Soil Science Commons^™

Utilization Of Spatially Distributed Soil Resources By Several Species Common To The Great Basin, Sarah Duke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Heterogeneous spatial and temporal distributions of soil resources important to plant growth have been documented in the sagebrush steppe ecosystem. There can exist as much variability in soil resources within the root zone of individual plants as exists across an entire field. The objective of this dissertation research was to evaluate how plants respond to, utilize and influence the spatial heterogeneity of soil resources. The three specific sets of questions addressed are outlined in the three main chapters of this dissertation.

My first study addressed how the number and concentration of phosphorus (P) patches in the root zone of an …

The Influence Of Soil Moisture Regimes And Atmospheric Environments On Transpiration And The Energy Status Of Water In Plants, Sampatrao A. Gavande

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plant responses to different soil moisture regimes have been extensively studied. Because of interactions between the soil, plant and climatic factors, few convincing generalizations concerning the influence of soil water on the transpiration of water by plants have been established. Generally single factors or at most the interaction of two have been studied at any one time. Useful theories describing the conditions of water retention in plant tissues and movement of water through plants have been proposed. Equally useful theories have been suggested for describing the retention and transmission of water in soil. The integration of these theories and their …

Salt Effect On Water Requirements Of Plants, Abdel-Wahhab M. H. Sallam

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Water requirement was defined by Briggs and Shantz in 1911 as the ratio of the weight of water absorbed by a plant during its growth to the weight of dry matter produced. Ballard (1933) and Williams (1935) defined water requirement as the ratio of the amount of water transpired to the amount of dry matter produced. Ballard (1933) and Williams (1935) defined water requirement as the ratio of the amount of water transpired to the amount of dry matter formed during the whole or any part of the life cycle of the plant. Miller (1938) and Kramer (1959) postulated that …

The Influence Of Temperature On The Impedance To Water Flow Through Plants, Royal Duane Jensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This era has been termed the atomic or space age. The greatest concern of most people seems to be centered around survival from the destruction and suffering that might be caused by atomic and nuclear weapons. However, along with this, the world is confronted with perhaps a greater disaster--a potential calamity seldom realized by most people, yet a problem which grows more serious in the world each year--a tragedy which would probably be worse than destruction from nuclear weapons. This encroaching catastrophe is starvation.

Even today the majority of the people in the world do not have enough food. Each …

The Mineral Content Of Various Sections Of Some Plants As Influenced By Conditions Associated With Lime-Induced Chlorosis, Hyrum Del Var Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The so-called "lime-induced" chlorosis has been recognized for many years as a problem where plants are grown on calcareous soils. The characteristics associated with lime-induced chlorosis are the same as those associated with iron deficiency chlorosis--interveinal yellowing of the leaves at the meristemic region combined with reduced vigor of the plant as a whole. Lime-induced chlorosis is unique in that the iron content of both chlorotic plant and the soil do not always show a deficiency in iron when chemically analyzed. This leads to the theory that iron is inactivated in both the soil and plant.

Although no single factor …

Growth And Nutrition Of Plants As Affected By Different Osmotic Concentrations Of Calcium Chloride And Sodium Chloride In The Substrate, Mumtaz Ali Khan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Considerable experimental evidence supports the concept that the growth of plants generally decreases progressively as the salt concentration of the substrate increases, but certain relationships between plant and substrate are still not fully understood. The chemistry of salt toxicity to plants involves many interactions both as to the quantity and kind of ions presented to the roots and those accumulated in the plants. Many plant species have shown sensitivity to excess accumulation of specific salts frequently encountered in saline soils. Thus Eaton (1942), Wadleigh, Hayward, and Ayers (1951) have shown most of the fruit trees to be susceptible to injury …

Growth And Nutrition Of Plants As Affected By Various Levels Of Exchangeable Sodium, Mohammad B. Choudhri

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In saline soils, which are characterized by an appreciable quantity of neutral soluble salts, plant growth is adversely affected due to the increase in osmotic pressure and the consequent decrease in the physiological availability of water. In addition, growth may also be restricted through the accumulation of toxic quantities of various ions within the plant.

On the other hand, alkali soils, whether saline or non-saline, are characterized by a high content of exchangeable sodium in the cation-exchange complex. One reason of low productivity on these soils is the unfavorable physical conditions induced by the dispersing action of the sodium ions. …