How does the speed of wind

affect the rate of transpiration

in a lima bean plant?
Aim: To find out whether fast wind speed promotes higher or lower
rates of transpiration.

Background Information/ Introduction

Phaseolus lunatus also known as the lima bean is a legume plant
that belongs to the Leguminosae family.
Transpiration is the loss of water vapor from the leaves and stems of
a plant. Photosynthesis is a fundamental process for most plants.
Using water and carbon dioxide and light energy, it produces
glucose, which is necessary in providing energy for a plant. Because
carbon dioxide is needed for a plant to carry out photosynthesis, the
gas must somehow enter the plant. The way carbon dioxide enters
the plant is through pores in the epidermis of the leaves called
stomata. The opening and closing of the stomata is triggered by
abscisic acid. When the stomata are open, carbon dioxide and
passively diffuse in and out of the cells. However, if the stomata
open in order to allow for the diffusion of carbon dioxide, water
vapor is inevitably lost as the carbon dioxide enters. The loss of this
water vapor is called transpiration.
Transpiration is affected by four factors: humidity, light levels,
temperature and wind speed. Apart from light levels, all of the
factors are related to differences in water potential gradient. When
in comes to wind speed, the movement of particles must be looked
at. Wind blowing near a plant will give kinetic energy to the water
vapor particles surrounding the leaves, therefore causing the
particles to move away from the leaf. This increases the water
potential gradient, as there is now greater water potential inside the
leaf than outside, triggering the water vapor molecules to passively
diffuse out of the leaf.

Hypothesis

The plant with the highest wind speed blowing towards it will have
the fastest rate of transpiration. This is because the stronger wind
will push particles farther away from the plant at a continuously
faster pace therefore keeping the difference in the water potential
gradient greater than the slower speeds.

Variables
Independent Variable- The speed of the wind (m/s): (2.4, 3.4, 4.4
and 5.4)
Dependent Variable - The rate of transpiration (ml/min) carried
out by the lima bean plant
Control Variables:
1. Temperature- experiment should be conducted in an area
where the temperature does not fluctuate
2. Humidity the humidity should be the same for the entire
duration of the experiment
3. Light level should be constant throughout the experiment
4. Water- should be from the same source if additional water is
needed between testing for different wind speeds.

Apparatus

1x Potometer measuring in mls

4x Lima bean plant cuttings of similar number of leaves and
size of leaves (Phaseolus lunatus)
Water
Fan (or fans that work at the following wind speeds: 2.4, 3.4,
4.4 and 5.4 m/s)
1x Stopwatch

Safety Precautions
Although no harmful chemicals are used in this experiment,
depending on the type of fan used, the blades of the fan could be
sharp therefore it is advised to keep fingers away from the blades of
the fan.

Method
1. Start by setting up potometer and checking that the control
variables can be kept constant throughout the experiment
2. Place the lima bean cutting into the potometer immediately
after it has been cut to prevent air from traveling up the
xylem. Do not wet the leaves and make sure the stem of
the cutting is tightly sealed.

3. Once set up, capillary tube out of the water until an air bubble
forms then put the end into a beaker of water and allow for
bubble to move to the beginning of the scale.
4. Immediately start the timer once the bubble is at the scale
and turn the fan on for 2.4m/s. Leave the fan blowing for 5
minutes.
5. After 5 minutes, stop the fan and record the reading.
6. To calculate the rate of respiration (ml/min), simply divide the
distance travelled by the air bubbled by 5 minutes.
7. Repeat steps 2 to 6 with the remaining wind speeds. Also
include a control experiment with the same steps just
excluding the introduction of a fan.

Diagram of Experimental Set up