Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Plant biomass accumulation, and consequently yield, was shown to be inextricably linked to transpiration. The ratio of plant productivity to water loss, water-use efficiency, was very conservative. Only a few variables are available for manipulating water-use efficiency, and these have already been exploited to a large degree.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Sinclair et al. (1984) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: