Water Relations of Salvia splendens `Bonfire' as Influenced by Potassium Nutrition and Moisture Stress Conditioning

Abstract

The influence of K nutrition (25, 75, 150, 300, 450, and 600 mg K/liter) and moisture stress conditioning (MSC) (exposing plants to four sublethal dry-down cycles) on leaf water relations, evapotranspiration, growth, and nutrient content was determined for salvia (Salvia splendens F. Sellow `Bonfire'). Potassium concentration and MSC had an interactive influence on osmotic potential at full (π100) and zero (π0) turgor. Differences in osmotic potential between MSC and non-MSC plants for π100 and π0 increased with increasing K concentration. Increasing K concentration and MSC resulted in active osmotic adjustment and, consequently, increased cellular turgor potentials. Foliar K content increased with increasing K concentration and MSC. High K concentrations and MSC both reduced plant evapotranspiration on a per-plant and per-unit-leaf-area basis. Greatest shoot dry weight occurred for plants grown with 300 mg K/liter and non-MSC. Total leaf area increased with increasing K concentration, but MSC had little effect.