Abstract
Acoustic emissions (AEs) from xylem cavitation events are characteristic of transpiration processes. Though a body of work exists describing AEs and limited stem hydraulic conductivity under water stress, there is limited information about the effects of AEs on stomatal aperture and limitation on carbon assimilation. The objective of this work was to relate AEs to drought stress in cotton. Cotton was grown in mini-lysimeters in the greenhouse and instrumented with a portable photosynthesis system and ultrasonic transducers connected to a digital signal-processing unit. Whole plant transpiration, leaf level gas exchange and ultrasonic AEs were measured. Xylem cavitation events temporally associated with the onset of drought stress. The results are consistent with stomatal closure in response to reduced hydraulic conductance from xylem cavitation events. Clear direct empirical evidence of a reduction in carbon assimilation associated with xylem cavitation resulting from water stress is presented.
Highlights
Crop water availability is a primary determinant of growth and yield [1] [2], and see [3]
The primary objective of this work was to investigate the relationship of Acoustic Emissions (AEs) from xylem cavitation events to gas exchange in and to obtain preliminary observations to determine whether AE emissions from cavitation events might be used as a plant water stress signal in cotton
The results presented are consistent with the view that cavitation, the failure of water columns within xylem, results in diminished physiological performance through subsequent processes such as stomatal closure
Summary
Crop water availability is a primary determinant of growth and yield [1] [2], and see [3]. In arid or semi-arid regions where thermal limitation and season length do not greatly limit cotton cropping [4] water availability is the predominant yield-determining factor. In semiarid agricultural regions crop irrigation can represent >95% of the total freshwater use, such as in the case of the Southern High Plains (SHP) in the United States [5]. Because of increasing constraints on irrigation water worldwide, considerable effort has been expended on the development of more efficient irrigation strategies for crop production systems
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