Trunk Sap Flow Research Articles

Xylem Hydraulic Conductance Role in Kiwifruit Decline Syndrome Occurrence

Kiwifruit decline syndrome (KiDS) has affected kiwifruit orchards for more than ten years in the Mediterranean area, severely compromising productivity and causing extensive uprooting. The affected plants go through an irreversible and fast wilting process. The problem has not been solved yet, and a single cause has not been identified. In this work, we carried out a survey on ten five-year-old healthy kiwifruit cv. Hayward plants cultivated in an area strongly affected by KiDS and characterised by a rising temperature and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Five plants were located in a KiDS-affected orchard. Our goal was to assess the hydraulic conductance of asymptomatic plants in a KiDS-affected area where rising climate change stress is underway. Our hypothesis was that a rising temperature and VPD could impair xylem functionality, leading the plants to develop strategies of tolerance, such as vessel narrowing, or stress symptoms, such as cavitation or implosion, inducing a higher risk of KiDS onset. Hydraulic conductance was investigated using a physiological and morphological approach to detect trunk sap flow, trunk growth and daily diameter variations, leaf gas exchanges and temperature, stem water potential, and the root xylem vessel diameter and vulnerability to cavitation. A strong xylem vessel narrowing was observed in all plants, with the highest frequency in the 30–45 µm diameter class, which is an indicator of long-term adaptation to a rising VPD. In some plants, cavitation and implosion were also observed, which are indicative of a short-term stress response; this behaviour was detected in the plants in the KiDS-affected orchard, where a high leaf temperature (>39 °C), low stomatal conductance (<0.20 mol H2O m−2 s−1) and transpiration (<3 mmol H2O m−2 s−1), low stem water potential (<−1 MPa), high vulnerability to cavitation (3.7 μm mm−2), low trunk sap flow and high daily stem diameter variation confirmed the water stress status. The concurrence of climate stress and agronomic management in predisposing conditions favourable to KiDS onset are discussed, evidencing the role of soil preparation, propagation material and previous crop.

Response of Typical Tree Species Sap Flow to Environmental Factors in the Hilly Areas of Haihe River Basin, China

Understanding developments in the trunk sap flow of prevalent tree species within the hilly areas of the Haihe River basin is imperative for ecosystem conservation. Nevertheless, the changes in sap flow of local trees and their response to environmental factors remain elusive. This study focuses on seven dominant tree species in the hilly area of the Haihe River basin and analyzed the relationship between tree sap flow rate and environmental factors at different time scales (hourly and daily). Our findings suggested: (1) Regardless of the time scale, total solar irradiance played a primary role in influencing sap flow rate. Conversely, as the time scale grew, the associations between most soil factors and sap flow rate enhanced, while those with meteorological factors declined. Notably, soil temperature exerted a more profound influence on sap flow rate than soil moisture and conductivity. (2) At the hourly scale, the sap flow rate of each species had a lag effect of 1–2 h with vapour pressure deficit, relative humidity and temperature, and 1 h or no lag effect with total solar irradiance and wind speed. (3) The response model of sap flow rate and environmental factors showed that, except for Pinus tabuliformis Carr., other tree species fit well at various time scales (R2 ≥ 0.59). As the time scale of most tree species increased from hourly scale to daily scale, the fit gradually weakened. Concurrently, considering the time-lag effect, the accuracy of the model has been improved, and the fitting accuracy of Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm. and Pinus tabuliformis Carr. has been significantly improved.

Instantaneous sap flow velocity simulation of Euonymus bungeanus based on neural network optimization model.

The sap flow of trees is complex and difficult to express with multivariate linear or empirical models. A simple and feasible method on the basis of understanding sap flow variation to simulate its variation with environmental factors is of special importance for quantitatively analyzing forest ecohydrological processes and regional water demand. In this study, with one of the shelter forest species Euonymus bungeanus in the east sandy land of Yellow River in Ningxia as the research object, we continuously measured the trunk sap flow velocity by thermal diffusion sap flow meter, and analyzed the effects of environmental factors on stem sap flow. We used the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and sparrow search algorithm (SSA) optimized neural network model to predict sap flow velocity of E. bungeanus. Results showed that the main environmental factors influencing sap flow were solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, air temperature, and relative humidity, with the influencing importance of 32.5%, 25.3%, 22.0% and 16.1%, respectively. The response process between sap flow and environmental factors presented a hysteresis loop relationship. The optimized BP, Elman and ELM neural network models improved the comprehensive evaluation index (GPI) by 1.5%, 30.0% and 5.3%, respectively. Compared with the PSO-Elman and SSA-ELM optimization models, the SSA-BP optimization model had the best prediction results with an improvement of 1.0% and 23.2% in GPI, respectively. Therefore, the prediction results of the BP neural network model based on the sparrow search algorithm could be used as an optimal model for predicting instantaneous sap flow velocity of E. bungeanus.

