Leaf Air Temperature Research Articles

Climate-ready Landscape Plants: Garden Roses Trialed at Reduced Irrigation Frequency in Utah, USA

Increased urban and suburban populations in the arid western United States have resulted in more water demand; however, water availability in the region has become limited because of inadequate precipitation. Recent droughts have led to restrictions on irrigating landscape plants. Garden rose (Rosa ×hybrida) is commonly used as flowering plants in residential landscapes, but its drought tolerance has not been widely studied. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of reduced irrigation frequency on visual quality, plant growth, and physiology of five garden rose cultivars, including ChewPatout (Oso Easy® Urban Legend®), Meibenbino (Petite Knock Out®), MEIRIFTDAY (Oso Easy® Double Pink), Overedclimb (Cherry Frost™), and Radbeauty (Sitting Pretty™). Twenty-four plants of each rose cultivar were established in a trial plot at Utah Agricultural Experiment Station Greenville Research Farm (North Logan, UT, USA) in Summer 2021. Plants were randomly assigned to one of three deficit irrigation treatments for which irrigation frequencies were calculated using 80% reference evapotranspiration (ETO) (high), 50% ETO (medium), and 20% ETO (low). The total volumes of irrigation water applied to each plant were 345.6, 172.8, and 43.2 L for the high, medium, and low irrigation frequencies, respectively, during the deficit irrigation trial from 12 May to 30 Sep 2022. Root zones were wetted more frequently as irrigation frequency increased from low to high irrigation frequencies. Decreased irrigation frequency increased the number of visibly wilted and damaged leaves on all rose cultivars. However, only ‘Meibenbino’ and ‘MEIRIFTDAY’ exhibited a reduction in overall appearance under decreased irrigation frequency. The relative growth indices of both ‘Meibenbino’ and ‘MEIRIFTDAY’ decreased by 6%, whereas the dry weights of their leaves decreased by 37% and 36%, respectively, as irrigation decreased from high to low frequencies. Roses in this study appeared to decrease stomatal conductance up to 51% when irrigation decreased from high to low frequencies, or when air temperature increased. ‘Meibenbino’ and ‘MEIRIFTDAY’ exhibited unacceptable overall appearance, growth reduction, and higher leaf–air temperature differences, and they were less tolerant to reduced irrigation. Although the ‘Radbeauty’ maintained plant growth under the reduced irrigation frequency, the large leaf size led to a more visibly wilted appearance and the potential for heat stress, thus impairing visual quality. ‘ChewPatout’ and ‘Overedclimb’ were most tolerant to deficit irrigation at 20% ETO and maintained plant growth with acceptable visual quality and lower leaf temperatures when they received one irrigation during the growing season.

Estimating canopy stomatal conductance and photosynthesis in apple trees by upscaling parameters from the leaf scale to the canopy scale in Jinzhong Basin on Loess Plateau

The estimations of stomatal conductance and photosynthesis performed by upscaling the parameters from the leaf scale to the canopy scale are key points in the fields of forest ecohydrology and physiology. The foundation for solving this scientific problem is determining the optimal models for calculating the leaf stomatal conductance (gl) and photosynthetic rate (Pl). In this study, we used the Jarvis model combined with modification factors, including leaf–air temperature (ΔT) and CO2 concentration inside and outside the stomata (ΔC), to estimate gl and the new Ye light–response model to estimate the Pl of apple trees in Jinzhong Basin on Loess Plateau. The results show that the modified Jarvis (JarvisΔT-ΔC) model and the new Ye light–response model could estimate gl and Pl, respectively, with very high accuracy, with R2 values of 0.926 and 0.959 for the former, and 0.987 and 0.983 for the latter in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Then, we estimated the canopy stomatal conductance (gc) and photosynthetic rate (Pc) by first dividing the apple tree canopy into sunlit and shaded leaves and then summing the contribution of sunlit and shaded gl, Pl and leaf area index. Our efforts will be a valid reference for estimating the gc and Pc of other tree or crop species in the future.

