Tingting Xie

Canopy and leaf photosynthetic characteristics and water use efficiency of sweet sorghum under drought stress

The objective of this paper was to examine the relationship between Water Use Efficiency (WUE) at the canopy and leaf levels, to determine soil moisture conditions, which can optimize yield, and WUE of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (Linn.) Moench), thus providing some theoretical foundation for using marginal land effectively and developing production of sweet sorghum. Three levels of soil moisture conditions were established, and photosynthetic characteristics and yield were measured. The canopy apparent photo-synthetic rate (CAP) and leaf photosynthetic rate (PN) were reduced gradually with increased drought stress, and the CAP was lower than the PN under every soil moisture conditions. The PN had a midday depression phenomenon, but the CAP did not exhibit this midday depression phenomenon under severe drought stress. The linear regression relationship of CAP and PN was CAP = 1.5945 + 0.1496 PN. The canopy apparent WUEC and leaf WUEL were the highest under moderate drought stress. The first was 5.3 and 5.8 times higher than the WUEL in mid-July and late August, respectively. The stem fresh biomass yield was 77 tons/ha under moderate drought stress and WUE of aboveground biomass yield (WUEB) was also the highest. Our results showed that moderate drought stress did not result in a significant reduction in biomass yield but increased WUE significantly.

Physiological characteristics of high yield under cluster planting: photosynthesis and canopy microclimate of cotton

Abstract Cotton produces more biomass and economic yield when cluster planting pattern (three plants per hole) than in a traditional planting pattern (one plant per hole), even at similar plant densities, indicating that individual plant growth is promoted by cluster planting. The causal factors for this improved growth induced by cluster planting pattern, the light interception, canopy microclimate and photosynthetic rate of cotton were investigated in an arid region of China. The results indicated that the leaf area index and light interception were higher in cluster planting, and significantly different from those in traditional planting during the middle and late growth stages. Cotton canopy humidity at different growth stages was increased but canopy temperatures were reduced by cluster planting. In the later growth stage of cluster planting, the leaf chlorophyll content was higher and the leaf net photosynthetic rate and canopy photosynthetic rate were significantly increased in comparing with traditional planting pattern. We concluded that differences in canopy light interception and photosynthetic rate were the primary factors responsible for increased biomass production and economic yield in cluster planting compared with the traditional planting of cotton.

Partitioning evapotranspiration of desert plants under different water regimes in the inland Heihe River Basin, Northwestern China

ABSTRACT Plant transpiration (T), soil evaporation (E), and the proportion of evaporation in evapotranspiration (ET), and their patterns of change were analyzed in a desert habitat along the middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River Basin, Gansu Province, China. Typical desert plants with different life forms were selected and small lysimeter observations were conducted; various species were measured under two soil water regimes using 50% (FC 50%) and 20% (FC 20%) of field capacity in 2 years. Under the FC 50% treatment the observed ratio of T to ET of desert plants was less than one-third, making the ratio of E to ET greater than two-thirds; the proportion of T to ET of desert plants increased to above 40%, and that of E declined to below 60% under the FC 20% treatment. The lowest T of desert plants was 130–140 mm based on the plant crown projection area. The characteristic coefficient of ET of desert plants was twice that of the characteristic coefficient of transpiration. This study found that when ET was measured for the same desert plant species growing in different regions, the ET differed significantly (P < 0.05) under the same water regimes; when comparing different plant species in the same region no obvious differences in the transpiration water requirement and ET were observed. The proportion of T in ET increased significantly and E in ET decreased markedly (P < 0.05), if the soil moisture content declined to where the plants experienced water stress.

Response of root traits of Reaumuria soongorica and Salsola passerina to facilitation

C3 plant Reaumuria soongorica and C4 plant Salsola passerina are super xerophytes and coexist in a mixed community in either isolated or associated growth, and interspecific facilitation occurs in associated growth. In the present study, the root traits including root distribution, root length (RL), root surface area (RSA), root weight (RW) and specific root length (SRL) of both species in two growth forms were investigated to clarify their response to facilitation in associated growth. Six isolated plants of each species, as well as six associated plants similar in size and development were selected during the plant growing season, and their roots were excavated at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40 and 40–50 cm soil depths at the end of the growing season. All the roots of each plant were separated into the two categories of fine roots (<2 mm diameter) and coarse roots (≥2 mm diameter). Root traits such as RL and RSA in the fine and coarse roots were obtained by the root analyzing system WinRHIZO. Most of the coarse roots in R. soongorica and S. passerina were distributed in the top 10 cm of the soil in both growth forms, whereas the fine roots of the two plant species were found mainly in the 10–20 and 20–30 cm soil depths in isolated growth, respectively. However, the fine roots of both species were mostly overlapped in 10–20 cm soil depth in associated growth. The root/canopy ratios of both species reduced, whereas the ratios of their fine roots to coarse roots in RL increased, and both species had an increased SRL in the fine roots in associated growth. In addition, there was the increase in RL of fine roots and content of root N for S. passerina in associated growth. Taken together, the root growth of S. passerina was facilitated for water and nutrient exploration under the interaction of the overlapped roots in both species in associated growth, and higher SRL allowed both species to more effectively adapt to the infertile soil in the desert ecosystem.