Long-term variation of the sap flow to tree diameter relation in a temperate poplar forest

Understanding the relationship between trunk sap flow and tree diameter is crucial for tree-stand transpiration upscaling and sap flow measurement strategy design, because of well-known tree-to-tree variations in sap flow metrics. However, whether and how this relationship will vary intra- and inter-annually, and the underlying mechanisms, are still poorly understood. We measured the sap flow of 126 trees throughout a six-year experiment (2016–2021) in a temperate poplar (Populus tomentosa) forest with five irrigation management regimes. Simultaneously, we also monitored meteorological factors, leaf area indices, and soil water contents. There was a great variability of both sap flux (SF) and sap flux density (SFD) across trees, and this variability tended to be larger in older stands. Patterns of the relationships between SF, SFD, and diameter at breast height (DBH) changed markedly from year to year. A nonlinear positive correlation (P < 0.001) between SF and DBH was found, except in 2016 when canopy closure did not occur. In contrast, no correlations between SFD and DBH were observed in most years, but their correlations became positive and linear in two wet years (2018, 2021) (P < 0.05). The power (Q) of DBH to explain tree-to-tree sap flow variations exhibited enormous change on both intra- and inter-annual scales, underpinned by different mechanisms. The potential transpiration demand of trees mainly determined the intra-annual variation of Q, but its effect depended on stand development, whereas the environmental water supply mostly controlled the inter-annual variation of Q. Based on these results, we provide some recommendations on sap flow measurement and stand transpiration estimation for pure tree plantations in water-limited regions. Our findings should assist the accurate prediction of stand water use in plantation forests of both poplar and other tree species.

A DEEP LEARNING PROGRAM FOR PREDICTING SAP FLOW OF LARIX OLGENSIS

Plant sap flow is crucial to understanding plant transpiration, plant hydraulic functioning and physiological properties. In this study, a method for predicting trunk sap flow of Larix olgensisusing deep learning was proposed. The method is based on the combined use of Long-short term memory network (LSTM) and transformer model, noted as LSTM-transformer model. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides more accurate prediction quality in terms of correlation coefficient (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE), compared to the state of the art forecast methods such as BP, DNN, LSTM, and transformer models.

