Root water uptake and myco-rhizosphere hydraulic properties

Carminati, Andrea Marin, Maria Couvreur, Valentin [UCL] Zarebanadkouki, Mohsen Declerck, Stéphane Javaux, Mathieu [UCL]

The ability of plant roots to extract water from the soil at the rate required to sustain the transpiration rate is constrained by the soil hydraulic conductivity. As soils dry, their hydraulic conductivity decreases by several orders of magnitude and the root water potential required to drive soil water flow rapidly drops. Eventually, the soil can no longer sustain the transpiration rate. Plants have multiple strategies to cope with soil hydraulic limitations: besides stomatal regulation, plants alter the hydraulic properties of the rhizosphere by secreting viscous compounds, growing hairs and hosting mycorrhiza.