ISHS Acta Horticulturae 175: Symposium on Physiology of Productivity of Subtropical and Tropical Tree Fruits
EFFECT OF AERIAL AND SOIL ENVIRONMENT ON LEAF WATER POTENTIAL OF LYCHEE: IMPLICATIONS FOR IRRIGATION SCHEDULING AND PRODUCTIVITY. |
| Authors: | C.M. Menzel, A.G. Banks, D.R. Simpson |
| Abstract:
Diurnal variations in leaf water potential of lychee trees (Litchi chinensis Sonn cs. 'Bengal' and 'Tai So') in relation to aerial and soil environment were investigated in subtropical Queensland, Australia. When the soil was held close to field capacity (  s = -0.01 MPa), leaf water potential fell from -0.1 MPa in the morning to -1.0 MPa in the middle of the day and then recovered slowly during the afternoon.
Eighty-five percent of the variation in leaf water potential could be attributed to a negative response to leaf-air VPD. During a drying cycle ( s between -0.004 to -0.093 MPa), leaf water potential at dawn ranged from -0.14 to -0.37 MPa.
In contrast, leaf water potential during the rest of the daylight period decreased very little during the drying cycle.
These experiments suggest that there is not likely to be much response to soil water potential or irrigation when the air is dry. Wet soil alone did not prevent the development of low leaf water potential. | |
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