亚热带岩溶区典型常绿和落叶树种的蒸腾特征及其对环境因子的响应

植物蒸腾是水循环的重要组成部分，为了解亚热带岩溶区树木的蒸腾耗水情况，探究气候和水文地质条件对植物蒸腾的影响，运用Granier热耗散探针技术，对亚热带岩溶区次生林内的常绿树种女贞（L.lucidum）和落叶树种刺槐（R.pseudoacacia）的树干液流进行了连续监测，并同步监测了气象因子及土壤含水率（SMC），探讨在不同时间尺度下两种生活型树种的蒸腾特征及其对环境因子的响应。结果表明：（1）在季节尺度下，影响两树种整树蒸腾量（ET）的主要因子为太阳辐射强度（Rs）、气温（T）和水汽压亏缺（VPD）；女贞蒸腾量（ET_L）表现为夏季（1.29 kg/h） > 春季（0.57 kg/h） > 冬季（0.15 kg/h） > 秋季（0.13 kg/h），刺槐蒸腾量（ET_R）表现为夏季（0.90 kg/h） > 春季（0.31 kg/h） > 秋季（0.16 kg/h） > 冬季（0.04 kg/h）。（2）在日尺度下，晴天两树种ET呈现出明显的单峰日变化，且主要影响因子均为T、VPD和Rs；但由于常绿和落叶树种的生理特征差异，降雨时ET_L受到抑制，而ET_R则显著提升。（3）从昼夜层面来看，两树种夜间蒸腾量不足日蒸腾总量的35%。在夜雨现象和树木生理特征的影响下，秋冬季夜间蒸腾量占比明显高于春夏季，刺槐的平均夜间蒸腾量及其占比（1.56 kg，24.1%）高于女贞（1.08 kg，13.9%）。;Plant transpiration is an important part of water cycle in ecosystem, that is, the process of water transfer from soil to atmosphere through plants. It is driven by solar radiation, air temperature, air humidity and wind speed, and also affected by soil water storage capacity. Understanding and quantifying the influence mechanism of transpiration is an important basis to explore the water consumption of vegetation and the water balance of ecosystem. However, although the climate conditions in the subtropical karst area are good, there is a drought period of 4-5 months. At the same time, plants are often affected by water stress because of the thin soil layer and low water holding capacity of soil in karst area. The study of plant transpiration characteristics helps us understand the water consumption of trees in subtropical karst areas, and is also of great significance for exploring the impact of climate and hydro-geological conditions on plant transpiration. Granier's thermal dissipation probe method was used to continuously monitor the trunk sap flow of the evergreen tree species (L.lucidum) and the deciduous tree species (R.pseudoacacia) in the secondary forest in the subtropical karst area. The meteorological factors and soil moisture content (SMC) are also monitored simultaneously. Our purpose is to analyze the transpiration characteristics of two life-form tree species and their responses to environmental factors on different time scales. The results show that:(1) at the seasonal scale, the main factors affecting the whole-tree transpiration (ET) are solar radiation intensity (Rs), air temperature (T) and vapor pressure deficiency (VPD). The transpiration of L.lucidum (ET_L) is shown as summer (1.29 kg/h) > spring (0.57 kg/h) > winter (0.15 kg/h) > autumn (0.13 kg/h), transpiration of R.pseudoacacia (ET_R) is shown as summer (0.90 kg/h) > spring (0.31 kg/h) > autumn (0.16 kg/h) > winter (0.04 kg/h). (2) On the daily scale, the ET of the two tree species shown obvious single peak curve on sunny day, and the main factors affecting transpiration are T, VPD and Rs. However, due to the differences in the physiological characteristics of evergreen and deciduous tree species, ET_L is weakened during rainfall, while ET_R is significantly increased. (3) in terms of day and night, the nocturnal transpiration of the two tree species accounts for less than 35% of the total daily transpiration on average. Affected by the phenomenon of night precipitation and the physiological characteristics of trees, the proportion of nocturnal transpiration in the autumn and winter is significantly higher than that in the spring and summer. At the same time, the average daily nocturnal transpiration and its proportion of R.pseudoacacia (1.56 kg, 24.1%) is higher than that of L.lucidum (1.08 kg, 13.9%).

黄土高原油松冠层气孔导度和蒸腾变化特征与模拟

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 黄土高原油松冠层气孔导度和蒸腾变化特征与模拟 DOI: 10.5846/stxb202106041484 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家重点研发计划项目（2016YFC0501603） Characteristics and modeling of canopy stomatal conductance and transpiration of Pinus tabuliformis on the Loess Plateau Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:油松是黄土高原重要的造林树种，模拟其冠层气孔导度和蒸腾对区域水量平衡计算和人工林可持续经营具有重要意义。基于2015-2018年TDP （Thermal dissipation probes）方法所测得液流数据，分析了黄土高原地区油松冠层平均气孔导度（gc）与冠层蒸腾（Tr）的变化特征与影响因素，并采用Penman-Monteith公式和Jarvis型气孔导度模型模拟了其gc和Tr的变化过程，结果表明：（1）该地区油松gc和Tr日内变化均呈现单峰型，日均蒸腾耗水量为（1.25±0.57） mm/d，生长季（4-10月）总蒸腾耗水量均值为195.47 mm。（2）gc的日内变化受太阳辐射（Rad）驱动（偏相关系数为0.65），当Rad高于300 W/m2时，驱动作用减弱；gc的日内变化受水汽压亏缺（VPD）控制（偏相关系数为-0.41），随VPD的增加而降低；gc的日际变化受土壤水分限制（偏相关系数为0.46），当根区相对有效含水率（REW）低于0.45时，限制作用明显。（3）结合Penman-Monteith公式与Jarvis型模型能有效模拟黄土高原油松gc与Tr变化，小时尺度gc与Tr模拟的纳什效率系数（NSE）分别为0.80和0.78，日尺度Tr模拟的NSE为0.76。 Abstract:Pinus tabuliformis is an important afforestation tree species on the Loess Plateau. Accurate estimation of its canopy stomatal conductance and transpiration is of great significance for regional water balance and sustainable forest management. Previous studies have simulated the daily variation of the transpiration of Pinus tabuliformis based on the response of its stomatal conductance to environmental factors, but the influence of soil moisture has not been considered. Soil moisture is one of the most important factors that limit plant transpiration in this region. Considering the response of stomatal conductance to soil moisture is crucial for modeling transpiration. To estimate the transpiration of Pinus tabulaeformis, the trunk sap flow velocity was measured by the thermal dissipation probes (TDP) method from 2015 to 2018. The meteorological factors and soil moisture were also monitored simultaneously. We analyzed the characteristics and controlling factors of the mean canopy stomatal conductance (gc) and transpiration (Tr) of Pinus tabuliformis on the Loess Plateau. Then the Penman-Monteith formula and Jarvis-type stomatal conductance model were used to simulate the process of its gc and Tr. The results showed that:(1) The daily variation of gc and Tr displayed a unimodal curve. The average daily transpiration rate of Pinus tabuliformis was (1.25±0.57) mm/d, and the mean annual total water consumption in the growing season (April to October) was 195.47 mm. (2) Solar radiation (Rad) was the main driving factor of the diurnal variation of gc (the partial correlation coefficient was 0.65), while the driving effect was weakened when the Rad was higher than 300 W/m2. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was the main controlling factor of gc diurnal variation (the partial correlation coefficient was -0.41) and gc decreased with the increase of VPD. Soil moisture was the main limiting factor of the daily variation of gc (the partial correlation coefficient was -0.46). When the relative extractable water content (REW) of the root zone was lower than 0.42, gc would decrease rapidly with the decrease of soil moisture. (3) Combining the Penman-Monteith formula and Jarvis-type model could accurately simulate the variation of gc and Tr. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) of hourly gc and Tr simulations were 0.80 and 0.78, respectively, while the NSE of daily Tr simulation was 0.76. The parameters of the model obtained in this study were consistent with the basic characteristics of drought tolerance of Pinus tabuliformis, and could provide an important reference for evaluating the canopy stomatal conductance and transpiration variation of the Pinus tabuliformis on the Loess Plateau. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Applicability of thermal dissipation probe in the determination of trunk flow of Platycladus orientalis under cyclic heating mode

