Water Stress and Dynamics of Growth and Yield of Crop Plants

Crop performance and yield are the results of genotypic expression as modulated by continuous interactions with the environment. Among the environmental factors, one of the most widely limiting for crop production on a global basis is water. A better understanding of how long-term growth and yield are affected by water stress should aid in improving irrigation efficiency and practices, in modifying plants for more efficient water use, and in developing effective dry-land agriculture. What we now know of such relationships is almost exclusively empirical, learned from thousands of irrigation trials conducted over many decades, the data of which have been summarized (Salter and Goode, 1967; Stanhill, 1973). A sounder basis should come from knowledge of the underlying physiology and crop ecology. Numerous short-term studies in the last decade have detailed a variety of physiological and metabolic changes in the plant caused by water stress (Hsiao, 1973; Boyer, 1975; Vieira da Silva, this volume Part 4:A). Many of these changes, such as the suppression of photosynthesis and protein synthesis, and the dramatic accumulation of the growth regulator abscisic acid (ABA), could have important consequences in terms of final crop yields. Yet very few studies have attempted to link the short-term changes caused by water stress at the subcellular and cellular level to crop performance in the field integrated over time and the whole organism or community.

[1]  T. Hsiao.  Plant Responses to Water Stress , 1973 .

[2]  J. Boyer.  Photosynthesis at low water potentials , 1976 .

[3]  R. Brouwer,et al.  Some responses of the root and the shoot of Vicia faba plants to water stress , 1969 .

[4]  D. Watson.  Comparative Physiological Studies on the Growth of Field Crops: I. Variation in Net Assimilation Rate and Leaf Area between Species and Varieties, and within and between Years , 1947 .

[5]  E. A. Hiler,et al.  Susceptibility of Grain Sorghum to Water Deficit at Three Growth Stages1 , 1974 .

[6]  P. Kramer,et al.  Behavior of Corn and Sorghum under Water Stress and during Recovery. , 1971, Plant physiology.

[7]  E. Newman,et al.  A METHOD OF ESTIMATING THE TOTAL LENGTH OF ROOT IN A SAMPLE , 1966 .

[8]  G. H. Heichel,et al.  Patterns of Translocation, Respiratory Loss, and Redistribution of 14c in Maize Labeled after Flowering1 , 1973 .

[9]  W. E. Loomis,et al.  DAILY GROWTH OF MAIZE , 1934 .

[10]  J. Forrester.  Principles of systems : text and workbook, chapters 1 through 10 , 1968 .

[11]  J. H. Thorne,et al.  Influence of assimilate demand on photosynthesis, diffusive resistances, translocation, and carbohydrate levels of soybean leaves. , 1974, Plant physiology.

[12]  J. H. Martin.  The Comparative Drought Resistance of Sorghums and Corn1 , 1930 .

[13]  D. Watson,et al.  Comparative physiological studies on the growth of field crops. III. The effect of infection with beet yellows and beet mosaic viruses on the growth and yield of the sugar-beet root crop , 1953 .

[14]  N. Turner,et al.  Stomatal Behavior and Water Status of Maize, Sorghum, and Tobacco under Field Conditions: II. At Low Soil Water Potential. , 1974, Plant physiology.

[15]  W. R. Watts.  Leaf Extension in Zea mays II. LEAF EXTENSION IN RESPONSE TO INDEPENDENT VARIATION OF THE TEMPERATURE OF THE APICAL MERISTEM, OF THE AIR AROUND THE LEAVES, AND OF THE ROOT-ZONE , 1972 .

[16]  Howard M. Taylor,et al.  Water relations of cotton : a rhizotron study , 1975 .

[17]  K. Brown,et al.  Leaf Age as a Determinant in Stomatal Control of Water Loss from Cotton during Water Stress. , 1975, Plant physiology.

[18]  G. L. Wilson,et al.  Studies of grain production in Sorghum vulgare. I. the contribution of pre- flowering photosynthesis to grain yield , 1971 .

[19]  T. Lavy,et al.  Effect of Soil Depth and Plant Age on 32Phosphorus Uptake by Corn and Sorghum 1 , 1969 .

[20]  E. A. Hinojosa.  The Growth of Maize (zea mays l.) under Field conditions as affected by its Water Relations. , 1975 .

[21]  A. H. Hendrickson,et al.  SOIL MOISTURE AS AN INDICATION OF ROOT DISTRIBUTION IN DECIDUOUS ORCHARDS. , 1938, Plant physiology.

[22]  S. L. Rawlins,et al.  Water Relations and Growth of Cotton as Influenced by Salinity and Relative Humidity1 , 1971 .

[23]  R. Fischer,et al.  Plant Water Relations, Irrigation Management and Crop Yield , 1965, Experimental Agriculture.

[24]  J. Moorby,et al.  An Introduction to Crop Physiology , 1974 .

[25]  H. Neumann,et al.  DIFFUSIVE RESISTANCE, TRANSPIRATION, AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN SINGLE LEAVES OF CORN AND SORGHUM IN RELATION TO LEAF WATER POTENTIAL , 1973 .

[26]  B. Klepper,et al.  Diurnal pattern of water potential in woody plants. , 1968, Plant physiology.

[27]  D. Cohen,et al.  Relationships between Leaf Water Status, Abscisic Acid Levels, and Stomatal Resistance in Maize and Sorghum. , 1975, Plant physiology.

[28]  R. H. Shaw,et al.  The Effects of Soil Moisture Stress at Different Stages of Growth on the Development and Yield of Corn1 , 1960 .

[29]  G. Sagar,et al.  Crop Responses to Water at Different Stages of Growth. , 1968 .

[30]  J. S. Robins,et al.  Some Effects of Severe Soil Moisture Deficits at Specific Growth Stages in Corn1 , 1953 .

[31]  W. R. Watts.  Leaf Extension in Zea mays III. FIELD MEASUREMENTS OF LEAF EXTENSION IN RESPONSE TO TEMPERATURE AND LEAF WATER POTENTIAL , 1974 .

[32]  G. L. Wilson,et al.  Studies of grain production in Sorghum vulgare. II. sites responsible for grain dry matter production during the post-anthesis period , 1971 .

[33]  Theodore C. Hsiao,et al.  Plant responses to water deficits, water-use efficiency, and drought resistance , 1974 .

[34]  J. Glover.  The apparent behaviour of maize and sorghum stomata during and after drought , 1959, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[35]  R. Luxmoore,et al.  Soybean Canopy Structure and Some Radiant Energy Relations 1 , 1971 .

[36]  W. R. Watts.  Leaf Extension in Zea mays , 1972 .

[37]  Paul J. Kramer,et al.  THE RELATION BETWEEN RATE OF TRANSPIRATION AND RATE OF ABSORPTION OF WATER IN PLANTS , 1937 .

[38]  Howard M. Taylor,et al.  PENETRATION OF COTTON SEEDLINGN TAPROOTS AS INFLUENCED BY BULK DENSITY, MOISTURE CONTENT, AND STRENGTH OF SOIL , 1963 .

[39]  E. Castiel.  Growth, Development and Yield of Sorghum in the field under variable water supply , 1976 .

[40]  R. H. Shaw,et al.  Plant environment and efficient water use. , 1966 .

[41]  W. R. Gardner.  DYNAMIC ASPECTS OF WATER AVAILABILITY TO PLANTS , 1960 .

[42]  A. Tanaka,et al.  Dry Matter Production, Yield Components and Grain yield of the Maize Plant , 1972 .

[43]  E. Fereres,et al.  Water stress, growth, and osmotic adjustment , 1976 .

[44]  A. Blum.  Components Analysis of Yield Responses to Drought of Sorghum Hybrids , 1973, Experimental Agriculture.

[45]  R. Feddes,et al.  Water withdrawal by plant roots , 1972 .

[46]  W. W. Nelson,et al.  Soybean and Corn Rooting in Southwestern Minnesota: II. Root Distributions and Related Water Inflow , 1975 .

[47]  R. Slatyer.  Physiological Significance of Internal Water Relations to Crop Yield , 1969 .

[48]  N. Turner,et al.  Stomatal Behavior and Water Status of Maize, Sorghum, and Tobacco under Field Conditions: I. At High Soil Water Potential. , 1973, Plant physiology.

[49]  G. R. Blake,et al.  A Field Study of Soil Water Depletion Patterns in Presence of Growing Soybean Roots: III. Rooting Characteristics and Root Extraction of Soil Water1 , 1975 .

[50]  R. O. Slatyer,et al.  Plant-Water Relationships , 1967 .

[51]  J. Boyer,et al.  Relationship of water potential to growth of leaves. , 1968, Plant physiology.