Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of soil drying on growth, biomass allocation and leaf gas exchange of two annual grass species

  • Regular Research Articles
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Influence of short-term water stress on plant growth and leaf gas exchange was studied simultaneously in a growth chamber experiment using two annual grass species differing in photosynthetic pathway type, plant architecture and phenology:Triticum aestivum L. cv. Katya-A-1 (C3, a drought resistant wheat cultivar of erect growth) andTragus racemosus (L.) All. (C4, a prostrate weed of warm semiarid areas). At the leaf level, gas exchange rates declined with decreasing soil water potential for both species in such a way that instantaneous photosynthetic water use efficiency (PWUE, mmol CO2 assimilated per mol H2O transpired) increased. At adequate water supply, the C4 grass showed much lower stomatal conductance and higher PWUE than the C3 species, but this difference disappeared at severe water stress when leaf gas exchange rates were similarly reduced for both species. However, by using soil water more sparingly, the C4 species was able to assimilate under non-stressful conditions for a longer time than the C3 wheat did. At the whole-plant level, decreasing water availability substantially reduced the relative growth rate (RGR) ofT. aestivum, while biomass partitioning changed in favour of root growth, so that the plant could exploit the limiting water resource more efficiently. The change in partitioning preceded the overall reduction of RGR and it was associated with increased biomass allocation to roots and less to leaves, as well as with a decrease in specific leaf area. Water saving byT. racemosus sufficiently postponed water stress effects on plant growth occurring only as a moderate reduction in leaf area enlargement. For unstressed vegetative plants, relative growth rate of the C4 T. racemosus was only slightly higher than that of the C3 T. aestivum, though it was achieved at a much lower water cost. The lack of difference in RGR was probably due to growth conditions being relatively suboptimal for the C4 plant and also to a relatively large investment in stem tissues by the C4 T. racemosus. Only 10% of the plant biomass was allocated to roots in the C4 species while this was more than 30% for the C3 wheat cultivar. These results emphasize the importance of water saving and high WUE of C4 plants in maintaining growth under moderate water stress in comparison with C3 species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A:

photosynthetic rate

Ela :

water loss on leaf area basis

gs :

stomatal conductance for water vapour

IWR:

inflorescence weight ratio

LA:

total leaf area

LAR:

leaf area ratio

LWR:

leaf weight ratio

NAR:

net assimilation rate

pi/pa :

ratio of intercellular and atmospheric CO2 partial pressure

PPFD:

photosynthetic photon flux density

PWUE:

photosynthetic water use efficiency (A/gs)

RGR:

relative growth rate

RW:

total root dry weight

RWR:

root weight ratio

SLA:

specific leaf area

SWR:

stem weight ratio

WUEB :

water use efficiency of biomass production

ψleaf :

leaf water potential

ψsoil :

soil water potential

References

  • Bazzaz F A, Garbutt K, Reekie E G and Williams W E 1989 Using growth analysis to interpret competition between a C3 and C4 annual under ambient and elevated CO2. Oecologia (Berl.) 79, 223–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackman P G and Davies W J 1985 Root to shoot communication in maize plants of the effects of soil drying. J. Exp. Bot. 36, 39–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boutton T W, Harrison A T and Smith B N 1980 Distribution of biomass of species differing in photosynthetic pathway along an aridity gradient in. Southeastern Wyoming grassland. Oecologia 45, 287–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford K J and Hsiao T C 1982 Physiological responses to moderate water stress.In Physiological Plant Ecology.II. Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, Vol 12B. Eds. O L Lange, P S Nobel, C B Osmond and H Ziegler. pp 263–324. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell M M, White R S, Moore R T and Camp L B 1977 Carbon balance, productivity, and water use of cold-winter desert shrub communities dominated by C3 and C4 species. Oecologia (Berl.) 29, 275–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forseth I N, Ehleringer J R, Werk K S and Cook C S 1984 Field water relations of Sonoran Desert annuals. Ecology 65, 1436–1444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebauer G, Schuhmacher M I, Krstic B, Rehder H and Ziegler H 1987 Biomass production and nitrate metabolism ofAtriplex hortensis L. (C3 plant) andAmaranthus retroflexus L. (C4 plant) in cultures at different levels of nitrogen supply. Oecologia (Berl.) 72, 303–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gifford R M 1974 A comparison of potential photosynthesis, productivity and yield of plant species with differing photosynthetic carbon metabolism. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 1, 107–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gollan T, Passioura J B and Munns R 1986 Soil water status affects stomatal conductance of fully turgid wheat and sunflower leaves. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 13, 459–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock A S 1950 Manual of the grasses of the United States. 2nd ed. U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication No. 200. USDA, Washington, USA. 1051 p.

