Soil-plant Water Relations in a New York Vineyard: Resistances to Water Movement1

Leaf water potentials did not limit stomatal opening of Vitis labruscana Bailey cv. Concord during the summers of 1972 and 1973 in a New York vineyard. Midday leaf-water potentials ranged from −8 to −16 bars and were closely related to individual leaf irradiance. The diurnal variation of leaf, stem, and fruit cluster water potentials on a typical clear day were about 5, 11, and 6 bars, respectively. Water potential gradients at midday across the root, shoot, and petiole-leaf systems averaged about 10, 1 and 3 bars, respectively. The gradient across the root consistently increased throughout the day relative to plant transpiration rate. Minimum stomatal resistance on days after cold nights (less than 10°C) was 2.7 ± 1.1 s cm -1 , while the mean resistance on all other days was 1.0 ± 0.5 s cm -1 . Cool night temperatures inhibited stomatal opening and closing independently of leaf water potential.