HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Rolston, D. E. Articles by Horton, M. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Rolston, D. E. Articles by Horton, M. L. Agricola Articles by Rolston, D. E. Articles by Horton, M. L.

Two Beta Sources Compared for Evaluating Water Status of Plants¹

Two sources of beta radiation, carbon-14 (C¹⁴) and promethium-147 (Pm¹⁴⁷), were investigated for determination of leaf water content of three plant species over a range of water stress conditions. The plant species used were soybean (Glycine max L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Results obtained with both sources gave high correlations of relative turgidity with attenuated radiation. However, for relative turgidities above 60% in the plants studied, higher correlation coefficients were obtained using the C¹⁴ source. Results indicated that the C¹⁴ method appeared to be more sensitive to small changes in relative turgidity than was the Pm¹⁴⁷ method. Leaf disc sections taken from sorghum and barley leaves gave more uniform response to water stress changes than did whole leaves.

Key Words: relative turgidity • C¹⁴ • Pm¹⁴⁷

² Formerly student South Dakota State University, now graduate assistant University of California, Davis 95616, and Associate Professor of Agronomy, South Dakota State University, Brookings 57006, respectively.

Received for publication November 21, 1967.