Tensiometers are commonly used for measuring soil water matric pressures. Unfortunately, the water-filled reservoir of conventional tensiometers limits their applicability to soil water matric pressures above approximately20.085 MPa. Tensiometers filled with a polymer solution instead of water are able to measure a larger range of soil water matric pressures. We designed and constructed six pro...

According to a UN Environment Programme survey, topsoil is eroding faster than it forms on about one third of the world’s cropland, causing an estimated 85 % of the world s land degradation from human activities. Erosion of soil, mainly by water, is also a problem in the Czech Republic where 54 % of arable land is endangered by water erosion. The topic of this article is to describe contemporar...

Water flow in the soil–root–stem system was studied in a flooded riparian hardwood forest in the upper Rhine floodplain. The study was undertaken to identify the vertical distribution of water uptake by trees in a system where the groundwater is at a depth of less than 1 m. The three dominant ligneous species (Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior and Populus alba) were investigated for root struct...

Data from Spanish and Italian olive orchards with different cultivars (‘‘Manzanilla’’, ‘‘Frantoio’’, ‘‘Leccino’’, ‘‘Razzola’’ and ‘‘Taggiasca’’) growing in different environments (southern Spain; north, centre and south of Italy) were used to illustrate how models on water use and photosynthetic behaviour of the olive tree can be useful tools for choosing pruning intensity and canopy shape for ...

Temporal and spatial variations in the water status of walnut trees (Juglans regia L.) and the soil in which they were growing were traced by analyzing the differences in hydrogen isotopes during spring and summer in a 7-year-old walnut stand. Walnut root dynamics were measured in both dry and wet seasons. Walnut roots were mainly distributed in the upper soil (0-30 cm depth), with around 60% o...

Sap flux density in branches, leaf transpiration, stomatal conductance and leaf water potentials were measured in 16-year-old Quercus suber L. trees growing in a plantation in southern Portugal to understand how evergreen Mediterranean trees regulate water loss during summer drought. Leaf specific hydraulic conductance and leaf gas exchange were monitored during the progressive summer drought t...

The assumption that seeds imbibe most of the water required for germination as liquid through seed-to-soil contact has been a dominant theme in germination research and seeding technology. Under most conditions, seeds are also exposed to water vapour during imbibition, but the relative contributions of liquid and vapour are difficult to assess. In water uptake models that include vapour, proced...

To support investigations of flood tolerance occurring at a field-based research facility, changes in soil volumetric water content, temperature, redox potential, dissolved oxygen content, and pH over the course of flood events were monitored. Electronic sensors connected to dataloggers for continuous monitoring of these parameters were installed, and soil redox potential and pH were also monit...

Knowledge of water movement in the plant-xylem system and contaminant bioavailability in the soil environment is crucial to evaluate the success of phytoremediation practices. This study investigated the removal of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) from a contaminated sandy soil by a single poplar (Populus fastigiata) tree through the examinations of temporal variations of xylem water potential, root...

For the first few days after heavy rain or irrigations, water drains from the soil profile until its water content approaches a relatively stable value called the drained upper limit or field capacity. When plants have extracted all of the water available to them, the root zone water content approaches a lower limit of available water, or permanent wilting water content. The water held by the s...