  • Hofstra J J and Stienstra A W 1977 Growth and photosynthesis of closely related C3 and C4 grasses, as influenced by light intensity and water supply. Acta Bot. Neerl. 26, 63–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalapos T 1991 C3 and C4 grasses of Hungary: their environmental requirements, phenology and role in the vegetation. Abstr. Bot. 15, 83–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp P R 1983 Phenological patterns of Chihuahuan Desert plants in relations to the timing of water availability. J. Ecol. 71, 427–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp P R and Williams G J III 1980 Physiological basis for niche separation betweenAgropyron smithii (C3) andBouteloua gracilis (C4). Ecology 61, 846–858.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knapp A K 1993 Gas exchange dynamics in C3 and C4 grasses: consequences of differences in stomatal conductance. Ecology 74, 113–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konings H 1989 Physiological and morphological differences between plants with a high NAR and a high LAR as related to environmental conditions.In Causes and Consequences of Variation in Growth Rate and Productivity. Eds. H Lambers, M L Cambridge, H Konings and T L Pons. pp 101–123. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, the Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludlow M M 1976 Ecophysiology of C4 grasses.In Water and Plant Life. Problems and Modern Approaches. Ecological Studies 19. Eds, O L Lange, L Kappen and E-D Schulze. pp 364–386. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meusel H, Jäger E and Weinert E 1965 Vergleichende Chorologie der Zentraleuropäischen Flora. Band I. VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena, Germany. 583 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monson R K and Williams G J III 1982 A correlation between photosynthetic temperature adaptation and seasonal phenology patterns in the shortgrass prairie. Oecologia (Berl.) 54, 58–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mooney H A and Winner W E 1991 Partitioning response of plants to stress.In Response of Plants to multiple Stresses. Eds. H A Mooney, W E Winner and E J Pell. pp 129–141. Academic Press, San Diego, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osmond C B, Winter K and Ziegler H 1982 Functional significance of different pathways of CO2 fixation in photosynthesis.In Physiological Plant Ecology. II. Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, Vol 12B. Eds. O L Lange, P S Nobel, C B Osmond and H Ziegler. pp 480–547. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearcy R W and Ehleringer J R 1984 Comparative ecophysiology of C3 and C4 plants. Plant Cell Environ. 7, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearcy R W, Tumosa N and Williams K 1981 Relationship between growth, photosynthesis and competitive interactions for a C3 and a C4 plant. Oecologia (Berl.) 48, 371–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira J S and Chaves M M 1993 Plant water deficits in Mediterranean ecosystems.In Water Deficits. Plant Responses from cell to Community. Eds. J A C Smith and H Griffiths. pp 237–251. BIOS Sci. Publ., Oxford, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piedade M T F, Junk W J and Long S P 1991 The productivity of the C4 grassEchinochloa polystachya on the Amazon floodplain. Ecology 72, 1456–1463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poorter H 1989a Interspecific variation in relative growth rate: on ecological causes and physiological consequences.In Causes and Consequences of Variation in Growth Rate and Productivity. Eds. H Lambers, M L Cambridge, H Konings and T L Pons. pp 45–68. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, the Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poorter H 1989b Growth analysis: towards a synthesis of the classical and functional approach. Physiol. Plant. 75, 237–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poorter H and Lewis C 1986 Testing differences in relative growth rate: a method avoiding curve-fitting and pairing. Physiol. Plant. 67, 223–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quick W P, Chaves M M, Wendler R, David M, Rodrigues M L, Passaharinho J A, Pereira J S, Adcock M D, Leegood R C and Stitt M 1992 The effect of water stress on photosynthetic carbon metabolism in four species grown under field conditions. Plant Cell Environ. 15, 25–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roush M L and Radosevich S R 1985 Relationships between growth and competitiveness of four annual weeds. J. Appl. Ecol. 22, 896–905.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sage R F and Pearcy R W 1987a The nitrogen use efficiency of C3 and C4 species. I. Leaf nitrogen, growth, and biomass partitioning inChenopodium album (L.) andAmaranthus retroflexus (L.). Plant Physiol. 84, 954–958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sage R F and Pearcy R W 1987b The nitrogen use efficiency of C3 and C4 species. II. Leaf nitrogen effects on the gas exchange characteristics ofChenonodium album (L.) andAmaranthus retroflexus (L.) Plant Physiol. 84, 959–963.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxena K G and Ramakrishnan P S 1983 Growth and allocation strategies of some perennial weeds of slash and burn agriculture (Jhum) in northeastern India. Can. J. Bot. 61, 1300–1306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulze E-D 1986 Whole-plant responses to drought. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 13, 127–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharp R E and Davies W J 1979 Solute regulation and growth by roots and shoots of water-stressed maize plants. Planta 147, 43–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simane B, Peacock J M and Struik P C 1993 Differences in developmental plasticity and growth rate among drought-resistant and susceptible cultivars of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var.durum). Plant and Soil 157, 155–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slatyer R O 1971 Relationship between plant growth and leaf photosynthesis in C3 and C4 species of Atriplex.In Photosynthesis and Photorespiration, Eds. M D Hatch, C B Osmond and R O Slatyer. pp 76–81. J Wiley and Sons, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith J A C and Griffths H 1993 Water Deficits. Plant responses from Cell to Community. BIOS Sci. Publ., Oxford, UK. 345 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snaydon R W 1991 The productivity of C3 and C4 plants: a reassessment. Funct. Ecol. 5, 321–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal R R and Rohlf F J 1981 Biometry. 2nd ed. Freeman and Co., New York, USA. pp 208–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soó 1973 A magyar flóra és vegetáció rendszertani -növényföldrajzi kézikönyve. (Synopsis Systematico — Geobotanica Florae Vegetationisque Hungariae.) Tomus V. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary. pp 268–269, 432–433.

