CHAPTER 1:

PLANT WATER
RELATIONS
INTRODUCTION

 Water fills a number of important roles in the

physiology of plants; which it is unique of
its physical and chemical properties

WATER PROPERTIES
 Thermal properties
§ High specific heat, requires lots of energy to change
water temperature (4.2 J/g/ºC)
§ Buffers rapid changes in temperature
§ Is in liquid state over a large range in temperatures
due to the H-bond
§ Thermal properties of water : most of reactions can
occur only in aqueous medium, contribute to
temperature regulation, helping to ensure that
plants do not cool down or heat up too rapidly.
 Solvent properties
 Polar solvent - dissolves important compounds: ions,
nuclei acids, charged proteins, sugars etc.
 Making suitable medium for the uptake and
distribution of mineral nutrients and other solutes
required for growth.
 Many biochemical reactions occur in water, which
water and mineral taken up from the soil – through
root system
§
§
Physical properties
§ Cohesion
due to strong mutual attraction between water
molecules
Continuous column of water
Has a tensile strength 0f ~30 MPa = 4,350PSI
§ Surface tension
results because cohesion forces are stronger
than attraction to air
§ Adhesion
is caused by waters attraction to surfaces
resulting in capillary action
 Transparency of water
 enable light to penetrate for photosynthesis
TYPES OF WATER MOVEMENT
IN PLANT CELLS
§ Diffusion
Relatively short distance
Across semi-permeable membranes
Temperature dependent
Examples: cell-to-cell
§ Bulk Flow
Pressure driven
Response to transpiration (up)
Source-sink movement (up or down)
Examples: phloem & xylem
OSMOSIS - key to movement
up plants
§ Thistle tube experiment
§ A selective permeable is stretched across the
end pf a thistle tube containing sucrose
solution and the tube in inverted in a
container of pure water.
§ Initially water will diffuse across the membrane
in response to a chemical potential.
§ Diffusion will continue until the force tending to
drive the water into the tube is balanced by
(A) the force generated by the
hydrostatic head (h) in the tube or
(B) the pressure applied by the piston.
§ When the two forces are balanced the system
has achieved the equilibrium and not further
net movement of water will occur.
RELATE THISTLE TUBE
EXPERIMENT TO WATER
POTENTIAL
§ Pressure potential (p) = pressure generated
by rise in water levels (positive values,
push water out)
§ Osmotic potential (s) = pressure generated
by solutes (negative values, pull water in)
§ Water potential () = balance of p and s
§ At equilibrium,  is 0
§  = p + s = 0

WATER POTENTIAL IN PLANT
CELLS
§ Replace thistle tube with plant cell and add a rigid cell
wall that prevents increase in cell volume (like
piston pushing down)
Ψ =  p +  s = usually negative
 (keeps water moving into cells)
§
 In cell with solute concentration equal to
solute concentration surrounding solution,
the solute potential are the same and no
net movement of water occurs

0.1M Cell wall

0.1M solution
 Cell in a solution with a solute concentration
less than of the cell, solute potentials will be
different and water will move into the cell

 The symbol Ψs is called osmotic

potential/solute potential and is the
negative of π
 Thus Ψs = – π
 Ψ p – pressure potential is the sum of turgor
pressure and wall pressure

 Turgor pressure is the pressure of the cell

membrane on the cell wall as water moves into
cell

 By expanding protoplast

 Wall pressure is the equal and opposite force

exerted by cell wall against the cell membrane

 Ψp is the same as P
 Incipient plasmolysis:
 Which the protoplast just fills the cell volume
 Protoplast exerts no pressure against the wall; but
neither it is withdrawn from the wall
 Consequently, turgor pressure, (ψ p)= 0;
water potential of the cell ( ψ cell =ψ s (water
potential)
 Hypotonic solution

 such as pure water (Ψ = 0), water will enter the cell

down the water potential gradient
 small dilution of the vacuolar contents (increase in
osmotic potential) and generate turgor pressure
 Net movement of water into the cell will cease when
the osmotic potential of the cell is balanced by its
turgor pressure
 ∴ Water potential of the cell = 0
 Hypertonic solution

