Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A CO2 Concentration Gradient Facility for Testing CO2 Enrichment and Soil Effects on Grassland Ecosystem Function
Published on: November 21, 2015
Willow growth in response to nutrients and moisture on a clay landfill cap soil. II: Water use
Peter J Martin1, William Stephens
1Agronomy Institute, Orkney College, Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland KW15 1LX, UK.
Abstract:
Water use by willow (Salix viminalis L.) was studied in lysimeters containing clay landfill cap and sandy loam soils under different watering and amendment regimes. With plentiful water and amendments, seasonal ET increased annually and was highest in the sandy loam, increasing from 360 l plant(-1) in the establishment year to almost 1200 l plant(-1) in the third year. Seasonal ET was highly correlated with leaf area duration. Amendment of Oxford clay resulted in increases in plant leaf area, dry matter production and seasonal ET. Water stress reduced seasonal ET by 10-14% in the second year and 25-41% in the third. Water use efficiency was low for the un-amended clay treatment (1.4 g kg(-1)) but was similar in the amended clay (5.0 g kg(-1)) and sandy loam (4.9 g kg(-1)). This highlights the interdependence of water use and biomass production in willow.
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Water and Mineral Acquisition
Responses to Salt Stress
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity in Plants
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...
