Journal ArticleDOI
Relative Importance of Soil Resistance and Plant Resistance in Root Water Absorption
D. C. Reicosky,Joe T. Ritchie +1 more
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In this paper, the magnitude of combined soil and plant resistances to water flow in the plant system was determined using a theoretical analysis of water absorption by roots, and soil resistance was inferred by the difference between the measured combined resistances and the estimated soil resistance.Abstract:
Soil water potentials, leaf water potentials, and transpiration rates of sweet corn (Zea mays L.), growing in a greenhouse, and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), growing in a field, were determined to evaluate the magnitude of the combined soil and plant resistances to water flow in the plant system. Using a theoretical analysis of water absorption by roots, soil resistance was estimated. Plant resistance was inferred by the difference between the measured combined resistances and the estimated soil resistance. A wide range of soil hydraulic conductivity values for the plant rooting media which included nutrient solutions, peat-vermiculite-sand mixture, and a sand and clay soil maintained at various water potentials provided variations in calculated soil resistances. Our results showed that when root density was not unusually low, plant resistance to water transport was much larger than soil resistance, until the threshold soil hydraulic conductivity reached about 10-6 to 10-7 cm/day. This conductivity usually occurred at about -1 and -8 bars for the sandy and clay soils, respectively. These findings emphasize the need to consider plant resistance in water-uptake calculations when using equations that evaluate water potential gradients along the water flow path.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Advances in characterization of soil structure
TL;DR: Soil structure is defined as "the spatial heterogeneity of the different components or properties of soil" as discussed by the authors, and it is a property of soil that is important for plant development, soil water balance and soil workability.
Journal ArticleDOI
Metabolic Responses of Mesophytes to Plant Water Deficits
Andrew D. Hanson,William D. Hitz +1 more
TL;DR: The term adaptation refers to heritable modifications in structures or functions that increase the probability of an organism surviving and reproducing in a particular environment that can be constitutive (always expressed) or stress-induced.
Book ChapterDOI
The influence of soil structure on water movement, crop root growth, and water uptake
TL;DR: This chapter focuses on the role of the soil structure (the soil–pore system) through which both water and roots move, and evidence that loosening of zones of high strength improves crop–water relations.
Book ChapterDOI
Current Capabilities and Future Needs of Root Water and Nutrient Uptake Modeling
Jan W. Hopmans,Keith L. Bristow +1 more
TL;DR: The importance of root function in water and nutrient transport is becoming increasingly clear, as constraints on agricultural resources are imposed due to water limitations and environmental concerns as mentioned in this paper. However, the historical neglect of consideration of water and nutrients uptake processes below ground has created a knowledge gap concerning the plant responses of nutrient and water limitations to crop production.