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Home Publications National Nursery Proceedings 1978 Irrigation monitoring in western forest tree nurseries

Irrigation monitoring in western forest tree nurseries

A. Why is it important to monitor irrigation practices in tree nurseries? Almost every plant process is affected directly, or indirectly, by water supply. This is largely because higher plants, like other living creatures, have evolved with biochemical systems that operate in an aquaeous medium. Consequently, biological function is completely dependent on water, and the properties of life are often directly a result of the properties of water. Water makes up 80 to 90 percent of the fresh weight of many plants (Leopold and Kriedman, 1975). Within certain limits the metabolic activity of cells and plants is closely related to their water content. This relationship is illustrated in Figure 1, which shows the correlation between water content and respiration in a rye seed. Plant growth rates and photosynthesis are closely tied to water availability in the plant. Well, there's no use belaboring the point. We all know water is important as a structural and chemical component of plants, and we know that plants must be well-watered to grow and develop like we want them to.


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Author(s): Stephen E. McDonald

Publication: National Nursery Proceedings - 1978

Event: Nurseryman's conference and seed processing workshop
1978 - Eureka, CA