Dry roots? What crop water relations tell us about irrigation management

Crop performance under limited soil water availability depends on a successful coordination of physiological processes at root, stem, and leaf level. This includes efficient stomatal regulation, root modifications and prevention of xylem embolism. In woody crops, drought-induced mortality is predominantly linked to xylem hydraulic failure by gas embolism blocking water transport from roots to leaves – but does this matter in a managed agricultural system? In this presentation, I will show experimental data collected under greenhouse and field conditions on the sequence of physiological and anatomical events in response to progressive drought stress. This includes a demonstration of applications of X-ray computed tomography to study leaf, stem and root responses to water stress in hazelnut and poplar. I will discuss the relevance of data in the context of precision irrigation management.