To evaluate the adaptability of the cyclic heating mode in the thermal diffusion probe method (TDP) in the measurement of trunk sap flow and the accuracy of the measurement of tree transpiration water consumption, we selected Platycladus orientalis as the research object and set three different heating modes: 60 min/0 min (continuous heating mode), 30 min/30 min (cyclic heating mode with 30 min heating and 30 min cooling), 10 min/50 min (cyclic heating mode with 10 min heating and 50 min cooling). Based on the measured value of the whole tree container wei-ghing method, the temperature gradient characteristics of different heating modes were analyzed using the measurement technology of thermal diffusive trunk sap flow. The Granier's corrected formulas of cyclic heating modes were constructed, with its error being analyzed by validity verification. The results showed that sap flow rate calculated by the cyclic heating mode was consistent with the diurnal variation of the transpiration rate measured by the whole tree weighing method. The temperature of cyclic heating mode could quickly rise, fall and performed stably. The sap flow calculated by Granier's original formula was 61.3% lower than that by weighing method. The corrected Granier formula in the mode of 10 min/50 min and 30 min/30 min were Fd=0.0177K0.9457 (R2=0.88) and Fd=0.0378K1.3146(R2=0.85), respectively. The difference of sap flow rate in P. orientalis by the new formula was smaller than that measured by the whole tree weighing method, and the error of transpiration rate calculated by the 10 min/50 min correction formula was the smallest, 5.9% lower than that calculated by the weighing method, and thus could express the real flow rate. The 10 min/50 min cyclic heating mode could be used to reduce the effect of natural temperature difference, cut down power consumption, and accurately reflect the actual sap flow rate of P. orientalis.

Potassium fertilization increases hydraulic redistribution and water use efficiency for stemwood production in Eucalyptus grandis plantations

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of droughts in most tropical regions in the coming decades. A passive phenomenon called hydraulic redistribution (HR) allows some plant species to take up water from deep and wet soil layers and redistribute it in the upper dry layers where other plants and soil biota can benefit from it. In addition, soil fertilization, particularly potassium (K), may also affect drought-adaptive mechanisms and increase water use efficiency (WUE) on poor and acidic tropical soils. The present study aimed at quantifying the role of HR and K fertilization on both wood productivity and WUE for stemwood production (WUEp) of Eucalyptus grandis plantations in Brazil under ambient and reduced (−37%) throughfall conditions.Tree transpiration was measured using trunk sap flow sensors over 21 months, and HR was estimated from the reverse sap flow (RF) observed in shallow roots over 18 months. Tree biomass, hydraulic conductance, soil water storage from surface to the water table (down to 17 m), and leaf photosynthetic capacity were also assessed.Significant HR was detected over the whole year, even during the rainy seasons. Neither potassium fertilization nor throughfall exclusion affected the velocity of water transported by HR, probably because most trees reached water table. Nonetheless, some photosynthetic capacity parameters, including the maximum photosynthetic rate (Amax), increased in treatments with K addition. This higher Amax combined with an increased sapwood area index, was associated with an increase in water uptake by 30 %–50 % and WUEp by 300 % relative to K-deficient trees. We postulate that the increase in WUEp promoted by potassium fertilization was partly driven by an increase in biomass allocation to wood, at the expense of foraging organs (leaves and roots), because K addition alleviated constraints on light and water use. Our results indicate that fertilizing E. grandis plantations with K is beneficial to both wood biomass production and WUEp.

