In arid and semi-arid regions, soil surface warming is a considerable phenomenon causing a high thermal gradient which makes water flow intensely. The degree of soil temperature is effective on crop production, plant growth and soil microorganisms. In recent years, the ascending trend of temperature has been substantially noticed by researchers in the issues of pointwise climate change and at w...

The majority of tallgrass prairie root biomass is located in the upper soil layers (0 25 cm), but species differences exist in reliance on soil water at varying depths. These differences have led to the hypothesis that resource partitioning belowground facilitates species co-existence in this mesic grassland. To determine if plant water relations can be linked to soil water partitioning as a po...

C(4) photosynthesis has evolved more than 60 times as a carbon-concentrating mechanism to augment the ancestral C(3) photosynthetic pathway. The rate and the efficiency of photosynthesis are greater in the C(4) than C(3) type under atmospheric CO(2) depletion, high light and temperature, suggesting these factors as important selective agents. This hypothesis is consistent with comparative analy...

Drought stress encumbers the growth of turfgrass principally by disrupting the plant-water relations and physiological functions. The present study was carried out to appraise the role of silicon (Si) in improving the drought tolerance in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). Drought stress and four levels (0, 200, 400, and 800 mg L(-1)) of Si (Na2SiO3·9H2O) were imposed after 2 months old pla...

Stomata play a key role in the control of plant water relations and photosynthesis. A rapid non-destructive method to study the stomatal behaviour in aerial parts of plants is important for researchers in plant sciences and agricultural fields. Stomata close in response to drought stress. Stomatal closure causes lower availability of CO2 inside the leaf and thus a decrease in the rate of carbox...