Abstract: Publisher SummaryWater potential plays a role in water flow theory similar to the role played by temperature in heat flow problems, or voltage in electrical circuit theory. Water flows in response to gradients in water potential. When water potential is uniform across a boundary, no water will flow, even though water content may be different on the two sides of the boundary. The matric potential is one of the most important components of the water potential in soil and plant systems. The matric component of water potential is important as a driving force for flow in unsaturated soil and in the cell walls of root cortex and leaf mesophyll tissue. Matric potential is always negative or zero. The pressure and pneumatic components of the water potential describe the effect, on water, of changing the hydrostatic or pneumatic pressure applied to the water. Two components of the soil water potential depend on water content: the matric and the osmotic. In plant cells, a third potential, the turger pressure, depends on water content. The relationship between matric potential and water content is called a soil moisture characteristic or moisture release curve. The relationship between water potential and water content is not unique. It depends on the wetting and drying history of the porous material.
Publication Year: 1985
Publication Date: 1985-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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