Agricultural University of Tirana, Faculty of Agriculture & Environment, Department of Horticulture Address: Koder-Kamez, Tirana, Albania www.ubt.edu.

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Geneva, NY, USA (March 26-28, 2014) http://events.cals.cornell.edu/ishsphysiology2014

Poster presented at the Physiological Principles and Their Application to Fruit Production

Modelling Canopy Transpiration and Stomatal Conductance of Young Apples Using a Parameterized Penman-Monteith Equation
E. Kullaj1, V. Avdiu, L. Lepaja, J. Kucera, and F. Thomaj
1

Dep. Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Kodr-Kamz, 1010, Tirana, Albania Tel: +355684096186 Email: ekullaj@ubt.edu.al

Introduction

Transpiration rate depends on a balance among water supply to the plant, energy supply to evaporate water within the leaf and the ease with which water vapour can escape from the leaves. These processes are dominated by two environmental factors, namely solar radiation and the water potential of the atmosphere. The ability to control stomatal aperture allows plants to respond quickly to changing environment, for example to avoid excessive water loss or limit uptake of liquid or gaseous pollutants through stomata. Stomatal opening and closing is modulated by uptake and loss of water in guard cells, which changes their turgor pressure. Canopy transpiration and stomatal conductance are very useful plant-based stress indicators but continuous and real-time calculations remains difficult and expensive. Calculation of potential evapotranspiration is based on physical analysis at three levels: (a) Penman equation; (b) Monteith-modified Penman equation; (c) Parameterization of P-M equation with respect to dependence of stomatal conductance on meteorological variables.

Instead of standard rearrangement of P-M equation for gs calculation and following discrete regression analyses to R and VPD we wrote the complex P-M equation which already includes the gc as the (6) function of R and VPD(6). Using a nonlinear multiregression analysis provided by Mini32 software, PrgmClc module, parameters a, b, Ro, glim and gmin best fitting to (usually sap flow based) measured canopy transpiration and the one calculated by P-M equation are obtained. The P-M equation for the fit analysis was written but for faster analysis, the numerator is calculated separately.
Fig. 3. (top) Script for calculating variables necessary for parametrization. (bottom) The Fitmodule in Mini32 software showing the initial parameters for the procedure of finding the model which calculates canopy transpiration and stomatal conductance of apple trees. It shows both calculated values (blue) and the actual (black) dots measured from sap flow and the correlation index (0.975)

Material and Methods

Plant Material
Twoyears old apple trees of cv. Gala Galaxy on a M9 rootstock and trained according to a central leader system were used as replicates based on their equal values of trunk diameter and other biometric measurements, i.e. affinity index, vigour, number of branches and shoots, etc. Trees were planted 3 1 m apart, in a NS orientation, at a small experimental orchard in Kosovo. The plots were regularly irrigated until the measurement period. Trees were not pruned during the experiment and their were yet in juvenile (non-cropping) phase.

Experimental setup

Results and Discussion

SF was measured using sap flow sensors EMS 62 (EMS Brno), based on SHB (stem heat balance) method. Sensors were installed on shoots (12 mm thick) on 8 trees at their trunk (Figure 1). The measuring interval was every minute with 1 s warm-up and storing interval every 15 minutes during July-September 2013. A portable meteorological station Minikin RTHi (EMS Brno, CZ) measured the Rs, Ta and RH. VPD was calculated from vapour pressure and relative humidity. Plants were sub- Fig. 1. Particular EMS 62 on trunks of young apple trees ject to water stress, beside others (high radiation and temperature). Soil water potential values were kept around 0,5 MPa.

This fast modelling approach seem to properly calculate canopy transpiration (see Fig. 4 for comparison of measured and calculated values) and canopy conductance (see Fig. 5 for comparison between VPD and gcvalues). Fig. 6 shows the stomata response to increasing radiation and VPD.

Modelling

Penman equation describes water evaporation from a homogeneous short trimmed lawn well saturated with water according to the formula (here in terms of energy)(1). The uncertain second wind (1) part of Penman equation was replaced with a turbulent diffusion theory based where: 2 Rn net radiation [W/m ] (2) expression . G soil heat flux [W/m2] The (wind speed dependent) aerody- D vapor pressure deficit [Pa] namic conductance was calculated from w wind speed [m/sec]
- psychrometric constant [Pa/K] slope of saturation water vapor pressure deficit [Pa/K] water heat capacity[J/kg] a, b empirical parameters

Fig. 4. (top) Dynamics of numerator used in the P-M equation and slope. (bottom) Actual and calculated transpiration using a scaling procedure from sap flow data (selected period)

Parameterization of Penman-Monteith equation is based on the assumption that the stomatal conductivity depends on solar radiation and VPD values according a suitable formula, e.g. Lohammar, 1980. Parameterization process is usually based on daily mean values of main environmental factors (R, VPD) and the most common approach is to rearrange the P-M equation for stomatal conductance and than to find the best fit to R and VPD. The common Lohammar equation describing the R and VPD influence to stomatal conductance is written in the form(4) (4) supposing stomata opening due to solar activity and closure due to high evaporating demands. Differently from this approach, we have used diurnal courses of variables instead of commonly used daily means. We have used a different formula(5) describing the influence of VPD to stomata closure and the parameterization process is performed as a direct non-line(5) ar multi-regression analysis of P-M equation.

where: cp specific heat of air [J/m3] density of dry air [kg/m3] ga aerodynamic conductance [s/m] gs canopy (stomatal) conductance [s/m] k von Karman constant [-] d zero plane displacement [m] zo canopy roughnes [m] z wind speed measurement height [m]

(2)

canopy parameters(3).

(3)

Fig. 5. Daily patterns of vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and calculated canopy conductance (gc) during a selected measuring period. It is easily noticeable the reduction in stomata conductance when VPD values increases with radiation and temperature.

Fig. 6. Simulation of stomata aperture and closure in response to global radiation (Rg) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) respectively

Conclusions

Use of diurnal courses brings more details to the analysis of canopy transpiration and conductance and it perfectly shows the agreement between measured and calculated canopy transpiration (sap flow) patterns. This approach helps to understand canopy water status from the point of view of daily dynamics. The models offers an approach to study stomata behaviour to environmental variables and agricultural practices.