The present work aimed to evaluate the water relations as a function of the air evaporative demand and of the wood density in Swietenia macrophylla King, Joannesia princeps Vell., Inga edulis Mart., Licania tomentosa (Benth.) Fritsch and Centrolobium tomentosum Guill. ex Benth. The water potential was determined with a pressure chamber and the stomatal conductance with a diffusion porometer, in the rainy and dry seasons and in transitional situations. J. princeps presented higher values of water potential in predawn (psiPD > - 0.25 MPa), and I. edulis the smallest (psiPD = - 1.5 MPa). J. princeps showed higher water potential values during the day (psiMD > - 1.5 MPa) and lower values were observed for S. macrophylla and I. edulis (psiMD < - 3.0 MPa). The daily amplitudes of the water potential (<FONT FACE=Symbol>Dy</FONT> = psiPD - psiMD) were positively related with the vapour pressure deficit (VPD), and the largest values were observed in S. macrophylla and I. edulis. The conductance usually decreased in the beginning of the afternoon, and I. edulis presented smaller restriction to the transpiration. The largest conductance values were observed in a cloudy day of the rainy season. A quadratic regression (r² = 0.635, p < 0.01), suggests that species with larger density not necessarily present larger <FONT FACE=Symbol>Dy</FONT>, once a great restriction to the loss of water can happen as observed for L. tomentosa, a species with high wood density.
Water potential; conductance; vapour pressure deficit; wood density
