Abstract: In order to understand the accuracy of Granier’s thermal dissipation method in measuring tree water consumption, a comparative study was made from May to June, 2010. The sap flow density of potted Platycladus orientalis was measured with thermal dissipation probe, which was compared with the wholeplant gravimetric measurement. There were significant  linear relationships (R₂＞0.825) between the sap flow velocity in both north and south directions of P. orientalis measured by thermal dissipation probe and the transpiration rate measured by gravimetric method. The average daily sap flux in the north and south directions of P. orientalis were 10.6% and 15.1% lower than the daily average transpiration of P. orientalis, respectively, but the differences were not significant. Therefore, Granier’s method had high reliability in the measurement of P. orientalis transpiration at daily scale, though the large temperature fluctuation between day and night could result in a lower daily sap flux than daily transpiration.

Key words: thermal dissipation method, whole-tree weighing method, sap flow, Platycladus orientalis.