Improving Water Management Efficiency through Use of Bio-Indicators.

摘要

Relationships between water status of agronomic plants during ontogeny and an array of plant physiological factors were examined in an effort to determine if one or more of these factors could be effective in describing the initial occurrence of crop water deficits and thus be effective in fixing the time of irrigation. The following plant measurements were taken to determine their ability to indicate water need for soybeans: Stomatal resistance;leaf water potential;leaf-air temperature difference;and leaf proline content. Various soil water stress conditions were imposed on the soybeans by irrigating at various stages of growth when predetermined soil-moisture-depletion levels were reached. Yield and degree of lodging of the soybeans under the various irrigation treatments were measured and the water use efficiency for each treatment determined.