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Key procedures of pressure-volume technique in plant water physiology.

YANG Liu, SUN Hui-zhen**   

  1. (Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China)
  • Online:2014-01-10 Published:2014-01-10

Abstract: Classic pressure-volume (PV) technique measures water potential and relative water content of plant tissues during the whole process from water saturation to turgor loss and establishes their relationships. Based on these relationships, PV technique has been used to derive such plant water relation parameters as osmotic potential at turgor loss, osmotic potential at full turgor, relative water content at turgor loss, bulk modulus of elasticity, which are difficult to obtain with substitute methods. Because these parameters are strongly associated with plant resistance to drought, the technique will play an important role in understanding physiological mechanisms of droughtinduced tree mortality. However, there are still some inconsistent procedures in its implementing process, such as prerehydration, parameter measurement and calculations. This paper reviews the application of the PV technique by focusing on these inconsistent issues and provides suggestions on appropriate use of the technique in studies of plant water relations.

Key words: weak light tolerance ability., rootstock-scion combination, summer black grape, photo-response model