Effect of drought stress on leaf water relations in Salix psammophila and Salix matsudana

Abstract

Using the pressure-volume technique, the effect of drought stress on leaf water relations was investigated in cuttings of two willow species, Salix psammophila and S. matsudana, both of which have been widely planted in the Mu-us sandy land of Inner Mongolia, China. Under the moist soil water condition, S. psammophila and S. matsudana showed high values of leaf water potential at the turgor loss point (φ_w^tlp) and osmotic potential at saturated point (φ_s^sat). Shoot growth and total biomass of both species were decreased in response to drought treatment. The results suggest that both S. psammophila and S. matsudana are sensitive to drought. It was also observed that φ_w^tlp and φ_s^sat in S. matsudana markedly decreased during the drought treatment period whereas those in S. psammophila showed very little changes, implying a higher ability of osmotic adjustment for S. matsudana than for S. psammophila.