water sources and xylem-sap demonstrated that all neighbors used some fraction (3–60%) of HLW supplied by sugar maple trees. Plants that used a high proportion of HLW (e.g. rhizomatous or stoloniferous perennials) maintained significantly higher leaf water potentials and g, and showed greater aboveground growth when compared with (i) neighbors that used little or no HLW or (ii) conspecifics found growing at distances greater than about 3 m away from maple trees. Three important conclusions can be drawn from the results of this investigation that have not been demonstrated before: (1) hydraulic lift need not only occur in arid or semi-arid environments where chronic water deficits prevail, but can be important in relatively mesic environments when subjected to periodic soil water deficits, (2) that plants neighboring trees which conduct hydraulic lift can use a significant proportion of this water source, and (3) that the HLW source can effectively ameliorate the influence of drought on the performance and growth of neighboring vegetation. The results are also discussed in terms of their influence on plant nutrient relations (including plant-mycorrhizal associations), the nature of plant-plant interactions and the water balance of individuals, communities and floristic regions.     

Soil water content and photosynthetic capacity of spring wheat as affected by soil application of nitrogen-enriched biochar in a semiarid environment

A field trial was conducted to determine the effect of nitrogen-enriched biochar on soil water content, plant’s photosynthetic parameters, and grain yield of spring wheat at the Dingxi Experimental Station during the 2014 and 2015 cropping seasons. Results showed that biochar applied with nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 50 kg ha^–1 of N (BN₅₀) increased soil water content in the 0–30 cm depth range by approximately 40, 32, and 53% on average at anthesis, milking, and maturity, respectively, compared with zero-amendment (CN₀). Stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate after the BN₅₀ treatment increased by approximately 40 to 50% compared to CN₀. Soil water content and photosynthetic traits also increased in other treatments using straw plus nitrogen fertilizer, but to lesser extent than that of BN₅₀. Grain yields were highest (1905 and 2133 kg ha^–1 in 2014 and 2015, respectively) under BN₅₀. From this, biochar appears to have a potential for its use with N-fertilizer as a cost-effective amendment for crop production in semiarid environments.     

Soil nitrogen availability evaluations based on nitrogen mineralization potentials of soils and uptake of labeled and unlabeled nitrogen by plants

Summary Sudangrass [Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf] was grown in a greenhouse pot experiment on 39 soils having a broad range of chemical and physical characteristics. Labelled N as sodium nitrate (9% excess N¹⁵) was applied at rates of 200 and 400 mg of N per pot (2kg of soil). After 6 weeks of growth, total N and N¹⁵ were determined on plant tops and roots and on the cropped soils. Maximum yield differed widely among the soils owing to variations in yield-limiting factors other than N. Despite the diversity of responses to N fertilizer, the experiment provided a meaningful basis for assessing soil nitrogen availability. Amounts of N taken up from soils were similar from pots receiving no fertilizer N and from pots receiving labeled N.Amounts of soil organic N mineralized during cropping plus the mineral N present initially in the soils correlated highly with amounts of soil N taken up by whole plants (tops and roots). Average recovery by whole plants of mineral N formed before and during the cropping period was about 85 per cent, a value corresponding closely to recovery of fertilizer N in this experiment. The similarity in recovery of N provided by soil and fertilizer suggests that mineral N from these sources comprised a common pool that behaved as an entity with respect to mineralization-immobilization relations or other reactions affecting N availability to plants.A-values, the amounts of soil N having an availability equivalent to that of applied fertilizer N, were similar for two levels of applied labeled N and for tops and whole plants. Moreover, A-values were similar to amounts of N mineralized before and during crop growth. This result is particularly significant, since amounts of N mineralized during crop growth were estimated from N mineralization potentials, taking into account the effects of temperature on the mineralization rate constant. Thus, the study provides preliminary evidence that the soil N mineralization potential offers a basis for reliably estimating amounts of soil N mineralized during selected periods of time under specified temperature regimes.     

Soil phosphorus fractions,aluminum, and water retention as affected by microbial activity in an Ultisol

Increased organic matter input into weathered and infertile soils through agricultural techniques such as minimum tillage or agroforestry can improve P availability to crops. Organic matter is an energy source for microbes, and their activity may be responsible in part for increased levels of labile P. The objective of the work reported here was to examine, in a highly weathered Ultisol, the influence of microbial activity in mobilizing P, maintaining it in a plant-available state, and preventing its fixation, and the effect of N and biocides on these processes. Exchangeable aluminum and soil moisture were also determined, since they interact with microbes and soil P.Results showed that increased microbial activity reduced sorption of dissolved and organic P by soil, maintained inorganic P in soluble and labile pools, increased microbial P, decreased mineral P, increased exchangeable Al, and increased water retention. Additions of N and biocides had variable effects, probably due to complex interactions between N, degrading biocides, and microbial populations.