Title : Soil water resources use limit by plants in water limited regions
Abstract:
In areas with limited water resources, excessive or underutilization of soil water resources by plants occurs in most non-native forests, grasslands and farmlands, which can easily lead to soil and vegetation degradation and crop failures. This is not conducive to the sustainable utilization of soil water resources and high-quality agricultural development. After several years of fixed-point research on the relationship between plant growth and the supply or consumption of soil water, the results show that soil water resources can only be absorbed and utilized by plants. However, the utilization of soil water resources by plants is limited, and this limit can be expressed by the limit of plants' utilization of soil water resources(LPUSWR). The LPUSWR can be defined as the soil water resources within the maximum infiltration depth when the soil moisture content is equal to the wilting coefficient, expressed by the wilting coefficient of the indicator plants in the plant community. The utilization of soil water resources by plants varies with the type of vegetation and geographical location, which is the theoretical basis for the sustainable utilization of soil water resources and the high-quality development of agriculture. When the soil water resources at the maximum infiltration depth equal LPUSWR, the plant-water relationship enters a critical period of plant-water relationship regulation. At this point, it is necessary to regulate plant-water relationship by reducing plant density or leaf amount to ensure plant grow well and achieve maximum yield and effect to carry out sustainable utilization of soil water resources and high-quality agricultural development.
