A Comparison of the Heat Pulse Method and Deuterium Tracing Method for Measuring Transpiration from Eucalyptus grandis Trees

Estimates of transpiration obtained with the heat pulse velocity (HPV) method and the deuterium tracing method were compared in two Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden trees aged 18 months and 4 years, respectively. The HPV estimate of weighted mean daily flow rate differed from the deuterium mean by...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental botany 1992-03, Vol.43 (3), p.337-343
Main Authors: DYE, P. J., OLBRICH, B. W., CALDER, I. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Biological and medical sciences
Deuterium
Estimation methods
Eucalyptus grandis
Flow velocity
Forest canopy
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
heat pulse velocity
Plant physiology and development
Sap flow
Sapwood
tracer
Tracer bullets
Transpiration
Trees
Water and solutes. Absorption, translocation and permeability
Weighted averages
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Summary:Estimates of transpiration obtained with the heat pulse velocity (HPV) method and the deuterium tracing method were compared in two Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden trees aged 18 months and 4 years, respectively. The HPV estimate of weighted mean daily flow rate differed from the deuterium mean by 7% in the older tree, and 35% in the younger tree. An analysis of possible sources of error revealed that the discrepancy in the younger tree may have arisen as a result of inadequate probe espacement radially through the sapwood, or from sapwood disruption caused when holes were drilled to release the tracer. We conclude that the two methods can provide very similar estimates of mean weighted transpiration rate in E. grandis trees if due precautions are taken to minimize known sources of error. The relative merits of the two techniques, which in many respects are complementary, are discussed.
ISSN:0022-0957
1460-2431
DOI:10.1093/jxb/43.3.337