Adaptability of Granier empirical formula in sap flow measurement of Populus tomentosa based on whole tree weighing method

We evaluated the adaptability of Granier's empirical formula in the measurement of trunk sap flow in Populus tomentosa. The thermal diffusion probe method (TDP) was used to mea-sure sap flow rate, and the whole tree weighing was simultaneously measured for each tree. We compared results from the Granier empirical formula with that from the whole tree weighing to find out whether Granier formula had any error in measuring the trunk sap flow of P. tomentosa. The transpiration rate by the whole tree weighing method and the temperature difference coefficient K by the thermal diffusion method were fitted with power exponential regression to establish a corrected Granier formula. Compared with the transpiration rate measured by the whole tree weighing method, sap flow rate calculated by the Granier empirical formula was underestimated by 67.7%. Therefore, a calibrated Granier correction formula of P. tomentosa was established: Fd=0.0135K0.6952(R2=0.77). The calculated result from this calibrated formula was only 3.4% lower than the transpiration rate estimated with the whole tree weighing method, which showed good consistency. Thus, the calculation of the P. tomentosa sap flow rate should be corrected when using the Granier empirical formula.

POSSIBILITIES OF CATCHMENT’S TRANSPIRATION ASSESSMENT BASED ON SAP FLOW MEASUREMENTS: THE PROBLEM STATEMENT

Study of seasonal dynamics and evapotranspiration volume of forested catchments (mainly forest stand transpiration) is the relevant objective for fundamental knowledge and practical applications. However, there are many difficulties: labor efforts of direct observations, many factors affecting against each other, observational data scaling and so on. As a result, evapotranspiration during hydrological modeling is determined by the leftover principle and simplified techniques, leading to wrong representation of water balance structure. The presented article deals with the first results of our research group focused on setting up field measurements of xylem sap flow using trunk sap flow measuring sensors as well as development of sap flow assessment methods for individual trees and whole catchment. The investigations were performed for mixed coniferous-broad leaved forests at the territory of the Central Sikhote-Alin’ within Verkhneussuriyskiy biogeocenotical station of FSC of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity FEB RAS. This site is used for water balance measuring surveys from 2011. Sap flow was measured continuously during June-October of 2019 on one of the local dominant tree species. Apparently, such investigations are novel for the Russian Far East region. It is expected that direct sap flow measurements for individual trees refinement methods, data scaling and its integration to the hydrometeorological observations will help to make a comprehensive analysis of catchments water balance and to integrate measured data into hydrological models.

Using δ13C and δ18O to analyze loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) response to experimental drought and fertilization.

Drought frequency and intensity are projected to increase throughout the southeastern USA, the natural range of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.), and are expected to have major ecological and economic implications. We analyzed the carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions in tree ring cellulose of loblolly pine in a factorial drought (~30% throughfall reduction) and fertilization experiment, supplemented with trunk sap flow, allometry and microclimate data. We then simulated leaf temperature and applied a multi-dimensional sensitivity analysis to interpret the changes in the oxygen isotope data. This analysis found that the observed changes in tree ring cellulose could only be accounted for by inferring a change in the isotopic composition of the source water, indicating that the drought treatment increased the uptake of stored moisture from earlier precipitation events. The drought treatment also increased intrinsic water-use efficiency, but had no effect on growth, indicating that photosynthesis remained relatively unaffected despite 19% decrease in canopy conductance. In contrast, fertilization increased growth, but had no effect on the isotopic composition of tree ring cellulose, indicating that the fertilizer gains in biomass were attributable to greater leaf area and not to changes in leaf-level gas exchange. The multi-dimensional sensitivity analysis explored model behavior under different scenarios, highlighting the importance of explicit consideration of leaf temperature in the oxygen isotope discrimination (Δ18Oc) simulation and is expected to expand the inference space of the Δ18Oc models for plant ecophysiological studies.

