Water-Stress and Leaf Growth in Field-grown Crops of Potato (Solanum tuberosumL.)

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Abstract
The appearance and growth of individual leaves were examined in crops of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) grown either fully irrigated or droughted from plant emergence. The rate of appearance of leaves was increased and the duration of growth decreased in leaves of the droughted crop in 1986 but not in 1987. In droughted crops, leaf growth rate was correlated with afternoon measurements of leaf water potential (ψ1) and turgor (P), being reduced in comparison with that in irrigated crops when ψ1 and P were less than −0.28 and 0.5 MPa respectively. Leaf growth was highly correlated to soil moisture deficit (SMD) and declined rapidly when the SMD was greater than 16 mm.