Seasonal Variation in Leaf Relative Water Content and its Relationship with Biomass Production in some Selected Deciduous Forest Tree Species

Leaf Relative Water Content (LRWC) and biomass production were estimated at monthly intervals in seven deciduous forest tree species for a period of one year starting from June, 1990 to May, 1991. The leaves of all the seven tree species showed significantly higher leaf relative water content during winter than in summer. Leaf relative water content showed marked seasonal variations and these differed from one plant species to the other. A significant positive correlation (r² = 0.79) was found between leaf relative water content and biomass production in all the seven deciduous forest tree species studied. The results of the present study indicate that measurement of leaf relative water content could be used as simple screening method for selecting the right type of tree species for energy plantations.