Pedosphere 8(1): 1--8, 1998
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©1998 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Corn leaf water retention as affected by organic fertilizations and effective microbes applications |
| XU Hui-Lian, N. AJIKI, WANG Xiao-Ju, C. SAKAKIBARA and H. UMEMURA |
| International Nature Farming Research Center, Hata-machi, Nagano 390-14 (Japan) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Effects of organic fertilizers and effective microbes on leaf water retention of sweet corn (Zea mays L. cv. Honey-Bantam) were studied. Sweet corns were grown with organic or chemical fertilizers with or without effective microbes (EM). A water retention curve was obtained by drying the excised leaves under a light of 500 μmol (m2·s)-1. The curve shows two distinct phases. The initial steep slope indicates the water loss speed by stomatal transpiration (Est) and the gentle slope of the second phase indicates water loss speed by cuticular transpiration (Ecu). Both Est and Ecu were lower for leaves of plants grown with organic materials than for those with chemical fertilizers. Addition of EM to both organic and chemical fertilizers decreased Est but showed no effect on Ecu. The water retention ability of the excised leaves was proportional to photosynthetic maintenance ability under soil water deficit conditions as well as the solute concentration in leaves. The results suggested that organic fertilization and EM application increased water stress resistance both under in situ conditions and in excised leaves of sweet corn plants. |
| Key Words: cuticular transpiration, effective microorganism, organic fertilizer, water stress, Zea mays |
| Citation: Xu, H. L., Ajiki, N., Wang, X. J., Sakakibara, C. and Umemura, H. 1998. Corn leaf water retention as affected by organic fertilizations and effective microbes applications. Pedosphere. 8(1): 1-8. |
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