CPE 213

Plant water relations

Lecture 5
 What is water?
• Water is a substance of unique physical and chemical
properties.
• It is colourless, odourless, tasteless and highly
incompressible substance
• Water is the most abundant constituent of every living
thing and so, it is referred to as the fluid of life.
• It is present throughout the plant body and
constitutes about 90% of the total plant biomass in
fresh weight.
• Only in woody tissues and dormant cells does the
water contents fall below 80%.
• In dry seeds it may be as low as 5%.
 Properties of water

• It boils at 100oC and its heat of vapourization is

540cal/g at 100oC to 580cal/g at 25oC.
• It is a universal solvent due to assymetrical
distribution of charges that imparts a polarity to the
water molecule. The dipole nature of water
molecule and its ability to form hydrogen bonds
account for the strong interaction of water
molecules with other ions that come in close
association with them.
• The specific heat of water is four times that of the air
• Water has high surface tension
 COHESIVE AND ADHESIVE FORCES
• COHESIVE FORCE: The attraction between the
water molecules is called "Cohesive force". Water
molecules are held together continuously by
cohesive force to form a continuous water column.
• ADHESIVE FORCE: Water molecules also get
attached to the wall of transporting vessels and
tracheids through a force called ‘adhesive force’.
• These forces work together to maintain the
continuity between water and the cell wall.
• They are responsible for maintaining unbroken
continuity of water column from the roots to the
leaves.
 Roles of water in plant
Water is important both qualitatively and
quantitatively. Every plant process is affected
by water supply either directly or indirectly.
The roles of water can be divided into two:
• Physiological and
• Ecological roles
 Physiological importance of Water
• It is an essential constituent of the protoplasm
comprising more than 90% of total mass.
• It is usually a major reactant and a primary input in the
physiological processes e.g. Photosynthesis ; 6CO2+ 6
H2O = C6H12O6 + 6O2
• It is a medium in which metabolic reactions occur
• It aids the absorption of mineral salts from the soil.
• It is important for the maintenance of cell structure
and turgidity.
• It takes part in many hydrolytic reactions of breaking
macromolecules to simpler molecule within the plant.
• It is important for seed germination.
• It is a vehicle in which mineral nutrients and
photosynthates are being transported in the plant e.g.
manufactured food, hormones and mineral salts.
• It is also important in the growth process and helps in
dissolving gases like O2 and CO2 .
• Opening and closing of stomata is a function of cell water
content.
• Due to its high specific heat, water acts as heat sink and
thus makes it possible for plants to absorb a large amount
of solar energy without an injurious rise in temperature.
• It helps in fertilization by serving as a medium through
which pollen grains are being transported
 Ecological roles of water
• Vegetation distribution: Water determines
the distribution of vegetation on the earth e.g.
rainforest in the tropics, Olympia forest in
Northwest U.S.A., Grassland, desert and semi-
desert in the dry areas, Savannah of West
Africa.
• Temperature: Effects of temperature is also
being moderated by water. That is why it is
cooler in the forest than desert areas.
 Water stress and its physiological consequences

• For optimum crop yield, a balance must be maintained

between the demands of the atmosphere, the ability
of the leaves to retard water loss by evaporation and
the ability of the roots to absorb water. This is known
as water balance.
• In most cases however, water loss through
transpiration exceeds water absorption by the roots.
When this happens a negative water balance or
deficit is said to occur within the plant and this leads
to water stress.
• It represents the difference between water income
and expenditure by the plant.
Physiological effects of water stress on plant.

• Plant growth is impaired as a result of reduction in cell division

and enlargement
• There will be a change in the structure and configuration of
enzymes
• The rate of photosynthesis is reduced since water is the major
source of electron to reduce CO2
• Movement of plant nutrients from the root to the above-
ground parts and translocation of photoassimilates are
affected.
• It leads to drooping and sagging of plant tissues
• All the hydrolytic processes in plant will seize.
• Reduction in the rate of cell enlargement and expansion of
leaf area
 Terms in plant water relation
Diffusion – The movement of molecules or ions
of solid, liquid or gas from an area of its
greater concentration to an area of its lesser
concentration.
Diffusion pressure- Pressure shown by
diffusing molecules. Diffusing molecules
or ions show a tendency to exert
pressure while diffusing from the region
of its higher concentration to the region
of its lower concentration.
Osmosis - is movement of solvent or water
molecules from the region of their higher diffusion
pressure or free energy to the region of their lower
diffusion pressure or free energy across a semi
permeable membrane

When water moves into the cell during osmosis it is

called Endosmosis while the movement of water
out of the is called Exosmosis.

Osmotic pressure - is the pressure which is

developed in a solution in which solution and water
is seperated by semi-permeable membrane
Turgor pressure is also known as hydrostatic pressure. The
cell content begins to press upon the wall or develop a
pressure against the membrane which is called ‘Turgor
pressure ‘(T.P.)

Wall pressure - The turgor pressure is counter balanced by

an equal and opposite pressure of the cell wall. This is
known as wall pressure.

