Sensing Plant Water Status

The Working Group Sensing Plant Water Status was formerly named Working Group Sap Flow, but researchers in this group have always addressed many aspects of sensing water status other than measuring sap flow, and this is reflected in the new name. The group welcomes all scientists who conduct research on plant water relations in horticulture, agriculture, forestry, and natural ecosystems, and any other interested people who use a variety of tools and instruments to sense plant water status, including sap flow, hydraulic conductance, xylem embolism, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf and stem water potential, tissue water content, tissue pressure, stem diameter variations, and other similar parameters.

The Working Group Sensing Plant Water Status is unique in its focus on methods and instrumentation, which sets it apart from other scientific organizations that address research on plant water relations. Some of this methods-oriented research addresses applications, such as sensing plant water status to improve irrigation scheduling in horticulture and agriculture, but basic research is also included, as it forms the basis for any methods development and any research applications.

The Working Group Sensing Plant Water Status organizes the International Workshop on Sap Flow every 2-3 years, and members also organized an International Symposium on Sensing Plant Water Status in 2016. In 2019, a decision was made to rename the Working Group but to retain the name for the successful series of International Workshops on Sap Flow, with the understanding that these workshops will continue to address a broad spectrum of methods for sensing plant water status. For more information on the scope of research addressed by the Working Group, please refer to recent issues of Acta Horticulturae that present the proceedings for the workshops and symposium.