Scholarly record

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WATER POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS AND CLIMATIC DATA IN SLOVAKIA

Oliver Obročník, Viliam Bárek, Vladimír Kišš, Anna Báreková, Oleg Paulen

Abstract

In our study, we used the measurement of water potential using a pressure chamber, and we compared the collected data with the data from the Nove Zamky meteorological station for the period 21.6.2023 - 22.8.2023. The aim of the work was to compare the data collected using water potential measurements from two locations in the Nove Zamky area with the corresponding meteorological data collected from the meteorological station also located in Nove Zamky. After data collection, we then determined whether the technology of water potential measurement using a pressure chamber can capture changes in the different water regimes of the area and whether it can be used in the future in the context of soil moisture regime management. The amount of water available to a plant can be monitored using the water potential, which indicates the potential energy used by plants to fix water in plant tissues. For these measurements we use a portable, pressure chamber designed for leaf water potential measurements. The pressure chamber creates a space in which we can adjust the pressure values up to the point at which the leaf releases the water from the wefts. Most of the leaf is contained within the enclosed environment of the chamber and only a small part of the stem is exposed to the external environment through a flexible seal located on the top cover of the chamber. The pressure required to form a drop of water on the cutting surface of the petiole is an indication of the energy required to keep this drop in the leaf. High pressure to expel a drop of water from the leaf sheath indicates high tension and water stress in the plant. Pressure measurements are expressed in pascals. The experiment took place in two walnut orchards in Nove Zamky. The subjects of the measurements were 20 trees of the species Royal Walnut (Juglans regia), which were divided into four rows, with 5 trees in each row. In the first walnut orchard there were 15 measurement subjects and in the second orchard there were 5 trees that were subjected to leaf water potential measurements. We collected 3 leaf samples from each tree, which were then analyzed using a pressure chamber. The values of all measurements for a particular day were then averaged, and the result was taken as an indicator of the average leaf pressure on the day of measurement for the Nove Zamky area. These values were then compared with the data from the weather station, namely with the average daily temperature, average precipitation and humidity. The results show us that the water potential measurements are in partial agreement with the meteorological data presented. Therefore, we can conclude that the chosen method is able to capture changes in the water regime of a given plant and can be further used as a suitable tool in the management of the soil moisture regime.

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Dimensions ID: pub.1183084837

DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2024/5.1/s20.06

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