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Changes in plant water status of Maize (Zea mays L.) with ontogeny

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Summary

Irrigations scheduled on plant water status ignore the effect of ontogeny on plant water status. Leaf xylem water potential (XWP) of maize sown on three dates in a sandy loam soil was measured under the same environment for evaluating the effect of ontogeny on plant water status. Minimum XWP (measured between 13.00-14.30 h) of the youngest crop was the highest during two crop seasons and the differences in XWP of the youngest and the oldest maize plants ranged from 0.25 to 0.65 MPa during the season. Maximum XWP (measured before dawn) of the youngest crop was nearly 0.1 MPa higher than that of the oldest crop. Diurnal variation in XWP was lowest in the youngest crop. The results highlight the need of ontogeny dependent critical values of plant water status for scheduling irrigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural University, 141004, Ludhiana, India

    Nirmal Sekhon & G. C. Aggarwal

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  1. Nirmal Sekhon
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  2. G. C. Aggarwal
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Sekhon, N., Aggarwal, G.C. Changes in plant water status of Maize (Zea mays L.) with ontogeny. Irrig Sci 9, 227–231 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00275434

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00275434

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