CART model to classify the drought status of diverse tomato genotypes by VPD, air temperature, and leaf–air temperature difference

Regular water management is crucial for the cultivation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Inadequate irrigation leads to water stress and a reduction in tomato yield and quality. Therefore, it is important to develop an efficient classification method of the drought status of tomato for the timely application of irrigation. In this study, a simple classification and regression tree (CART) model that includes air temperature, vapor pressure deficit, and leaf–air temperature difference was established to classify the drought status of three tomato genotypes (i.e., cherry type ‘Tainan ASVEG No. 19’, large fruits breeding line ‘108290’, and wild accession ‘LA2093’). The results indicate that the proposed CART model exhibited a higher predictive sensitivity, specificity, geometric mean, and accuracy performance compared to the logistic model. In addition, the CART model was applicable not only to three tomato genotypes but across vegetative and reproductive stages. Furthermore, while the drought status was divided into low, medium, and high, the CART model provided a higher predictive performance than that of the logistic model. The results suggest that the drought status of tomato can be accurately classified by the proposed CART model. These results will provide a useful tool of the regular water management for tomato cultivation.

Introducing water factors improves simulations of maize stomatal conductance models under plastic film mulching in arid and semi-arid irrigation areas

Plastic film mulching (PFM) in the cropland may alter biophysical conditions for crop growth, which may not be accounted for in existing stomatal conductance models. This can affect the accuracy of carbon–nitrogen-water cycle simulations for the soil-crop systems and hamper our understanding of internal mechanisms that control plant leaf stomatal conductance (gsw). To evaluate the simulations of PFM effects on gsw, the three models (i.e., Ball-Woodrow-Berry (BWB), Ball-Berry-Leuning (BBL), and unified stomatal optimization (USO) models) were used. The two model modification factors were leaf-air temperature difference (ΔT) and a water response function (f(θ)). A two-year maize (Zea mays L.) field experiment was conducted under different PFM (black, transparent, and no-mulch). The performance of the BWB model was poor under varying water status in the arid irrigation area. As for the BBL and USO models, the coefficient of determination and modified efficiency coefficient of the modified models increased 5.8%–90.6% and 6.5%–145.4%, respectively, compared with the initial models. The root mean square error and relative error of the modified models decreased 3.5%–67.9% and 4.8%–65.6%, respectively. The ΔT and f(θ) factors effectively improved the BBL and USO models, but the f(θ)-modified models performed better than ΔT-modified models under PFM. Overall, our results suggest that the maize land implemented with plastic film mulching has altered biophysical conditions, leading to significant changes in crop photosynthesis, leaf-air temperature difference and top-soil water conditions. Accurate estimates of stomatal conductance require the model to consider water response functions and leaf-air temperature difference, particularly in environmental conditions associated with different extents of water deficit or drought.

Evaporative flux method of leaf hydraulic conductance estimation: sources of uncertainty and reporting format recommendation

BackgroundThe accurate estimation of leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) is important for revealing leaf physiological characteristics and function. However, the Kleaf values are largely incomparable in previous studies for a given species indicating some uncertain influencing factors in Kleaf measurement.ResultWe investigated the potential impacts of plant sampling method, measurement setup, environmental factors, and transpiration steady state identification on Kleaf estimation in Oryza sativa and Cinnamomum camphora using evaporation flux method (EFM). The effects of sampling and rehydration time, the small gravity pressure gradients between water sources and leaves, and water degassing on Kleaf estimation were negligible. As expected, the estimated steady flow rate (E) was significantly affected by multiple environmental factors including airflow around leaf, photosynthetically active radiation (PARa) on leaf surfaces and air temperature. Kleaf decreased by 40% when PARa declined from 1000 to 500 µmol m−2 s−1 and decreased by 15.1% when air temperature increased from 27 to 37 °C. In addition, accurate steady-state flow rate identification and leaf water potential measurement were important for Kleaf estimation.ConclusionsBased on the analysis of influencing factors, we provided a format for reporting the metadata of EFM-based Kleaf to achieve greater comparability among studies and interpretation of differences.

