"Microscopic leaf wetness" means minute amounts of persistent liquid water on leaf surfaces which are invisible to the naked eye. The water is mainly maintained by transpired water vapor condensing onto the leaf surface and to attached leaf surface particles. With an estimated average thickness of less than 1 μm, microscopic leaf wetness is about two orders of magnitude thinner than morning dew...

The daily (24 hour) changes in carbon balance, water loss, and leaf area of whole sorghum plants (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench, cv BTX616) were measured under controlled environment conditions typical of warm, humid, sunny days. Plants were either (a) irrigated frequently with nutrient solution (osmotic potential -0.08 kilojoules per kilogram = -0.8 bar), (b) not irrigated for 15 days, (c) irrigat...

As sugar beet source leaves lowered the CO(2) concentration to compensation point in a closed atmosphere, leaf thickness and relative water content decreased. Leaf water potential declined rapidly from -0.5 to -1.4 megapascals. At 340 microliters CO(2) per liter, water potential and sucrose, glucose, and fructose contents were steady in photosynthesizing source leaves. Within 90 minutes after l...

Heat waves in combination with drought are predicted to occur more frequently with climate warming, yet their interactive effects on crop carbon and water balance are still poorly understood. Hence, research on the capacity of crops to withstand and recover from the combined stress is urgently needed. This study investigated the effects of drought and heat wave on a crop species as well as the ...

The flacca mutant in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv Rheinlands Ruhm) was employed to examine the effects of a relatively constant diurnal water stress on leaf growth and water relations. As the mutant is deficient in abscisic acid (ABA) and can be phenotypically reverted to the wild type by applications of the growth substance, inferences can be made concerning the involvement of ABA ...

Veins are the main irrigation system of the leaf lamina and an understanding of the hydraulic architecture of the vein networks is essential for understanding leaf function. However, determination of leaf hydraulic parameters is challenging, because for most leaves the vein system is reticulate, contains a hierarchy of different vein sizes, and consists of leaky conduits. We present a new appro...

the anatomical and epidermal characteristics, as well as the physiological response, of 'colombia' ecotype cape gooseberry plants treated or untreated with foliar applications of kaolin at 2 irrigation levels (well-irrigated plants vs. water-stressed plants) were evaluated. relative water content (rwc), stomatal density, and chlorophyll index were reduced under water stress. water stress increa...

Leaf water potentials were estimated from the sum of the balancing pressure measured with a pressure chamber and the osmotic potential of the xylem sap in leafy shoots or leaves. When leaf water potentials in yew, rhododendron, and sunflower were compared with those measured with a thermocouple psychrometer known to indicate accurate values of leaf water potential, determinations were within +/...

Water deÞcit and shade stress in weed-infested crops could alter plant growth and biochemistry and feeding and oviposition by the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exiguaHübner. Palmer amaranthpigweed,Amaranthus palmeriS.Wats.,was grownunder 25%of fullwatering(waterdeÞcit), 30% of full light (shade), or combined stress. All treatments decreased plant height andweight. Shade and combined stresses decrea...

Water stress causes defoliation, which can reduce yield and root quality of sugar beets (Beta vulgaris L.) through altered gas exchange characteristics of the leaves. In a two-year experiment, three sugar beet cultivars (Europa, Rival and Corsica) were subjected to three defoliation levels (control-C, moderate-MD, severe-SD) and re-watering after their exposition to drought for a month. Leaf ph...