Crop Coefficients and Transpiration of a Super Intensive Arbequina Olive Orchard using the Dual Kc Approach and the Kcb Computation with the Fraction of Ground Cover and Height

The SIMDualKc model was used to simulate crop water requirements for a super high density olive orchard in the region of Alentejo, Portugal. This model uses the dual crop coefficient approach to estimate and partitioning the actual crop evapotranspiration (ETc act) and therefore to perform the soil water balance. The model was calibrated with 2011 tree transpiration using trunk sap flow measurements and was validated using similar data from 2012 and tested with 2013 data. Low root mean square errors (RMSE &lt; 0.53 mm·d−1) and acceptable modelling efficiency indicators (EF &gt; 0.25) were obtained. Further validation was performed comparing modelled ETc act with eddy covariance measurements. These indicators support the appropriateness of using SIMDualKc to guide irrigation management. The basal crop coefficient (Kcb) curves obtained with SIMDualKc for those 3 years were compared with the Kcb values computed with the Allen and Pereira approach (A&amp;P approach) where Kcb is estimated from the fraction of ground cover and plant height considering an adjustment factor for crop stomatal control (Fr). Fr values were obtained through a trial and error procedure through comparing the Kcb estimated with this approach and with SIMDualKc. The Kcb curves obtained by both methods resulted highly correlated, which indicates that the A&amp;P approach may be used in the irrigation management practice to estimate crop water requirements. Results of performing the soil water balance with SIMDualKc have shown that soil evaporation is a large fraction of ETc act, varying between 41% and 45% for the 3 years under study. Irrigation, applied with a drip system, represented 39 to 56% of ETc act, which shows the great importance of irrigation to achieve the water requirements of super intensive olive orchards. Nevertheless, the analysis has shown that the irrigation management adopted at the orchard produces a water deficit larger than desirable, with a ratio of ETc act to non-stressed crop evapotranspiration (ETc) varying from 70% to 94% during the mid-season, when that ratio for a eustress irrigation management could be around 90%.

Trunk sap flow in date palms growing in the United Arab Emirates

Trunk sap flow in date palms growing in the United Arab Emirates

The responses of Scots pine seedlings to waterlogging during the growing season

In the future management and sustainable use of boreal forests, it is crucial to consider the rate and strength of tree responses to an elevated water table and the concurrent oxygen limitations, especially in peatlands. We examined the response dynamics of 7-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings to a 5-week waterlogging (WL) treatment during a growing season in a root lab (dasotron) experiment. WL took place after shoot elongation had ended but while growth of the trunk diameter was still in progress. Trunk sap flow and needle water potential started to decrease immediately after the onset of WL, while the first signs in needle gas exchange — seen as decreases in the potential efficiency of photosystem II, the rates of light-saturated net assimilation and transpiration, and increased needle respiration — were observed after 3 weeks of WL. New needles responded to WL more strongly than the old ones. Drainage with consequent re-oxygenation of the soil caused a further decrease in sap flow. We conclude that through negative feedback on transpiration and net photosynthesis, WL during the growing season is harmful for Scots pine, leading to potential growth losses or even dying of trees within a few weeks of WL.

Characteristic of Sap Flow of Poplar and Response to Meteorological Factors in Coastal Region

Thermal dissipation sap flow rate probe was used to measure trunk sap flow dynamic of Poplar during the growing season from September 2011 to May 2012 in coastal region of China. The relationship of trunk sap flow rate and meteorological factors was analyzed. The results showed that the process of sap flow rate of Poplar presented an obvious day and night alternate phenomenon. The diurnal variation of sap flow was a single-peak curve in sunny day and a multi-peak curve in rainy day. According to Pearson correlation analysis, the diurnal sap flow rate of Poplar was positively correlated with solar radiation and atmospheric temperature, and negatively correlated with air relative humidity. The regression analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between multi-day sap flow rate and solar radiation, and the determination coefficient was 0.287 and 0.778 in summer and autumn, respectively. The linear regression model of multi-day sap flow with meteorological multi-factor was remarkable correlation, and the determination coefficient was 0.577 and 0.791 in summer and autumn, respectively. The regression model of multi-day sap flow with meteorological multi-factor was better than with single meteorological factor.