Plant-Response-Based Control Strategy for Irrigation and Environmental Controls for Greenhouse Tomato Seedling Cultivation

Most existing greenhouse decision support systems only consider external environmental factors, such as soil and atmosphere, rather than plant response. A conceptual plant-response-based strategy for irrigation and environmental controls for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedling cultivation in greenhouse operations was proposed. Because stomatal conductance (gsw) is a comprehensive indicator of plants, soil moisture, and atmospheric conditions, this study used gsw to design a conceptual system by employing factors affecting gsw as the key for decision-making. Logistic regression was performed with independent variables (i.e., temperature (Tair), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and leaf–air temperature difference) to predict the gsw status. When the gsw status was “low,” the system entered into the environmental control component, which examined whether the VPD and the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) were in the normal range. If the VPD and the PPFD were not in the normal range, the system would offer a suggestion for environmental control. Conversely, when both parameters were in the normal range, the system would determine that irrigation should be performed and the irrigation amount could be estimated by the evapotranspiration model. Thus, the strategy only considered leaf temperature, Tair, VPD, and PPFD, and the overall error rate to characterize gsw was below 13.36%.

Effect of short-term combined alkaline stress on antioxidant metabolism, photosynthesis, and leaf-air temperature difference in sorghum

Alkaline stress is important abiotic stress that restricts the growth and physiological activity of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). We aimed to investigate the effects of alkaline stress on alkali-tolerant SX44B and alkali-sensitive 262B sorghum inbred lines. The results showed that alkaline stress decreased the content of chlorophyll, activity of photosystem II, net photosynthetic rate, and destroyed chloroplast morphology. These changes were less pronounced in SX44B, possibly owing to its higher antioxidant enzyme activity and nonphotochemical quenching. Alkaline stress decreased water content, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance while increasing the leaf temperature, with the effect being more pronounced in 262B. A significant correlation was observed between leaf-air temperature difference (ΔT) and relative water content and gas-exchange parameters, especially in 262B. Therefore, ΔT is an effective indicator for monitoring changes in sorghum leaves under alkaline stress and evaluating the alkali tolerance of different sorghum germplasm.

Landscape-scale characterization of Arctic tundra vegetation composition, structure, and function with a multi-sensor unoccupied aerial system

The Arctic is experiencing some of the most rapid climate change on Earth, with strong impacts on tundra ecosystems that are characterized by high land-surface and vegetation heterogeneity. Previous studies have explored this complexity using satellite remote sensing, however these typically coarse spatial resolution data have generally missed sub-pixel heterogeneity, leaving critical gaps in our understanding of tundra vegetation dynamics from the community to landscape scales. To address these gaps, we collected very high-resolution (1–5 cm) optical, structural, and thermal data at three low-Arctic tundra sites on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, using a multi-sensor unoccupied aerial system (UAS). We examined the application of these data to studying tundra vegetation dynamics, by quantifying (a) canopy height and thermoregulation (leaf–air temperature) of representative plant functional types (PFTs), (b) fine-scale patterns of vegetation composition across landscapes, and (c) impacts of fine-scale vegetation composition on landscape-scale variation of canopy height and thermoregulation. Our results show that deciduous tall shrubs (those that can potentially grow >2 m) had a strong cooling effect, with canopy temperatures significantly lower than local air temperatures and other PFTs. Increased cover of tall shrubs also had the potential to reduce the cover of low-stature PFTs across the landscape, potentially associated with their closed canopy (i.e. increased light competition) and strong thermoregulation. To understand the connections between fine-scale vegetation composition and large-scale ecosystem processes, we produced a random forest model which showed that fine-scale PFT composition accounted for 86.8% and 74.2% of the landscape-scale variation in canopy height and thermoregulation, respectively. These findings highlight the importance of spatially detailed characterization of tundra PFTs to improve our ecological understanding and model representation of tundra vegetation, also transcend our study to show the need for continued collection of similar datasets to better understand the impacts of surface heterogeneity on the mapping and modeling of tundra ecosystem dynamics, as well as assist with conservation management and biodiversity monitoring strategies.

