Principles of Soil and Plant Water Relations

M. B. Kirkham is a Professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. Her research involves two areas: soil-plant-water relations and uptake of heavy metals by crops grown on polluted soil (called “phytoremediation”). Dr. Kirkham is currently collaborating with colleagues at the Kansas State University Northwest Research-Extension Center in Colby, Kansas to study yield and water relations of sorghum grown under the semi-arid conditions of far western Kansas. Dr. Kirkham serves on several editorial boards: Soil Science; Journal of Crop Improvement; International Agrophysics; Crop Science; Australian Journal of Soil Research; Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment; Agricultural Water Management; Pakistan Journal of Agricultural Research; Agricultural, Food and Analytical Bacteriology; and Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. In addition, Dr. Kirkham has received the CSSA Crop Science Research Award and the 2010-11 Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Research.

1. Introduction 2. Definitions of Physical Units and the International System 3. Structure and Properties of Water 4. Soil–Water Terminology and Applications 5. Tensiometers 6. Static Water in Soil 7. Water Movement in Saturated Soil 8. Time Domain Reflectometry 9. Dual Thermal Probes 10. Field Capacity, Wilting Point, Available Water, and the Nonlimiting Water Range 11. Penetrometers 12. Oxygen Diffusion Rate 13. Infiltration 14. Pore Volume 15. Root Anatomy and Poiseuille's Law for Water Flow in Roots 16. Gardner's Equation for Water Movement to Plant Roots 17. Stem Anatomy and Pressure–Volume Curves 18. Thermocouple Psychrometers 19. Pressure Chambers 20. The Ascent of Water in Plants 21. Sap Flow 22. Electrical Analogs for Water Movement through the Soil–Plant–Atmosphere Continuum 23. Leaf Anatomy and Leaf Elasticity 24. Stomatal Anatomy and Stomatal Resistance 25. Solar Radiation, Black Bodies, Heat Budget, and Radiation Balance 26. Infrared Thermometers 27. Stress-Degree-Day Concept and Crop Water Stress Index 28. Potential Evapotranspiration 29. Water and Yield 30. Solar Time and Interception of Direct-Beam Solar Radiation

31. Soil and Plant Water Relations under Microgravity