Foliar Water Uptake in Trees: Negligible or Necessary?

Jeroen D M Schreel; Kathy Steppe

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2020.01.003

Foliar Water Uptake in Trees: Negligible or Necessary?

Trends Plant Sci. 2020 Jun;25(6):590-603. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.01.003. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Authors

Jeroen D M Schreel¹, Kathy Steppe²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: Jeroen.Schreel@gmail.com.
² Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: Kathy.Steppe@UGent.be.

PMID: 32407698
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.01.003

Abstract

Foliar water uptake (FWU) has been identified as a mechanism commonly used by trees and other plants originating from various biomes. However, many questions regarding the pathways and the implications of FWU remain, including its ability to mitigate climate change-driven drought. Therefore, answering these questions is of primary importance to adequately address and comprehend drought stress responses and associated growth. In this review, we discuss the occurrence, pathways, and consequences of FWU, with a focus predominantly on tree species. Subsequently, we highlight the tight coupling between FWU and foliar fertilizer applications, discuss FWU in a changing climate, and conclude with the importance of including FWU in mechanistic vegetation models.

Keywords: drought; foliar fertilizers; foliar water uptake; hydraulic redistribution; mechanistic tree modeling; plant water relations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Droughts
Ecosystem
Plant Leaves
Trees*
Water*

Substances

Water