Diffusion pressure deficit (DPD) or Suction Pressure - The

DPD of any solution is the difference between the diffusion
pressure of the water that is present in the solution and
diffusion pressure of pure water.
 MECHANISM OF ABSORPTION OF WATER

Water is absorbed by two different ways :

Active water absorption.
Passive water absorption.
Active water absorption :
• In active absorption, water is absorbed through an
expenditure of energy in the form of ATP, which is
produced by metabolic activities of root cells such as
respiration.
• Absorption takes place against concentration gradient -
even when the concentration of cell sap is lower than
that of soil water
• It takes place at that time when transpiration is going
This active absorption is of two types:
Osmotic active water absorption :
 The cell wall acts as permeable membrane and plasma
membrane acts as semi-permeable membrane in root
hairs.
 Water is absorbed through osmosis when the osmotic
concentration of soil is less than that of the cell sap
(Endosmosis).
Non osmotic Active water absorption :
 Water is absorbed in those conditions where the osmotic
pressure of soil solution is greater than that of the
osmotic pressure of cell sap of root hair.
 In this situation water is not absorbed by osmotic process.
Energy is used in this condition which is produced by
metabolic activities of living cells of root.
Passive water Absorption :
 It accounts for about 96% of water absorption in the
plant by either mass flow or diffusion.
• Root remains inactive in passive absorption. It means
that absorption of water is through the root rather than
by the root.
• The principle is that the amount of water decreases in
the mesophyll cells of leaves due to transpiration.
• This loss of water increase the DPD.
• For the compensation of this loss, these cells pull water
from neighbouring cells.
• In this way water is pulled from one cell to another cell
and through the endodermis, pericycle and lastly from
the xylem .
Water pathways
• Symplast : It is the movement of water
molecules is from cell to cell through the
plasmodesmata.
• Apoplast : In this pathway the movement of
water occurs exclusively through cell wall
without the involvement of any membranes.
Majority of the water move through the
apoplast pathway.
• Vacuolar :
UPWARD MOVEMENT OF WATER

Transpirational pull or stream – It is believed that

during the process of transpiration there is a force
that results in water being drawn into and along
the vascular tissue through leaf and then to the
atmosphere. The continuous flow of water from
the root to the leaves form the transpirational pull
or stream.
ROOT PRESSURE
This pushes water from xylem of root towards the
xylem of stem. Root pressure is measured by
manometer.
Exudation of excised stem confirms the
involvement of root pressure in upward
movement of water.
Transpiration and Guttation
• Transpiration :
 Water loss by a plant through stomatal openings is
known as transpiration
 Guard cells control the size of the stomatal openings and
thus regulate gas and water exchange
 It has been reported that 99% of absorbed water is
transpired by the plants. Only 1% is available for various
vital activities of the plants.
• Guttation: Exudation of water from the leaves of intact
plants is called guttation. It is the formation of water
droplets around the edge of the leaf margin or the leaf
tip. This is different from transpiration which is
evaporation of water vapour from the plant.
Please watch the video on this link to
understand the transport in plant
properly.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19xb0v-
RSTKEXYj6TUGZ3N6Fps63P78Ba/view?
usp=sharing
 Types of transpiration
• Stomatal transpiration - The diffusion of water
vapour through the stomata pores is known as
stomatal transpiration and this accounts for
about 90 to 95% of water loss from the leaves.
• Cuticular transpiration - In rare occasions,
vapour may diffuse out of the cuticle despite the
presence of waxes and hydrophobic substances
and this is known as cuticular transpiration but it
only accounts for about 5% of the total water
loss. Cuticular transpiration varies from species
to species depending on the thickness of the
cuticle.
• Lenticular transpiration - This type of
transpiration as mentioned above occurs
through lenticels. They are minute pores or
structure that are found in the stem of some
woody plants and epidermis of some fruits.
Amount of water loss by lenticels is
approximately 0.1% to 1% of the total water
loss.
 Methods for measuring transpiration
• Lysimeter method or weight loss method.- a
potted plant is sealed to prevent evaporation
and weighed at intervals to determine water loss
through the loss of weight and so it is known as
weight loss method.
• Potometer method – it is used to measure the
rate of water absorption. Under normal
condition. It is expected that the rate of water
absorption should be equal to the rate of
transpiration.
• Gas exchange method- Transpiration can be
estimated as the difference in water content
of the air entering the chamber and the air
leaving the chamber. The anhydrous calcium
chloride (CaCl2) in the chambers besides the
plant is used to absorb the moisture both in
the incoming and outgoing air. Changes
observed in the weight of this chemical is
attributed to water absorption from the air.
Gas exchange method of transpiration
 Factors controlling the rate of transpiration

EXTERNAL FACTORS
• Temperature –. An increase in atmospheric or
leaf temperature will increase the plant’s
potential for transpiration. Increase in
transpiration will also make the stomata to
remain open for a while and as long as this is so,
and a vapour pressure gradient exists between
the leaf and the atmosphere, water vapour will
diffuse out of the leaf.
• Wind speed – It affects the rate of evaporation of
transpired water vapour from the leaf surfaces. As
wind speed increases it has cooling effect on the
leaf which may in turn leads to stomatal closure
and hence lower rate of transpiration.
• Humidity – It is the actual water content of the
atmosphere. Low humidity favours transpiration
while high humidity reduces the rate of
transpiration.
INTERNAL FACTORS
• Leaf structure – It is the leaf structure that
determines the rate of water loss by plant and at
the same time maintain access to atmospheric
CO2. Some plant species also have smaller
number of leaves to reduce transpiration
• Stomata – it has been estimated that diffusion
through stomata is about 50-70%. The number
and location of stomata in some plant species are
in such a way to regulate and minimize the
amount of water loss
• The root system – The water loss by the plant
must be replenished by an equivalent amount
from the soil through the root system. This
implies that the root system must be well
established and positioned to establish an
integrated flow of water from the soil to the
plant and to the atmosphere.
 Importance of Transpiration

• It is required to bring about the upward

movement of sap
• It serves as a mean for absorption of mineral
nutrients which are needed for normal plant
growth and development
• It is the driving force for the distribution of water
within the plant.
• It affords the plant the means of getting rid of
excess water absorbed by the roots
• It allows for carbon assimilation in
photosynthesis by the opening of the stomata
during transpiration.
• It has cooling effects on the plant leaves and
prevent the leaf from reaching lethal
temperature.
• Transpiration helps in dissipating the heat
load of the plant
• It bring about overall increase in plant yield