Plant Soil Environ., 2018, 64(5):233-239 | DOI: 10.17221/186/2018-PSE

Analysis of leaf wetting effects on gas exchanges of corn using a whole-plant chamber systemOriginal Paper

Daisuke YASUTAKE*,1, Gaku YOKOYAMA2, Kyosuke MARUO2, Yueru WU3, Weizhen WANG3, Makito MORI4, Masaharu KITANO1
1 Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
2 Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
3 Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, P.R. China
4 Faculty of Agriculture, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan

A whole-plant chamber system equipped with a transpiration sap flow meter was developed for measuring the transpiration rate even if leaves are wetted. A preliminary experiment in which dynamics of transpiration rate and/or evaporation rate of wetted and non-wetted plants were measured and compared with each other demonstrated the validity of the measurement system. The system was then used to analyse leaf wetting effects on gas exchange of corn under slight water stress conditions of soil (a volumetric soil water content of 9.7%). Leaf wetting decreased vapour pressure in leaves by decreasing leaf temperature but it increased vapour pressure in the air; therefore, vapour pressure difference between leaves and air, as a driving force of transpiration, was significantly lower in wetted plant. As a result, transpiration rate decreased by 44% and leaf conductance as an index of stomatal aperture was increased by leaf wetting. Such increasing leaf conductance due to leaf wetting increased the photosynthetic rate by 30% and therefore it improved water use efficiency (2.4 times). These results suggest that morning leaf wetting due to night time dew formation may have an advantage in crop production in semi-arid regions.

Keywords: dew water; desert ecosystem; photosynthesis; stomatal closure; water stress; Zea mays L.

Published: May 31, 2018  Show citation

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YASUTAKE D, YOKOYAMA G, MARUO K, WU Y, WANG W, MORI M, KITANO M. Analysis of leaf wetting effects on gas exchanges of corn using a whole-plant chamber system. Plant Soil Environ.. 2018;64(5):233-239. doi: 10.17221/186/2018-PSE.
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