Osmopriming with PEG has potential to improve seed germination, seedling emergence, and establishment, especially under stress conditions. This research investigated germination performance, seedling establishment, and effects of osmopriming with PEG on physiology in sorghum seedlings and their association with post-priming stress tolerance under various soil moisture stress conditions. Results...

of the spatial variability in soil moisture within the root zone. An instrument for making rapid measurements of the soil moisture Studies have shown that soil moisture content can content in the root zone is an essential tool for many applications, be inferred from measurements of the soil electrical including understanding of soil water dynamics, evaluation of agriculresistance (e.g., Seyfrie...

Many tropical rain forest regions are at risk of increased future drought. The net effects of drought on forest ecosystem functioning will be substantial if important ecological thresholds are passed. However, understanding and predicting these effects is challenging using observational studies alone. Field-based rainfall exclusion (canopy throughfall exclusion; TFE) experiments can offer mecha...

* Linkages between plant growth rate and root responses to soil moisture heterogeneity were investigated. * Root dynamics were studied using genetically identical shoots (Vitis vinifera cv. Merlot) with genetically distinct root systems that promote higher (HSV) and lower (LSV) shoot growth rates (1103P and 101-14 Mgt, respectively). Three quantities of irrigation replenished different amounts ...

Globally documented widespread drought-induced forest mortality has important ramifications for plant community structure, ecosystem function, and the ecosystem services provided by forests. Yet the characteristics of drought seasonality, severity, and duration that trigger mortality events have received little attention despite evidence of changing precipitation regimes, shifting snow melt tim...

[1] Due to the influence of evaporation on land-surface temperature, thermal remote sensing data provide valuable information regarding the surface moisture status. The Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) model uses the morning surface temperature rise, as measured from a geostationary satellite platform, to deduce surface energy and water fluxes at 5–10 km resolution over the continental ...

Vertical soil moisture profiles based on the principle of maximum entropy (POME) were validated using field and model data and applied to guide an irrigation cycle over a maize field in north central Alabama (USA). The results demonstrate that a simple two-constraint entropy model under the assumption of a uniform initial soil moisture distribution can simulate most soil moisture profiles that ...