Room temperature reductions in relation to growth traits of kudzu vine (Pueraria lobata): Experimental quantification

Transpiration cooling effect of climber greenwall with an air gap on indoor thermal environment

“…This growth trend was also observed in our previous study (Koyama et al, 2014). The percentage coverages in the south walls of the Intact and Severed treatments were 48.6 and 66.8%, respectively, two days before severance and then slightly increased to 52.5 and 68.1%, respectively, on the day of severance (Fig.…”

“…Using the sealing treatment, on the other hand, the researchers successfully inhibited transpiration with less curling and wilting than cutting treatment (Cameron et al, 2014). Some papers have reported that plant coverages play a major role in the overall cooling effect of CGWs (Kontoleon and Eumorfopoulou, 2010;Koyama et al, 2013Koyama et al, , 2014Susorova et al, 2013). Therefore, even though methods to cease transpiration in plants are effective, it is possible that vegetation coverages were different between the living GWs and the nontranspiring plants in the study (Cameron et al, 2014).…”

“…In our previous study, we found that kudzu was the best suited of the five vine species we examined for long-term CGWs in Japan, because it is a perennial vine and its percentage coverage and vine length were comparable to those of fastgrowing annual vine species such as Momordica charantia and Ipomoea tricolor (Koyama et al, 2013). Kudzu stems can become longer than 10-30 m within a single growing season (Koyama et al, 2014;Mitich, 2000), and accumulated photosynthates in roots and biological nitrogen fixation enable them to regrow quickly after cutting (Forseth and Innis, 2004;Ioki, 1994). Therefore, we used one-year-old nursery kudzu stocks, which stored photosynthates in roots, expecting that they would cover the experimental houses well through the summer (Koyama et al, 2014).…”

“…Kudzu stems can become longer than 10-30 m within a single growing season (Koyama et al, 2014;Mitich, 2000), and accumulated photosynthates in roots and biological nitrogen fixation enable them to regrow quickly after cutting (Forseth and Innis, 2004;Ioki, 1994). Therefore, we used one-year-old nursery kudzu stocks, which stored photosynthates in roots, expecting that they would cover the experimental houses well through the summer (Koyama et al, 2014).…”

“…Percentage coverages were calculated by analyzing digital images with Photoshop (Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, USA). The details of this procedure have been described by Koyama et al (2014).…”