Effect of Temperature, Vapour-Pressure Deficit and Irradiance on Transpiration Rates of Maize, Paspalum, Westerwolds and Perennial Ryegrasses, Peas, White Clover and Lucerne

Rates of water use [g H2O (g dry wt leaf)-1 h-1] of young plants of maize, paspalum, perennial ryegrass, Westerwolds ryegrass, peas, white clover and lucerne were measured during the day under controlled climate conditions with ample water available to the plant. Plants were grown and observations made with day/night temperatures of 32.5/27.5°C, 27.5/22.5°, 22.5/17.5°, and 17.5/12.5°C with a day/night vapour pressure deficit (VPD) of the air of 10/2mbar. Water use measurements were also made at 27.5/22.5° and 17.5/12.5°C under day/night VPD regimes of 5/2 and 15/2 mbar. Irradiance during the 12-h day was 170 W m-2 (400-700 nm). Further water use determinations were made at the four temperature regimes under 10/2 mbar VPD and an irradiance of 60 W m-2 (400-700 nm). For a given species, transpiration rates increased with temperature at constant VPD under both irradiance environments, by factors ranging from 1.4 to 2.3. Transpiration rates of maize and paspalum (C4) were lower at a given temperature than were the rates of the C3 species, while lucerne and clover had the highest rates. Water use by lucerne was 2.5 to 3.5 times that of maize. Transpiration rates of maize and paspalum were lower under 60 W m-2 than under 170 W m-2 but irradiance had little effect on transpiration rate of the C3 species. Though transpiration rate generally increased with increasing VPD, the difference in rates between plants at 5 mbar and 10 mbar VPD was much greater than between 10 mbar and 15 mbar. The physiological adaption of different species to their growth environment is discussed, and the implications of the results with reference to water loss by young, single-spaced plants in the field is outlined.