| Abstract: | Trunk and branch sap flow were compared with canopy transpirationin a 5-year-old pecan tree (Carya illinoensis ‘Wichita’).Total trunk sap flow, measured by a heat balance trunk flowgauge, was 122.8 kg over a 24 h period, corresponding closelyto the 113.4 kg of canopy transpiration measured by a largeprecision weighing lysimeter. Branches, less than half the diameterof the main trunk, had a total sap flow an order of magnitudeless than the total flow in the trunk. Sap flow in a branchwith a northern exposure was 41% less than that with a southernexposure. When sap flow was normalized per unit tree or branchleaf area, peak sap flow in the south branch matched that inthe main trunk. Tree transpiration and the sap flow in trunkand branches began concurrently, indicating little dynamic waterstorage in the trunk above the gauge. The hydraulic conductanceof the entire tree was 8 to 14 x 10–14 m s–1 Pa–1,similar to values found for a number of woody and herbaceousspecies. Key words: Sap flow, Carya illinoensis, transpiration, lysimeter, trunk flow gauge |