Effects of deficit irrigation on daily and seasonal variations of trunk sap flow and its growth in Calligonum arborescens

Water deficit in arid and semiarid regions affects whole-plant sap flow and leaf-level water relations. The objectives of this study were to clarify how sap flow of Calligonum arborescens responds to different drought stress conditions and to understand its acclimation mechanism to drought environments. A field experiment was conducted for C. arborescens during the growing season to evaluate the effects of deficit irrigation on the daily and seasonal variations of trunk sap flow in the shelterbelt along the Tarim Desert Highway, Xinjiang, China. Three different water regimes (2,380, 1,960 and 1,225 m3/hm2) were applied at different stages of plant growth. From 1 May to 30 October 2007, a heat-balance stem flow gauge was used to monitor the sap flow dynamics of C. arborescens under different water regimes. Atmospheric evaporation demand and soil moisture conditions for differentially irrigated C. arborescens were also monitored. The result showed that sap flow exhibited a clear diurnal pattern regardless of treatments; the diurnal patterns of sap flow and vapour pressure deficit were very similar under different water regimes and growing seasons, while the slope of the linear regression of this correlation confirmed an increasing water regime. The sap flow decreased under reduced water regimes and there was nocturnal sap flow regardless of water regimes, which was mainly contributed to nocturnal transpiration and water recharge. The sap flow peaked before midnight and dropped afterwards with obviously higher values in summer than in other seasons. It is speculated that the water consumption of C. arborescens during the day can be supplemented through the sap flow at night, which increased with increasing irrigation amount. Net radiation was the most significant correlated factor that influenced sap flow velocity and transpiration under different water regimes (R 2>0.719). Compared with the commonly practiced water regime, the growth of C. arborescens was significantly slower in the stress deficit irrigation, but not significantly different from that in the moderate deficit irrigation. The moderate deficit irrigation would not affect the stability of the shelterbelt and was a more efficient use of water resources compared with the current watering amount.

Characteristics of fine root system and water uptake in a triploid Populus tomentosa plantation in the North China Plain: Implications for irrigation water management

The form and water uptake characteristics of the fine root system in a 5-year-old triploid Populus tomentosa plantation were investigated to make recommendations related to irrigation water management for P. tomentosa plantation. Fine roots for analysis were collected from 2106 soil cores taken around eight trees. Soil moisture, trunk sap flow and evaporation were measured concurrently for four months in two experimental plots using time-domain reflectometry, thermal dissipation sensors and micro-lysimeters, respectively. Nearly half (44%) of fine roots corresponded to 0.2–0.5mm diameter. Generally, lateral root distribution was even, however, the vertical root profile showed an unusual pattern (nearly an ‘S’ shape). Dense fine roots occurred in surface soil and nearly one third (28%) of total fine roots occurred below 100cm depth, indicating the plantation had developed a dimorphic root system. With increasing distance from the tree, root distribution tended to be shallower. Mean fine root diameter was significantly larger (P<0.05) below 120cm, probably due to soil texture change or/and anoxia. Root water uptake in the 0–20cm layer contributed 58% of that within the 0–90cm soil layer, suggesting surface roots played the major water uptake role in shallow soil (<90cm). On average, P. tomentosa extracted 57% of transpired water from deep soil (>90cm), implying deep roots can contribute significantly to the water relations of mature P. tomentosa plantations. This functional significance of deep roots might be determined by their high length density and relatively large diameter. Based on these results, three irrigation management strategies were recommended: (1) irrigation schedules should be devised based on periodic measurement of the depth to water table; (2) water should be mainly provided to and maintained in the surface 40cm soil; and (3) water should be applied to the zone within 1m from the tree.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAP FLOW, MAXIMUM DAILY SHRINKAGE AND OTHER ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN PRUNUS AVIUM SUBJECTED TO WATER STRESS

Daily sap flow and maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) are two parameters that can be used for irrigation decision-making. In this subchapter we try to understand the different behavior of the two parameters at different timescales. The data come from the anterior assay (Chapter 1A) An assay was raised under controlled conditions where drought was imposed by irrigation withdrawal in cherry plants to compare their response of MDS with that of other ecophysiological parameters commonly used in water relations studies. Results showed contrasting relationships between MDS and daily sap flow depending on the degree of water stress that could be due to stomatal regulation. At a daily timescale, trunk diameter variation and sap flow were related to each other via a loop that differs according to tree water status. MDS resulted more sensitive to drought than sap flow, but the simultaneous use of both indicators rendered complementary information sensitive to the water status of the plants.

