Seasonal Sap Flow of Four Salix Varieties Growing on the Solvay Wastebeds in Syracuse, NY, USA

Sap flow of four shrub willow varieties was measured to study their potential use as an evapotranspiration (ET) cover on the Solvay wastebeds to reduce deep percolation and leaching of chloride. Stem and stand-level sap flow and crop coefficients (Kc) were different among four willow varieties measured between early June and mid November 2006. Diameter and cross sectional area had a significant impact on stand level sap flow. Peak stand-level sap flow of 7 mm d-1 occurred in June, due to coupling of the willow with the atmosphere, and not in July or August when peak LAI was measured. The coupling also resulted in high Kc values of 3 in June and above 2 in October with an average of 1.1-1.3 for the entire season. Our measurements confirmed the potentials of shrub willow in ET cover applications in the northeastern USA. Total transpiration for the growing season ranged between 494 mm and 533 mm, which was about 45% of the precipitation in 2006. Our calculations showed a significant difference between peak season sap flow in June, July and August and sap flow over the course of the whole growing season, which showed the need for long-term measurements.