Mechanistically derived macroscopic root water uptake functions: The α and ω of root water uptake functions

Abstract

Water uptake by plant roots is an important component of the soil water balance. Predicting to what extent potential transpiration from the canopy, that is, transpiration demand, can be met by supply of water from the soil through the root system is crucial to simulate the actual transpiration and assess vegetation water stress. In models that simulate the dynamics of vertical soil water content profiles as a function of water fluxes and soil water potential gradients, the root water uptake (RWU) distribution is represented by macroscopic sink terms. We present RWU functions that calculate sink terms based on a mechanistic model of water flow in the soil–root system. Based on soil–root hydraulics, we define α-supply functions representing the maximal uptake by the root system from a certain soil depth when the root collar water potential equals the wilting point, ω-supply factors representing the maximal supply from the entire root system, and a critical ωc factor representing the potential transpiration demand. These functions and factors are subsequently used to calculate RWU distributions directly from potential transpiration or demand and the soil water potentials. Unlike currently used approaches, which define α-stress functions and ω factors representing ratios of actual uptake to uptake demand, the supply-based formulations can be derived directly from soil and root hydraulic properties and can represent processes like root hydraulic redistribution and hydraulic lift.