Relationships between leaf water potential and soil water potential in grasses subjected to water stress

Abstract

For grasses and other crops in general, soil water potential has been widely studied to determine if there is a deficit or excess of water content in the soil. However, the plant water absorption process is not only modulated by soil water potential but also by the combination of meteorological, soil depth, and crop canopy factors, which could be elucidated through water relations responses. The objective of this work was to compare the water relations of grass species established in different soil depths and subjected to water stress. Santo Agostinho (Stenotaphrum secundatum), Esmeralda (Zoysia japonica), Tanzania (Panicum maximum) and Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) were used in this trial. The four species of grasses were tested in four different soil rooting depths: 10, 20, 30 and 40 cm. The grasses were irrigated at soil moisture field capacity level, until the time of imposing the water stress period. Soil depth had a direct influence on leaf water potential and soil water potential. Moreover, correlation coefficients are higher in deeper soil profiles. The strongest correlations between leaf water potential and soil water potential were found in the deeper soil depth treatments. Therefore, for the soil depth treatment of 40 cm, the average R² for the four species was 0.55, the highest being 0.70 in Tanzania grass. It is possible to relate leaf water potential and soil water potential independently of the grass species used or the depth of soil available to the roots, which would allow the creation of new irrigation management strategies.