Impact of heat stress responsive factors on growth and physiology of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Pakistan ranked highest with reference to average temperatures in cotton growing areas of the world. The heat waves are becoming more intense and unpredictable due to climate change. Identification of heat tolerant genotypes requires comprehensive screening using molecular, physiological and morphological analysis. Heat shock proteins play an important role in tolerance against heat stress. In the current study, eight heat stress responsive factors, proteins and genes (HSFA2, GHSP26, GHPP2A, HSP101, HSC70-1, HSP3, APX1 and ANNAT8) were evaluated morphologically and physiologically for their role in heat stress tolerance. For this purpose, cotton crop was grown at two temperature conditions i.e. normal weather and heat stress at 45°C. For molecular analysis, genotypes were screened for the presence or absence of heat shock protein genes. Physiological analysis of genotypes was conducted to assess net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, leaf-air temperature and cell membrane stability under control as well as high temperature. The traits photosynthesis, cell membrane stability, leaf-air temperature and number of heat stress responsive factors in each genotypes showed a strong correlation with boll retention percentage under heat stress. The genotypes with maximum heat shock protein genes such as Cyto-177, MNH-886, VH-305 and Cyto-515 showed increased photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, negative leaf-air temperature and high boll retention percentage under heat stress condition. These varieties may be used as heat tolerant breeding material.

Evaluation of the Crop Water Stress Index as an Indicator for the Diagnosis of Grapevine Water Deficiency in Greenhouses

Precise irrigation management of grapevines in greenhouses requires a reliable method to easily quantify and monitor the grapevine water status to enable effective manipulation of the water stress of the plants. This study evaluated the applicability of crop water stress index (CWSI) based on the leaf temperature for diagnosing the grapevine water status. The experiment was conducted at Yuhe Farm (northwest China), with drip-irrigated grapevines under three irrigation treatments. Meteorological factors, soil moisture contents, leaf temperature, growth indicators including canopy coverage and fruit diameter, and physiological indicators including SPAD (relative chlorophyll content), stem water potential (φs), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (E) were studied during the growing season. The results show that the relationship between the leaf-air temperature difference (Tc-Ta) and the plant water status indicators (φs, gs, E) were significant (P < 0.05), and the relationship between gs, E and Tc-Ta was the closest, with R2 values ranging from 0.530–0.604 and from 0.545–0.623, respectively. CWSI values are more easily observed on sunny days, and it was determined that 14:00 BJS is the best observation time for the CWSI value under different non-water-stressed baselines. There is a reliable linear correlation between the CWSI value and the soil moisture at 0–40 cm (P < 0.05), which could provide a reference when using the CWSI to diagnose the water status of plants. Compared with the Tc-Ta value, the CWSI could more accurately monitor the plant water status, and above the considered indictors, gs has the greatest correlation with the CWSI.

The effects of calcite silicon-mediated particle film application on leaf temperature and grape composition of Merlot (<i>Vitis vinifera L.</i>) vines under different irrigation conditions

Aim: This study examined whether the application of calcite-silicon mediated particle film (CaPF) at veraison can mitigate a drought-induced increase in leaf temperature on grapevine, thus contributing to improved leaf functionality, yield and grape composition traits.Methods and results: A total of 48 five-year-old Merlot (Vitis vinifera L.) vines grafted onto SO4 were grown (in 20 L PVC pots) under Mediterranean conditions (Southern Italy). The vines were pruned to a single spur with 3 winter buds irrigated daily to 100 % field capacity, and fertilised weekly.At veraison and using a 2×2 factorial experimental design, the two main factors, thermoregulation and water, were imposed at two levels: spraying with a thermoregulation compound (CaPF) and no spraying (NS); irrigation (WW) and drought stress (D)). A group of 24 vines was subjected to a 15-day drought period by receiving, every day, 25 % (D) of the daily water consumption of WW vines. The other 24 vines continued to be fully irrigated on a daily basis (WW). Twelve vines per group were sprayed (WW+CaPF, D+CaPF) with calcite-silicon mediate (3 % V/V) at the beginning of drought imposition, the remaining 24 vines were not sprayed (WW-NS, D-NS). Soil water moisture and stem water potential values were monitored from 11.30 to 13:30 nearly every week, and other vegetative and reproductive parameters were also measured.During the experiment, air temperature peaked at ≈35°C at midday, VPD at about 3.7 kPa and PAR reached ≈2000 µmol m-2 s–1. Results show that in CaPF sprayed vines, leaf-air temperature differences were lower than in unsprayed vines in both irrigated and drought stressed groups. WW+CaPF vines retained significantly more leaf area and showed the highest value of accumulated vine transpiration.Conclusion: Calcite-silicon mediated particle film could enhance the resilience of grapevine to adverse environmental conditions and may contribute to preserve terroir elements in highly reputed wine grape growing areas.Significance of the study: The study showed that foliar application of calcite silicon-mediated processed particles films can be used in arid regions to mitigate leaf temperatures in grapevines.