  • Taiz L and Zeiger E 1991 Plant Physiology. The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co., Inc., Redwood City, USA. pp 346–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tardieu F and Davies W J 1993 Root-shoot communication and whole-plant regulation of water flux.In Water Deficits. Plant Responses from Cell to Community. Eds. J A C Smith and H Griffths. pp 147–162. BCOS Sci. Publ., Oxford, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner N C and Kramer P J 1980 Adaptation of Plants to Water and high Temperature Stress. pp 7–353. J Wiley and Sons, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Boogaard R 1995 Variation among wheat cultivars in efficiency of water use and growth parameters. Ph.D. Thesis. Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. 155 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Von Caemmerer S and Farquhar G D 1981 Some relationships between the biochemistry of photosynthesis and the gas exchange of leaves. Planta 153, 376–387.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong S C and Osmond C B 1991 Elevated atmospheric partial pressure of CO2 and plant growth. III. Interactions betweenTriticum aestivum (C3) andEchinochloa frumentacea (C4) during growth in mixed culture under different CO2, N nutrition and irradiance treatments, with emphasis on below-ground responses estimated using the13δC value of root biomass. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 18, 137–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J and Davies W J 1990 Changes in the concentration of ABA in xylem sap as a function of changing soil water status can account for changes in leaf conductance and growth. Plant Cell Environ. 13, 277–285.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Tibor Kalapos

    Present address: Department of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, L. Eötvös University, Ludovika tér 2, H-1083, Budapest, Hungary

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Utrecht University, Sorbonnelaan 16, 3584 CA, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Riki van den Boogaard & Hans Lambers

Authors
  1. Tibor Kalapos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Riki van den Boogaard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hans Lambers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kalapos, T., van den Boogaard, R. & Lambers, H. Effect of soil drying on growth, biomass allocation and leaf gas exchange of two annual grass species. Plant Soil 185, 137–149 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257570

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02257570

Key words

Search

Navigation