Abstract
A root excision technique was used to estimate the proportion of total resistance to water flux residing in the soil, the root, and the xylem of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl ex. Loud.) trees in the field. Root excision at mid-day always resulted in rapid recovery of leaf water potential when water was supplied to the cut stem, suggesting a high soil-root resistance. Transpiration was unaffected if leaf water potential before cutting was not limiting leaf conductance. By mid-June water uptake by the excised stem always exceeded calculated crown transpiration indicating recharge of internal sapwood storage. Predawn leaf water potential before root excision was highly correlated with total soil-plant resistance (r2 = 0·89) and calculated root water uptake (r2 = 0·92).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 555-569 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Experimental Botany |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1980 |
Funding
This work was funded by National Science Foundation grant number DEB 78-05311 to Dr. Dennis Knight at the University of Wyoming, Mclntire-Stennis Project 5333 through Colorado State University and the Forest and Mountain Meteorology Project of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, Colorado.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| DEB 78-05311 | |
| Colorado State University Pueblo | |
| University of Wyoming |