biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 15:354-357, 1973 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02922450

Root water potential in polycormon plants

Jiũina Slavíková¹

¹ Institute of Botany, Charles University, Praha 2, Czechoslovakia

Water potential of roots was measured by thermocouple psyohometers in a series of two or more plants ofCynodon dactylon (L.)Pers. interconnected by overground stolons and thus forming one s.c. polycormon. Root water potential was lowest (most negative) in the oldest "mother" plant and increased in younger individua to highest walues in the youngest "doughter" plants. This gradient of root water potential was found although the "mother" plants continued to be watered while watering all daughter plants had been stopped one week before the water potential was measured. Thus the whole polycormon consisting of a series of interconnected individua behaves as one hydrodynamic system where all individual root systems act as if being parts of one sole root system.

Received: March 29, 1973; Published: September 1, 1973  Show citation