Hilgardia
Hilgardia
Hilgardia
University of California
Hilgardia

Relationships between plant growth and transpiration

Author

Rodney J. Arkley

Author Affiliations

Rodney J. Arkley was Lecturer in Soils and Plant Nutrition and Specialist in the Experiment Station, Berkeley.

Publication Information

Hilgardia 34(13):559-584. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v34n13p559. September 1963.

PDF of full article, Cite this article

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to establish principles for determining the quantitative relationships between climate and plant growth. It is known that the amount of dry matter produced by any plant and the water it transpires are proportional, and that this relation is constant for each plant species or variety under a given set of growing conditions. Using the experimental data of earlier workers, dry-matter production is plotted against water use—separately for each level of soil fertility—and equations are formulated to show the relationships under different conditions. This new analysis of the published data shows that a correction based on atmospheric humidity accounts for about 90 per cent of the variation in the ratio of dry-matter production to transpiration when soil fertility is constant, and that a correction for soil fertility accounts for about 75 per cent of the variation when climate is constant.

These principles are applied to the interpretation of field experiments dealing with water use by plants. They may be useful in determining the most advantageous allocation of limited amounts of irrigation water in different climatic regions, and in many other ways.

Literature Cited

Arkley Rodney J., Ulrich Rudolph. Climatic limitations on plant growth evaluated by balancing soil moisture against evaporation and transpiration. California Agr. 1961. 15(1):4-6.

Arkley Rodney J., Ulrich Rudolph. The use of calculated actual and potential evapotranspiration for estimating potential plant growth. Hilgardia. 1962. 32(10):443-69. DOI: 10.3733/hilg.v32n10p443 [CrossRef]

Beckett S. H., Huberty Martin R. Irrigation investigations with field crops at Davis, and at Delhi, California, 1909-1925. California Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 1928. 450:24

Beckett S. H., Robertson R. D. The economical irrigation of alfalfa in Sacramento Valley, California. California Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 1917. 280:271-94.

Blaney H. F., Criddle W. D. Determining water requirements in irrigated areas from climatological and irrigation data. U. S. Soil Conserv. Serv. Tech. Bul. 1950. 96:44

Boonstra A. E. H. R. Physiologisch onderzoek ten dienste van de plantenveredeling 1934. (Thesis) Utrecht. (Not seen.)

Boonstra A. E. H. R. Rasverschillen bij bieten. VI. Meded. Inst. Suikerbietent. 1942. 12:13-96. (Not seen.)

Briggs L. J., Shantz H. L. The water requirement of plants. I. Investigations in the Great Plains in 1910 and 1911. U. S. Bur. Plant Indus. Bul. 1913a. 284:49

Briggs L. J., Shantz H. L. The water requirement of plants. II. A review of the literature. U. S. Bur. Plant Indus. Bul. 1913b. 285:96

Briggs L. J., Shantz H. L. Relative water requirements of plants. Jour. Agr. Res. 1914. 3:1-63.

Dehèrain P. P. La transpiration des végétaux et l’emploi des engrais. Ann. Agron. (Paris). 1892. 18:465-86.

De Wit C. T. Transpiration and crop yields. Verslag. van Landbouwk. Onderzoek. No. 1958. 64(6):88

Fortier Samuel. Soil moisture in relation to crop yield. Montana Agr. Exp. Sta. Ann. Rept. 1903. 9: (1902). (Seep. 107.)

Hagan R. M., Vaadia Y., Russell M. B. Interpretation of plant responses to soil moisture regimes. Advances in Agron. 1959. 11:77-98.

Halkias N. A., Veihmeyer F. J., Hendrickson A. H. Determining water needs for crops from climatic data. Hilgardia. 1955. 24(9):207-33. DOI: 10.3733/hilg.v24n09p207 [CrossRef]

Hellriegel F. H. Verhältnis zwischen Produktion und Verdunstung. 1883. Braunschweig: Beiträge zu den Naturwissenschaft-lichen Grundlagen des Ackerbaus. p. 622-64. (Not seen.)

Kiesselbach T. A. Transpiration as a factor in crop production. Nebraska Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. Bul. 1916. 6:214

Kramer P. J. The role of water in the physiology of plants. Advances in Agron. 1959. 11:51-70.

Letey J., Lunt O. R., Stolzy L. H., Szuszkiewicz T. E. Plant growth, water use and nutritional response to rhizosphere differentials of oxygen concentration. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 1961. 25:183-86.

Liebscher Georg. Untersuchungen über die Bestimmung des Düngerbedürfnisses der Ackerböden und Kulturpflanzen. Jour. f. Landw. 1895. 43:49-216.

Maschhaupt J. G. Lysimeteronderzoekingen aan het Rijkslandbouwproefstation te Groningen en Elders. I. Regenval, drainage en verdamping. Verslag. van Landbouwk. Onderzoek. No. 1938. 44(1):184 A. (English summary.)

Penman H. L. Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass. Proc. Roy. Soc. London. Ser. A. 1948. 193:120-45. DOI: 10.1098/rspa.1948.0037 [CrossRef]

Power J. F., Grunes D. L., Reichman G. A. The influence of phosphorus fertilization and moisture on growth and nutrient absorption by spring wheat, I. Plant growth, N uptake, and moisture use. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 1961. 25:207-10. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj1961.03615995002500030020x [CrossRef]

Pruitt W. O. Irrigation timetable. What’s New in Crops and Soils. 1958. 10(April-May):11-13.

Schroeder M. E. Razvitîe i isparenîe iachmeaea pri razlichnoî vlazhnosti i pitatel nosti substrata. Izv. Moskov. Selsk. Khoz. Inst. 1896. 2(kniga 1): (Ann. Inst. Agron. Moscou 2 (livr. 1): 188-226.) (Not seen.)

Shantz H. L., Piemeisel Lydia N. The water requirement of plants at Akron, Colo. Jour. Agr. Res. 1927. 34:1093-1190.

Thornthwaite C. W. An approach toward a rational classification of climate. Geog. Rev. 1948. 38:55-94. DOI: 10.2307/210739 [CrossRef]

Van der Paauw F. Water relations of oats with attention to the influence of periods of drought. Plant and Soil. 1949. 1:303-42.

Von seelhorst Conrad. Über den Wasserverbrauch der Haferpflanze bei verschiedenem Wassergehalt und bei verschiedener Düngung des Bodens. Jour. f. Landw. 1899. 47:369-78.

Wilfarth Hermann, Wimmer G. Die Wirkung des Kaliums auf das Pflanzenleben nach Vegetationsversuchen mit Kartoffeln, Tabak, Buchweizen, Senf, Zichorien und Hafer. Arb. Deut. Landw. Gesell. (Berlin) Heft. 1902. 68:106

Wimmer G. Nach welchen Gesetzen erfolgt die Kaliaufnahme der Pflanzen aus dem Boden? Arb. Deut. Landw. Gesell. (Berlin) Heft. 1908. 143:169

Arkley R. 1963. Relationships between plant growth and transpiration. Hilgardia 34(13):559-584. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v34n13p559
Webmaster Email: sjosterman@ucanr.edu