Effect of the water status within a tree on tracheid morphogenesis in Cryptomeria japonica D. Don

Three-year-old cloned trees of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don growing in a growth cabinet, in which the temperature, relative humidity and light conditions could be controlled automatically, were irrigated every day or every 3 days. The xylem pressure potential of the leaves was measured using a pressure chamber. The tangential strain of each stem was monitored with a strain gauge. After about 1 month the trees were cut, and the anatomical features of tracheids and cambial cells were observed. In trees irrigated every day, the tangential strain of the stems increased gradually with a regular diurnal pattern. On the other hand, in trees irrigated every 3 days, both the maximum and the minimum tangential strains within a stem increased every 3 days. In both irrigation conditions, the tangential strain showed a minimum value immediately before irrigation, and a maximum value around the onset of light within a day. The fluctuation of xylem pressure potential was similar to that of the tangential strain in both irrigation conditions. Stems of trees irrigated every 3 days shrank and swelled more than those irrigated every day with the same water potential change. The diameter of tracheids produced during the experimental period was larger in trees irrigated every day and smaller in trees irrigated every 3 days than that before the experiment. The number of cell layers of cells in the cell expanding zone and the cambial zone, and the tracheid diameter in the cell expanding zone were smaller in trees irrigated every 3 days than in trees irrigated every day. Received: 1 February 1999 / Accepted: 17 June 1999