A gravimetric method to monitor transpiration under water stress conditions in wheat

Abstract

Abstract The water‐limited potential yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) may be largely dependent on plant transpiration behavior. Research into plant transpiration dynamics is limited due to the difficulty of monitoring water use over an extended period of time. The advent of fully automated gravimetric platforms makes this research possible. The methods for using this equipment to study transpiration of wheat in water‐deficit environments are not well established. The objective of this greenhouse study was to develop a methodology to evaluate plant transpiration under terminal water stress using a gravimetric platform. Using a plant–pot system designed to limit nonplant water loss, the methodology proved capable of monitoring plant transpiration over a 42‐day period and detected significant differences between well‐watered and water‐stressed treatments. However, the high degree of variation in transpiration limited the system's ability to detect significant differences between genotypes of similar watering regimes. Both environmental and human error likely contributed to the observed variation. Recommendations are provided to reduce this variation and improve upon the methodology for future studies. This work lays the foundation for further research into plant water use and the identification of genotypes capable of high transpiration despite exposure to water‐deficit conditions.