Indices of plant water status: some comparisons within and between crop species.
Abstract
Relationships between leaf relative water content (RWC), esmotic potential ( pi ), leaf water potential ( psi ) and leaf diffusion resistance (LDR) are described for crops of wheat, barley and potatoes grown near Melbourne.The relationships were different for upper and lower leaves of plants, and for different crop species, grown under various water regimes. For example, for the same departure from the turgid condition, crops grown with generous water supply were likely to show larger decreases of psi and smaller increases of LDR, from lower to upper leaves, than those grown under restricted water supply.Some physiological and agronomic implications of the relationships are considered.