 osmotic potential more negative than cell

 Water potential gradient favors water loss from the cell
 Protoplast shrinks away from cell wall-plamolysis
 Continued water loss concentrates vacuolar contents
 Lowering osmotic potential
 Turgor pressure remains zero
 Water potential of the cell determined solely by its osmotic
potential
 Plasmolysis and Wilting
 the separation of plant cell cytoplasm from the cell wall as
a result of water loss
 It is unlikely to occur in nature, except in severe
conditions.
 induced in the laboratory by immersing a plant cell in a
strongly saline or sugary solution, so that water is lost
by osmosis.
 large vacuole in the center of the cell originally contains a
dilute solution with much lower osmotic pressure than
becomes smaller
 Space between the cell membrane and the cell wall
enlarges
 Void between outer protoplast surface and the cell wall
become filled with external solution

 Plasmolysis
 Plasmolysis can be studied in the laboratory using
hypertonic solution
* Protoplast volume changed (decreased)
* Plasmodesmata are broken
* Protoplast pulls away from the cell wall
* The void between outer protoplast surface (plasma
membrance) and the cell wall becomes filled with external
solution
 Plasmolysis does not give rise to significant negative
pressure (tension) on the protoplast
 plasma membrane and the protoplasm within it contract
to the center of the cell
 Strands of cytoplasm extend to the cell wall because of
plasma membrane-cell wall attachment points
 Does not give rise to significant negative pressure
(tension)
 Plasmolysed cells die unless they are transferred quickly
from the salt or sugar solution to water.
 Wilting
 Wilting is response to dehydration in air
under natural conditions
 Extreme surface tension
 Water in small pores of cell resists the
entry of air and the collapsing protoplast
maintains contact with cell wall
 Tend to pull the wall inward
 Substantial negative pressure may
develop
 Water potential becomes more negative as
the sum of negative osmotic potential
and negative pressure potential
Water Transports in
Plants
 Water in soil
 Water movement in soil depend on soil type


 Water in soil exist as

 Film adhering to the surface of soil particles

 Fill entire channel between particle

 Field capacity: moisture holding capacity in soil @ water

in the soil


 Large in clay or high humus content of soil


 Soil water potential

 Depends on 2 components;
 (i) osmotic pressure of soil water; and
 (ii) hydrostatic pressure (P),
 depend on the water content
 Osmotic pressure is generally low, 0.01 MPa
 P is always less than or equal to zero (soil water is
under tension)
 e.g. Wet soil: P close to zero; Dry soil: P decreases
 Develop of negative pressure in soil water
 Where does the negative pressure in
soil water come from?
 Root hairs make intimate contact with
soil particles
 Amplify the surface area needed for
water absorption
 As water absorbed by plants:
 Soil solution recedes into smaller
pocket
 More water is removed from soil,
causes the surface of soil solution
develop concave menisci (curved
interface between air and water),
resulting in greater tension (more
negative pressure)
1. When soil is at Field Capacity water pervades all of the channels
between Soil Particles.
2. Roots absorb water from their immediate environment. This
creates Air pockets. This is replaced by water present in the
nearest, larger channels.
3. In extremely dry soils, water is tightly bound in the smallest
channels of the soil particles. It can't replace water removed
by the roots & large Air Pockets are formed.
SPECIAL FEATURES OF
ROOTS
§ Amazing facts about roots
Deepest root = 5.3 m (mesquite desert shrubs,
Arizona)
Study of 4-month old Rye
§ Surface area of roots = 639 m2
§ Combined length = 623 km
§ Number of root = 2500 per cm3
Rates of growth
§ Apple tree = 1 cm per day
§ Corn root = 6.3 cm per day
Two types of roots
§ Fibrous
§ Taproot
Root supply plants with
water
§ Majority of water enters within 10 cm from
root tip
§ Water potential for root cells varies with rate
of transpiration
Low transpiration = -0.13 Mpa
High transpiration  = -10.25 Mpa
§ Root hairs are specialized to take up water
Grow into soil to increase surface area and
contacts with soils
 Water absorption by root

 Multiples pathways from epidermis to the

endodermis of root :


