TY - JOUR AU - Gutiérrez-Soto, Marco V. AU - Calderón-Cerdas, Rubén AU - Araya-Alfaro, José Miguel PY - 2011/12/01 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Bubble manometers for the continuous measurement of root pressure in tropical crops. JF - Agronomía Mesoamericana JA - Agron. Mesoam. VL - 22 IS - 2 SE - Technical Notes DO - 10.15517/am.v22i2.8745 UR - https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/agromeso/article/view/8745 SP - 405-414 AB - The objective of<br />this technical note is to introduce a low-cost bubble manometer<br />to measure root pressure in different environments,<br />where it is a major component of several physio-pathological<br />disorders of crop plants. The concept and mechanisms of<br />root pressure are explained, its putative functions, and its<br />association with various physiological disorders such as fruit<br />and stem cracking, leaf infi ltration and burst, guttation and<br />plant surface wetness, and the development of several preand<br />post-harvest diseases. The construction, installation and<br />functioning of bubble manometers to measure root pressure<br />is described. The importance of controlling root pressure<br />as part of the root-zone management strategy is discussed,<br />which includes interventions the physical, chemical, and<br />biological properties of soil and substrates, especially near<br />and around the rhizosphere, and of the aerial environment<br />of crop plants. ER -