Abstract
Under natural climatic conditions in West Africa, midday closure of stomata in 3-6-year-old oil palms occurs only in the latter half of the dry season, when soil moisture is low and air temperatures are high. Using an infiltration method, attempts were made to determine the climatic factors which affect stomatal closure. The extent of midday closure is related closely to air temperature and shade temperature under the palm, agreeing closely with the findings of Meidner and Heath (1959) on onion, but the aperture-tem perature curves are different for watered and unwatered palms in the dry season, the difference being greater at higher temperatures. Watering reduces closure by changing the aperture-temperature relationship. Under natural conditions this effect is usually obscured because of lower temperatures in the dry season follow ing rain. During Harmattan weather, with very low relative humidities, the aper ture-temperature relationship broke down. The results are discussed in relation to current views on midday closure of stomata.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
