ISHS Acta Horticulturae 228: IV International Symposium on Water Supply and Irrigation in the Open and under Protected Cultivation
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON WATER CONSUMPTION OF PEACH TREES |
| Authors: | C. Xiloyannis, R. Massai, B. Pezzarossa |
| Abstract:
The effect of different temperatures (15°, 25° and 35°C) and different soil water content on the water consumption per dm2 of leaf and the recovery capacity after rewatering were studied in one-year-old peach trees, cultivar 'Armking', grown in containers and placed in controlled environments. Soil humidity was mantained at around 60% of available water, and the water consumed by each plant was replaced daily. The leaf area and the dry weight of roots of each plant were measured. The different values of water consumption per dm2 of leaf recorded from daily weighings were compared with the leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and leaf temperature. A 10°C higher temperature provoked an increase in traspiration of about 25–30%, in comparison both between 15° and 25°C, and 25° and 35°C. In the plants subjected to temperature of 25° and 35°C the maximum water consumption was recorded in the first seven hours, while in the plants at 15°C water consumption was constant throughout the day. Leaf water potential was related to stomatal resistance for plants placed in different environments. Water consumption and stomatal conductance were directly related to soil water content. Water consumption per dm2 of leaf decreased rapidly once soil water was reduced to 30% of A.W.. Nine hours after rewatering leaf temperature and water consumption per dm2 of leaf in plants placed at 35°C and subjected to water stress were equal to that of well-irrigated trees while plants placed at 15°C took more time to reach water consumption values of the control plants; no temperature difference was observed among the differently treated plants placed at 15°C. | |
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