OSMOTIC CONTROL OF THE MATRIC SOIL-WATER POTENTIAL

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The matric soil-water potential in a soil-plant system was closely controlled. An osmotic system where a soil is separated from an osmotic solution by a semi-permeable membrane was used. Such a system would maintain the matric soil-water potential at a value which is determined by the water potential (osmotic pressure) of the external osmotic solution. A change in the matric soil-water potential due to plant water uptake would result in flow of water from the solution to the soil to reestablish the initial state. Results from plant experiments where the osmotic pressures of the external solution were 0.24, 0.68 and 2.0 atmospheres and the air relative humidities were 50 and 80% are presented. Tensio-meter readings as well as final water contents indicate that the moisture conditions during the experiments were closely controlled and replicated. The constant soil-water potentials maintained in this study were partly due to success in matching the water uptake rate of the experimental plants with the capacity of the experimental units to replenish the extracted water fast enough.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: