DOES TRANSPORT OF WATER TO ROOTS LIMIT WATER-UPTAKE OF FIELD CROPS

The question was examined under which conditions the water extraction rate of plant roots in the field can be limited by water transport to the roots. For this purpose we used a numerical solution of the single root model. Scenario calculations were carried out in order to invest igate the general model behaviour. A sensitivity analysis showed that initial volumetric water content and root length density are of greate r importance than root diameter in determining the maximum; water tran sport rate to the roots. Data from a field experiment were taken, desc ribing root length density, volumetric water content and water uptake rates under oats (Avena sativa L.) and faba beans (Viciafaba L.) as mo del input parameters. With this data the model calculated the water co ntent difference between the bulk soil and the root surface which is n ecessary to induce a water flow to the roots matching the observed wat er uptake rate. Root length densities below the grain legume crop faba beans are one order of magnitude lower compared to that of the the ce real crop oats. The therefore higher specific water influx rates of fa ba beans roots resulted in a higher decrease in water content near the root surface. ver, water uptake by faba beans was controlled by the w ater flow towards the roots probably only in deeper soil layers with v ery low root length density. For the given conditions no transport lim itation of water uptake was calculated, when rooting densities were hi gher than about 0.1 cm . cm(-3).