Research Information System
International Forestry Symposium, Kastamonu, Turkey, 7 - 10 December 2016, pp.589-593, (Full Text)
Water consumption by trees is one of the important components in water budget. The objective of this research was to compare water consumption of needle and broad-leaved tree species growing on the same site. Tree species and their wood physiologies are important factors influencing amount of water plants transpire. Pinus nigra Arn. subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl were selected as representatives of needle and braod-leaved tree species in the Atatürk Arboretum-Belgrad Forest. The study period was the first month of growing season. Two experimental plots next to each other were established and 6 trees from each plot were selected based on the quantiles of total method. Trunks of the sample trees were equipped with sap flow sensors measuring according to trunk heat balance method for estimating water uptake by each tree and stand. Oak trees had no foliage whereas pine trees had needle leaves at the beginning of the study. During the study period, total amount of precipitation was 18.7 mm n during the study period, moisture was high in the soil as a result of soil moisture discharge with sufficient winter precipitations and mean soil water potential was -0.20 bar. Results showed that daily water uptake by individual trees varied from 0.08 kg to 57.83 kg for pine trees while it changed between 0.05 and 52.55 kg for oak trees. Average daily uptakes were 1.43 mm m-2 and 1.31 mm m-2 for oak and pine stands, respectively. When whole study period was considered, water consumptions were 35.51 mm m-2 for pine and 38.75 mm m-2 for oak stands. Based on preliminary results of this study, it seems that higher transpiration rates will be observed from both study plots as vegetation period progresses and leaf area index increases.