Soybean Rust Epidemics as Affected by Weather Conditions in Brazil

The soybean rust (SBR) epidemics are often triggered by weather conditions, which interfere actively on the disease progress. Therefore, weather variables can be used to estimate the risk of occurrence and severity of SBR outbreaks. This research aimed to determine the influence of weather variables on SBR progress in different field trials in Brazil. Field experiments were conducted during 2014-15 and 2015-16 soybean growing seasons in Piracicaba (SP), Ponta Grossa (PR), Campo Verde (MT) and Pedra Preta (MT). For all sites and seasons, a susceptible soybean cultivar was drilled with 0.45 m row spacing and 12 plants per linear meter. No fungicide sprays were applied to ensure natural disease occurrence. In order to create different environmental conditions, sequential sowing dates, of roughly 30-day intervals were carried out. In Piracicaba, Ponta Grossa, Campo Verde, and Pedra Preta the main weather variables influencing SBR were leaf wetness duration - LWD (R = 0.340), air temperature during LWD (R = 0.313), and cumulative rainfall (R = 0.304). The final severity was assessed only at Piracicaba and Ponta Grossa, and it was mainly influenced by LWD (R = 0.643). It is possible to conclude that epidemics of SBR were mainly influenced by leaf wetness duration, accumulated rainfall and air temperature during the LWD. Therefore, future researches aiming to develop a disease warning system for SBR should include the cumulative rainfall, LWD and the air temperature during LWD, together or individually, as inputs.

The leaf-air temperature difference reflects the variation in water status and photosynthesis of sorghum under waterlogged conditions.

Waterlogging stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses limiting sorghum growth and development. Consequently, the responses of sorghum to waterlogging must be monitored and studied. This study investigated changes in the leaf water status, xylem exudation rate, leaf anatomical structure, leaf temperature and photosynthetic performance. Waterlogging-tolerant (Jinuoliang 01, abbreviated JN01) and waterlogging-sensitive (Jinza 31, abbreviated JZ31) sorghum cultivars were planted in pots. The experiment was carried out using a split block design with three replications. Waterlogging stress was imposed at the sorghum five-leaf stage. The leaf free water content (FWC) and relative water content (RWC) decreased under the waterlogged condition. The leaf thickness was thinner under the waterlogged condition, and the main changes occurred in the upper epidermal and mesophyll cells. Gas exchange parameters and the xylem exudation rate were also restrained by waterlogging; however, greater responses of these parameters were observed in JZ31. JZ31 had a higher leaf-air temperature difference (ΔT) than JN01. We found that changes in ΔT were always consistent with changes in the RWC and the gas exchange parameters. ΔT was significantly associated with the leaf RWC, photosynthetic rate (Pn) and transpiration rate (Tr). The results suggest that ΔT may be an indicator reflecting the water status in leaves and can be used to evaluate the tolerance of sorghum to waterlogging.

Comparison of wetness sensors and the development of a new sensor for apple scab prognosis

Apple scab prediction is based on the model of Mills which describes the risk of Venturia inaequalis infection using leaf wetness duration and air temperature data. The quality of prognosis relies on sensor quality. Six brands of commercially available leaf wetness sensors were compared at the Julius Kuehn-Institute (Germany) apple orchard from 2011 to 2013. Also a new wetness sensor was developed and optimized from 2009 to 2015 in cooperation with Thies Clima company. The Thies-wetness sensor was equipped with a glass–ceramic surface, an adjustable heating system to avoid dew and an adjustable cooling system to prolong wetness duration of sensor surface. Prototypes were tested in climate chamber before exposition in the orchard to achieve sensor settings with drying properties broadly similar to apple leaves. The market-ready prototype showed suitability for prognosis in field assays in primary seasons of 2015–2017 and maybe integrated into prognosis of apple scab without further modeling. The Thies-sensor was shown to be more reliable, uniform, sensitive and more suitable for forecasting than the purchased models.

