Transpiratory Rate, Biomass Production and Leaf Macronutrient Content of Different Plant Species Cultivated on a Regosol in the Brazilian Semiarid

Abstract

The transpiratory rate, growth rate and biomass production of plant species from Fabaceae and Poaceae group were investigated in a long-term field study. We compared photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, leaf transpiration, internal CO₂ concentration, water use efficiency, intrinsic instantaneous water use efficiency, instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, growth rate, biomass production, and leaf macronutrient content of eight different plant species in a long-term field experiment. We found the highest values for all studied variables with C. juncea, C. ochroleuca, C. ensiformis, D. lablab and M. pruriens. We also found significant differences among Fabaceae and Poaceae group for all studied variables. Our findings suggest that the plant species from Family Fabaceae present high transpiratory rate, fast-growth and better nutritional status than plant species from Family Poaceae, and these results highlight the importance of considering the long-term use of legume plants as green manure in order to create positive plant-soil feedback.