地下滴灌下土壤水势对毛白杨纸浆林生长及生理特性的影响

在6、7年生三倍体毛白杨(triploid <em>Populus tomentosa)</em>纸浆林中研究了地下滴灌(SDI)下不同土壤水势(-25、-50、-75 kPa,即灌溉起始阈值)对林木生长及生理特征的影响。结果表明:与不灌溉(CK)相比,SDI使6、7年生林分的生产力分别平均提高24%和28%;其中,-25 kPa使6年生林分的生产力达到39.90 m³ hm^-2a^-1,较CK极显著提高43.5%(<em>P</em><0.01)。各水势处理间,-25 kPa的生产力在林分6年生时分别较-50和-75 kPa极显著提高20%和31%(<em>P</em><0.01),在7年生时分别提高13%和14%(<em>P</em>>0.05)。能在毛白杨速生期内(4-7月)大幅提高土壤含水率(20和50 cm处分别平均提高35%和27%)、树干日平均液流速率(46%,SF_mean)、黎明前叶水势(41%,<em>ψ</em>_pd)是SDI促进林木生长的重要机制。灌溉起始水势阈值的差异对毛白杨SF_mean和<em>ψ</em>_pd无显著影响(<em>P</em>>0.05)。3个水势处理中,-25 kPa的平均SF_mean和<em>ψ</em>_pd均最高,且其能使根系活动剧烈的表土层(0-20 cm)的水分有效性有最大幅的提高,这可能是其对林木生长有最大促进作用的主要原因。综上,应在毛白杨纸浆林培育中大力推广SDI,并在应用时可将距滴头10cm、地下20 cm处的土壤水势达到-25 kPa作为灌溉起始阈值。另外,在与试验地环境相似地区栽植毛白杨时,应于4-7月灌溉,8-10月一般可不灌溉。;Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is an intensive silvicultural practice which has the potential to increase productivity of triploid <em>Populus tomentosa</em> pulpwood plantations. In order to efficiently apply SDI in the cultivation of <em>P. tomentosa</em> pulpwood plantations, it is necessary to determine irrigation timing. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of soil water potential (<em>ψ</em>_soil) on the growth and physiological characteristics of 6-7 year old trees under SDI in a <em>P. tomentosa</em> pulpwood plantation. The experiment included three <em>ψ</em>_soil treatments, which initiated irrigation when the <em>ψ</em>_soil at 20 cm soil depth and 10 cm distance from a drip emitter reached -25, -50, and -75 kPa, respectively. A control non-irrigation treatment (CK) was also included. Meteorological factors, <em>ψ</em>_soil, groundwater level, and tree growth were monitored hourly, daily, every 1-10 days, and monthly for two years, respectively. Soil water content at 20 and 50 cm depth, pre-dawn leaf water potential (<em>ψ</em>_pd), and trunk sap flow rate were measured in selected periods. Results showed that relative to CK, SDI could improve diameter, height, and individual volume increment of <em>P. tomentosa</em>. Irrespective of SDI treatment, SDI on average increased annual volume growth of the 6- and 7-year-old plantations by 24% and 28%, respectively over the CK treatment. Annual volume growth of the 6-year-old plantation following the -25 kPa treatment reached 39.90 m³ hm^-2a^-1, which was 43.5% higher than the CK treatment (<em>P</em><0.01). Relative to the -50 and -75 kPa treatments, annual volume growth in the -25 kPa treatment was 20% and 31% higher (<em>P</em><0.01) in the 6-year-old plantation, respectively, and 13% and 14% higher (<em>P</em>>0.05) in the 7-year-old plantation, respectively. Relative to CK during the fast growing period (April-July) of <em>P. tomentosa</em>, SDI increased the soil water content at 20 and 50 cm depth by 35% and 27%, respectively; increased average daily trunk sap flow rate (SF_mean) by 46%; and increased <em>ψ</em>_pd by 41%. The <em>ψ</em>_soil threshold for initiating irrigation had no significant effect (<em>P</em>>0.05) on the SF_mean and <em>ψ</em>_pd of <em>P. tomentosa</em>. However, among the three <em>ψ</em>_soil treatments, the average SF_mean and <em>ψ</em>_pd values were highest following the -25 kPa treatment. The increase of soil water availability in the 0-20 cm soil layer (i.e., active rooting zone) was also greatest in the -25 kPa treatment. These results may explain why the -25 kPa treatment had the highest tree growth rate among the three <em>ψ</em>_soil treatments. Overall, the observed increase in soil water content, SF_mean, and <em>ψ</em>_pd indicate that these are the mechanisms by which SDI significantly improves <em>P. tomentosa</em> tree growth. In conclusion, our findings suggest that SDI should be promoted in the cultivation of <em>P. tomentosa</em> pulpwood plantations. To realize optimum tree growth, irrigation should be initiated when the <em>ψ</em>_soil at 20 cm depth and 10 cm distance from a drip emitter reaches -25 kPa. Furthermore, it is recommended that irrigation should be applied between April and July, and terminated between August and October when planting <em>P. tomentosa</em> in regions similar to our experimental plantation.