A new indicator of leaf stomatal conductance based on thermal imaging for field grown cowpea

ABSTRACTCompared with a porometer, a thermal camera can be easily applied to large plant populations comprising a set of varieties, treatments, and replications, whereby, leaf temperature-based indicators are widely used to estimate stomatal conductance (gs); however, a major difficulty in applying these indicators is their vulnerability to meteorological conditions. In this study, a new indicator of gs (GsI) was developed with a modified theoretical equation of gs that was highly simplified by means of several assumptions. GsI calculation uses leaf and air temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation measurements. To validate and compare GsI values with other thermal indicators as leaf-air temperature difference and crop water stress index, glasshouse and field experiments were conducted. Leaf temperature of cowpea plants was measured using a low-cost thermal camera to ensure a cost-friendly method. GsI proved to be more stable than other indicators, relative to the measured gs, irrespective of solar radiation, air temperature, and relative humidity conditions. As no reference temperature is needed for the calculation of GsI, it easily applies to large plant populations, although the GsI is most accurate in the range from moderate to high gs values (approximately, >0.2 mol m−2 s−1). We used GsI to evaluate a cowpea germplasm collection consisting of 248 accessions, and elucidated that most accessions with higher GsI, which expected to have higher gs, are originated in West-Africa. As GsI is available regardless of varying meteorological conditions, it is a useful indicator of gs, especially in field studies involving multilocation and time-course evaluations.Abbreviations: Cp: specific heat of the air; CWSI: crop water stress index; DAS: days after sowing; DT: saturated vapor pressure at temperature T; ea: vapor pressure of the air; es: vapor pressure at leaf surface; G: heat flux to the ground; ga: boundary layer conductance; gs: stomatal conductance; gv: total conductance; RH: relative humidity; Rn: net radiation; Rs: short-wave radiation; S: heat flux to the leaf; Ta: air temperature; Tdry: dry reference temperature; Ts: leaf surface temperature; Twet: wet reference temperature; VPD: vapor pressure deficit; γ: psychrometric constant; λE: latent heat flux; ρ: air density.

Effects of Cooling Systems on Greenhouse Microclimate and Cucumber Growth under Mediterranean Climatic Conditions

Two experiments were conducted in different cropping seasons under Mediterranean climatic conditions to investigate the impact of two cooling systems (fan-pad evaporative as opposed to fan ventilation) on greenhouse microclimate and soilless cucumber growth. The second objective of the experiment was to determine the most appropriate irrigation regime (between 0.24 and 0.32 L m−2) in relation to crop water uptake and greenhouse fertigation effluents. The use of a fan ventilation system enhanced the vapor pressure deficit; thus, the crop transpiration improved by 60% in relation to the transpiration rates of plants grown under the fan-pad system. Higher transpiration rates alleviated the heat load as the external–inside greenhouse air differences declined from 6.2 °C to 3 °C. The leaf–air temperature differential indicated that plants were not facing any water stress conditions for both cooling systems tested; however, fan ventilation reduced drainage emissions outflows (95% decrease) compared with evaporative cooling. Results also demonstrated that an irrigation regime of 0.24 L m−2 can be applied successfully in soilless cucumber crops, keeping the drainage to a minimum (20% of the nutrient solution supply). These results suggest that fan ventilation cooling system in conjugation with an appropriate irrigation regime prevents overheating and minimizes the nutrient and water losses in spring-grown soilless cucumber crops in Mediterranean greenhouses without compromising yield.

Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of the effects of relative air humidity on the morpho-physiological traits of Pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) under high temperature

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of relative air humidity (RH) on morphological and physiological traits of Pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) under high temperature. Pakchoi was planted in climate chambers at 35/28 °C, day / night temperature, and the RH levels were 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 95%. Most growth parameters peaked at 40–60% RH under high temperature. Biomass, leaf area, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), soluble sugar, and vitamin C were the highest at 60% RH, whereas total chlorophyll content, transpiration rate, and leaf air temperature were the highest at 40% RH. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activities were the highest at 80% RH. All the above properties showed the lowest value at 95% RH. Malondialdehyde (MDA) peaked at 95% RH, and severe chlorosis was observed simultaneously. Based on our fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, the fuzzy value of production and intrinsic quality was the highest at 60% RH and lowest at 95% RH. RH does affect the temperature difference between leaf and air from the change of transpiration. Excessively high or low RH caused a significant reduction in biomass production and intrinsic quality. We found that 60% RH was the optimum level for growth of Pakchoi at high temperature. With 95% RH, the Pakchoi was damaged under high temperature; Pn, SOD, CAT, and POD activities were the lowest; and MDA content was the highest. Results suggested that proper RH level could reduce leaf temperature and maintain stomatal conductance, thereby maintaining the high yield of Pakchoi via higher photosynthetic efficiency at high temperature.

Effect of Irrigation Time on the Growth Rate and Indoor Environment of Greenhouse Eggplant

In order to obtain a more reasonable irrigation schedule in greenhouse, an experimental study was carried out in Agriculture High-efficient Yongshui Laboratory, North China Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Power, Henan province in China. This experiment took three irrigation treatments to examine the influence of different irrigation time points on the eggplant growth status and indoor environment. In the test, indoor plant growth detection system was used for a real-time monitoring of both the plant physiological status and indoor environmental status. Through analysis of the stem diameter, leaf–air temperature difference and vapor pressure deficit, the results shown that the stem diameter growth rates of greenhouse eggplant in the three treatments had an increasing order as: irrigation at night < irrigation at noon < irrigation at morning, and the irrigation in morning and nighttime had a better regulating effect on indoor transpiration environment than the noontime. It is indicated that the optimum irrigation time for greenhouse eggplant should be morning irrigation. The results can provide a reliable scientific basis for making irrigation scheduling of main crops in greenhouse.

Towards a more flexible representation of water stress effects in the nonlinear Jarvis model

To better interpret summer maize stomatal conductance (gs) variation under conditions of changing water status at different growth stages, three water stress indicators, soil water content (SWC), leaf-air temperature difference (ΔT) and leaf level water stress index (CWSIL) were employed in Jarvis model, which were JS, JT and JC models respectively. Measurements of gs were conducted in a summer maize field experiment during the year 2012–2013. In the insufficient irrigation experiment, three levels of irrigation amount were applied at four different growth stages of summer maize. We constructed three scenarios to evaluate the performance of the three water stress indicators for estimating maize gs in a modified Jarvis model. Results showed that JT and JC models had better simulation accuracy than the JS model, especially at the late growth stage (Scenario 1) or considering the plant recovery compensation effects (Scenario 2). Scenario 3 indicated that the more environmental factors were adopted, the better prediction performance would be for JS model. While for JT model, two environmental factors (photosynthesis active radiation (PAR), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD)) seemed good enough to obtain a reliable simulation. When there were insufficient environmental data, CWSIL would be the best option. This study can be useful to understand the response of plant stomatal to changing water conditions and will further facilitate the application of the Jarvis model in various environments.

Soil moisture and soybean physiology affected by drought in an integrated crop-livestock system

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of grazing intensities after 11 years of an integrated crop-livestock system, under no-tillage, on soil moisture and soybean physiological parameters during a summer season affected by drought. The experiment was established in 2001 on a Rhodic Hapludox. Treatments consisted in the succession of soybean (summer) and a mixed pasture of black oat + Italian ryegrass (winter), under different beef-cattle grazing intensities: intensive grazing, with 0.10-m pasture height; moderate grazing, with 0.20-m pasture height; and no grazing. During the soybean cycle, in the 2011/2012 crop season, rainfall was 40% of the climatological normal. The soil moisture was within the limits of available water both under moderate grazing and no grazing, at 0.00-0.50-m soil depth, but, under intensive grazing, it was below the permanent wilting point, especially up to the grazing height of 0.20 m. Intensive grazing affected negatively the plant physiology parameters, reaching peaks of -2.5 MPa and +6°C for leaf water potential and leaf-air temperature difference, respectively. Moderate grazing or the absence of grazing, during the winter season, results in similar physiological responses, contributing to soybean plant homeostasis.