| Abstract: | Water uptake of young sugar beets in relation to the salt concentration of the rhizospheric soil solution When plants absorb soil water from saline soils salts translocated to the roots surface accumulate in the soil solution close to the roots. Due to the salt dissolved in the rhizospheric soil solution its osmotic potential is several times lower than the osmotic potential of the soil solution far from the roots thus affecting their water uptake. Shoots of young sugar beets transpired about 3,0 resp. 1 ml/h/g shoot dry matter, when the roots were surrounded by soil solutions of –0,5 MPa resp. –2,0 MPa. There was nearly no water, uptake from soil solutions of –2,5 to –3,0 MPa. Ψ-values of this range are supposed to occur only around roots of highly salt adapted sugar beets. In a wide range the water content of a sandy soil did not affect the Ψ-value preventing water uptake. |