Apoplast pathway:
 water moves exclusively through cell wall
without crossing any membranes
 Continuous system of cell walls and intercellular
air spaces
 Cellular pathways:
Transmembrane pathway:
 enters a cell on one side exists the cell on the other side
 Crosses at least two membrane for each cell in its path
Symplast pathway: water moves from one cell to the next
(cell) via plasmodesmata
 Consist of continuous network of cell cytoplasm
interconnected by plasmodesmata
 Water transport across root occurs through some
combination of these pathways
 At endodermis; water movement through apoplast blocked
by casparian strip
 Radial cell wall consist hydrophobic substance; suberin
 Movement of water must cross plasma membrane & enter
cytoplasm of endodermal cell

 Water Transports through
Xylem
 How it moves to the tops of the tallest water?
 (i) Forces required to move water to
such height
 (ii) Three theories have been
proposed by:
 Root pressure
 Water potential in roots generates
enough pressure to push water up
to leaves
 Capillarity
 Capillary action within small xylem
cells is sufficient to move water up
to leaves
 Cohesion theory
 Transpiration in leaves generates
enough force to pull water up via
its cohesive properties
 GUTTATION

 Root pressure prominent in well hydrated

plants under humid conditions (little
transpiration)
 Root pressure exhibit phenomenon of
guttation
 Exudation of liquid from leave, i.e. xylem
sap from hydathodes (located near
terminal tracheid of the bundle end
around margin of leaves)
 Small plant at night, RH (relative
humidity) air =100%
 Transpiration is suppressed
 TRANSPIRATION

 Is a cooling process
 Is defined as the loss of water from the plant in the
form of water vapor
 The driving force for transpiration is the gradient in
water vapor density
 90% water vapor lost through leaves
 Small amount through lenticels in the bark of young
twigs and branches
 Outer surface of leaves of vascular plant are covered
with multi-layered waxy deposit called cuticle
(component of cuticle is cutin)
 Cuticular waxes are very hydrophobic; they offer high
resistance to diffusion of water and water vapor
 Transpiration may be considered a 2 stage process:

(i) the evaporation of water from the moist cell

walls into substomatal air space
(ii) the diffusion of water vapor from
substomatal space into atmosphere

 Water evporates from the inner surface of epidermal

cells known as peristomal evaporation

 Diffusion of water vapor through the stomatal pores

known as stomatal transpiration; 90 – 95 % water
loss from leaves; and through cuticle known as
cuticular transpiration ; 5-10 %
 Factors influence transpiration
 (i) Effect of Humidity


 Actual water content of air

 Express as relative humidity: the ratio of the actual
water content of air to maximum amount of water
can be held by air at that temperature
 Vapor pressure in the substomatal leaf spaces will be
the saturation vapor pressure at the leaf temperature
 Even in rapidly transpiring leaf, RH grater than 95%
 Vapor pressure of atmospheric air depends on both
humidity and temperature

Water content of air = % RH

Rates of
Transpiration

% RH atmosphere
Hot cool
(ii) Effect of Temperature
 Temperature modulates transpiration rate through its effect
on vapor pressure

 10° C increase in temperature with water content of the

atmosphere remains constant
⇨ vapor pressure will increase
⇨ rate of evaporation increase , thus will
increase transpiration

 Leaf exposed to full sun reach temperatures 5-10 oC higher

than ambient temperature
⇨ vapor pressure gradient increase

 Transpiration may occur even when RH of atmosphere is

100%
(iii) Wind
 Wind speed has an effect on transpiration because, it
modification the effective length of the diffusion path
for exiting water molecule

 Water vapor molecules exiting the leaf diffuse through

epidermal layer and boundary layer

 The thickness of boundary layer will decrease rate of

diffusion and rate of transpiration

 Wind speed increase (high wind speed) :

⇨ it tends to cool the leaf
⇨ cause sufficient to close the stomata
⇨ have less of an effect on transpiration rate
⇨thickness of boundary layer and diffusion path
decrease
How to measure
transpiration?
§ Lysimeter = weight loss method
Seal pot so only route is via transpiration
Weigh over time to calculate loss
§ Gas exchange method
Place plant/leaf in transparent chamber
Measure air-moisture content through chamber
§ Water accounting (only method for
ecosystems)
Measure inputs (rainfall)
Measure outputs (runoff, drainage, storage)
Calculate transpiration
§ The strongest principle of growth lies in
human choice.
§ George Elliot