ARTICLES
Authors: Timothy H. Sanders , Paul D. Blankenship , Richard J. Cole , Robert A. Hill
Physiological processes of plants are affected by temperature and temperature variation of individual plant parts has been demonstrated to affect such physiological interactions as source-sink relationships. Determination of plant part temperatures in relation to the surrounding environment, especially during stress, may provide significant information relative to how plants respond to various stress environments. To determine peanut plant part temperatures in various environments, rainfall control research plots equipped either with heating cables or cooling coils were utilized to grow Florunner peanuts and implement treatments of various soil temperatures under water stress and irrigated conditions. Peanut stem and pod temperatures were monitored automatically at 2-hr intervals with attached and implanted thermocouples. Canopy temperatures, determined by infrared thermometry, were related to water stress but were apparently unrelated to varying soil tempertures. Late-season, afternoon (1:00 p.m.) canopy temperature in the irrigated treatment averaged 28.5 C and mean canopy temperatures in all water stressed treatments were 35±1 C. Late-season plant stem temperature/soil temperature means in irrigated, water stressed-heated soil, water stressed, and water stressed-cooled soil treaments were 21.6 C/21.6 C, 25.2 C/30.2 C, 25.0 C/ 25.C, and 23.3 C/ 20.6 C, respectively. Peanut pod temperatures ranged higher and lower than soil temperature in each plot and maximum pod temperatures often occurred earlier than maximum soil temperature. Concurrent pod, stem, and air maximum and minimum temperatures suggest the strong influence of aerial plant-part temperatures on temperatures of the subterranean fruit. The results of this study show the effect of moisture and temperature stress on peanut plant part temperatures and demonstrate the relationships which result from the unique subterranean fruiting habit.
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Keywords: Arachis hypogaea, drought, Irrigation, soil temperature, Water stress, Groundnut, temperature stress
How to Cite: Sanders, T. , Blankenship, P. , Cole, R. & Hill, R. (1985) “Temperature Relationships of Peanut Leaf Canopy, Stem, and Fruit in Soil of Varying Temperature and Moisture”, Peanut Science. 12(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.3146/pnut.12.2.0010