Growth and nut r ient status in cl imbing plant (Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch.)seedling in response to soil water availability.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different soil water supply on growth features and nutrient status in Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. seedlings. Decreased soil moisture had significantly reduced the length of stem, internode and petiole, but resulted in an increase of root length. Soil water supply appeared to affect stem biomass to a lesser extent than root and leaf. The seedlings grown under high water supply invested more biomass in leaf (in terms of leaf number and leaf area). The N concentration in various plant organs followed in the order leaf>stem>root>petiole while K and P concentrations remained relatively constant at different soil moisture levels. Soil water supply had significantly affected N use efficiency, but did not affect P and K use efficiency. Moreover, there was a higher P use efficiency than N or K. In addition, P. tricuspidata had a low K concentration (below 10 mg·g-1) in all its plant tissues, which may allow the plants to limit its stomatal opening and reduce its water loss. The growth and nutrient responses of P. tricuspidata to different soil water supply indicated that this species could resilient to water availabilities and adapt to water stress conditions very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]