Dynamic Changes of Water Storage in Peach Trees

ABSTRACT

The study of water storage movement in plants by mathematical modeling can help to elucidate factors like the overall status, requirement, and impact of water in plants. In this study, potted peach trees were used to study the movement of water storage in different tissues of peach trees by using the resistor and capacitor (RC) model, which is based on the analogy to the electric circuit model. The simulation results demonstrated that during the daytime, there was a continuous flow of the stored tissue water into the transpiration stream and reached the maxima by 9 am. By 5 pm in the evening, the tissues began to absorb water and continued this process until the next morning. The total change of stored water of potted peach trees accounted for 14% of the sap flow on sunny mornings, 7.4% at noon, and up to 23% in the afternoon. The changes of water storage in different parts showed significant variation. The leaves exhibited the largest change, followed by branches, stems and roots, and the fruits showed a negligible change. Furthermore, the regulation of water storage in different tissues was significantly different. The stem accounted for 40.7% of the total amount of water stored on sunny days, followed by the branches, roots and leaves, and the fruits contained the least amount.