Abstract
The rates of transpiration from a mature Eucalyptus globulus Labill. stand in Portugal were evaluated during a drying period of the spring-summer 1994. Transpiration was measured by the Granier sap flow method and estimated by the Penman-Monteith model. During the experimental period daily transpiration varied between 3.64 and 0.50 mm day−1. For high-transpiration days, a good agreement was observed between Penman-Monteith estimates and sap flow measurements, both on a daily and on an hourly basis. However, for low-transpiration days, the Penman-Monteith model overestimated transpiration in comparison with the sap flow method. The diurnal variation of sap flow was then smoother and lagged behind the estimates of the Penman-Monteith model. E. globulus showed an efficient control of transpiration losses during dry periods through a progressive stomatal closure. As soil moisture deficit increased, the daily maximum stomatal conductance decreased from 0.46 to 0.14 cm s−1. The results also show that, on a seasonal basis, stomatal conductance and daily transpiration were mainly related to predawn leaf water potential and, thus, to soil moisture content.
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Received: 26 January 1996 / Accepted: 20 October 1996
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David, T., Ferreira, M., David, J. et al. Transpiration from a mature Eucalyptus globulus plantation in Portugal during a spring-summer period of progressively higher water deficit. Oecologia 110, 153–159 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00008812
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00008812