Energy Levels of Water in a Community of Plants as Influenced by Soil Moisture

Cary, John W. (1971) Energy Levels of Water in a Community of Plants as Influenced by Soil Moisture. Ecology. 52(4):710-715.

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Abstract

Free energy levels of plant water were measured during July and August in two
communities of annual plants. One set of plants was irrigated, while the other grew on a silt
loam soil that became increasingly drier. The different species of plants had widely varying
levels of water potential on both the moist and dry soils. The more drought-tolerant plants
on the dry soil had the lowest afternoon plant water potentials even though they had the most
vigorous root systems (lamb's quarter, kochia, sugar beets, and sunflower). Some of the more
drought-tolerant plants also had low water free energies when growing on moist soil. Most
of the plants growing in the dry area gained enough water during the night to raise their
water potentials above that of the soil surrounding the bulk of their roots.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	0206
Subjects:	Soil > Soil water (soil moisture) Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:51
Last Modified:	24 Feb 2017 19:42
Item ID:	212
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/212