Scribd
Upload
23 views9 pages

Absorption by Roots

Uploaded by

RAMUDU MEDICHETTY
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
23 views9 pages

Absorption by Roots

Uploaded by

RAMUDU MEDICHETTY
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

UNIT – II - PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

ABSORPTION BY ROOTS

Physiology is the branch of biology that deals with the study of functions of a plant.

Fundamental process in plants

Absorption of water and minerals by the roots ⸨ modes of absorptions⸩


Ascent of sap ⸨ upward movement of water + dissolved minerals⸩
Transpiration
Photosynthesis
Respiration

Need of water for plants

Photosynthesis
Transpiration
Transportation
⸨ ꜛwater root to shoot,
ꜜ Glucose leaves to other parts⸩
Mechanical function
⸨ Turgidity – fully distended condition⸩

Stomata movement

Maintain plants temperature


Need of minerals for plants

Magnesium – synthesis of chlorophyll

Zinc – leaf formation

Calcium – maintain semi permeability of cell


membrane.
Potassium - Controls opening and closing of
stomata

In the presence of light – the splitting of Manganese - Photolysis of water in


water molecules takes place H2O photosynthesis

Nitrogen - Protein synthesis and growth


CHARACTERISTICS OF ROOTS FOR ABSORBING WATER

Roots are immensely useful for the plants to absorb water because

i. Extensive root system with rapid growth – 4 month old rye plant estimated 620km
root length daily increase of 5km.

ii. Enormous surface area – 255m2 surface area absorption and cover

iii. High concentrated solution – Root hair cells have concentrated cell sap , an aquous
solution of mineral salts, sugar and oraganic acids which present in large
vacuoles. It has a higher solute concentration than the surrounding soil water.
Important character to absorb water from outside by a process called osmosis.

iv. Thin walls of root hairs - 4 month old rye plant bear 14 billion root hairs with length
of 10,000km.

Cell wall is thin – freely permeable


Cell membrane is very thin – semi permeable ; allow only water molecules
but not larger molecules of dissolved salts.
Root hair – extension of epidermal cells of root
MODES OF ABSORPTION AND CONDUCTION OF WATER AND MINERALS.

Exchange of water and minerals to the adjoining cell by the process

Plant cell Imbibition - the absorption of one substance by another; Plant cell
Plant living or dead plant cells absorb water by surface Plant
cell attraction. cell
Diffusion - soil, gas or liquid; from their region of higher
concentration to lower concentration.
Osmosis - Movement of water molecule from the region
of higher concentration to the region of lower
concentration. When two are separated by semi permeable
membrane
Tonicity - Tension developed by the system on account of
occurrence of solute particles in it. ⸨ a cell in a medium⸩
a. Isotonic solution - equal solute and water both
b. Hypotonic solution - lower solute - endosmosis
c. Hypertonic solution - higher solute - exosmosis
Turgidity and Flaccidity - fully distended condition,
cannot accommodate more water. No water enters.
Flaccidity - opposite to turgidity, not fully changed with
water, cell content shrunken.

Root pressure - pressure developed in the root due to the


inward movement of water. In morning time we can see
water drop on the tomato, banana leaves margin.
Guttation - loss of water through margin of leaves.
Bleeding - loss of water through cut or injured stem.
Plasmolysis and deplasmolysis - hypertonic solution make
cytoplasm to shrink along with cell membrane in the
center, vacuole will diminishes. Exosmosis - water going
out from the cell make cell content shrink

Deplasmolysis - hypotonic solution makes the cell content


to inflated and exert pressure against cell wall
Endosmosis - water going in and make cell content
inflated.
Passive transport - No energy required from the cell. Free
movement of molecules from higher concentration to
lower concentration
Active transport – By utilizing the energy from the cell
through a living cell membrane. Ions of potassium,
sulphates, nitrates, etc. cannot pass through the cell
membrane of the root cells easily since their concentration
is higher inside the root cells in order to obtain these ions
They break ATP to ADP.
ASCENT OF SAP

Water along with dissolved inorganic salts – sap moves upwardꜛ roots to the leaves

Whereas food organic substance move through the phloem

The upward movement of water with dissolved minerals from the roots to the tip of
the stem branches and their leaves is called ascent of sap.

Path of ascent of sap

Root hairs Cortex Passage cells Pericycle of root xylem ꜛ leaves-


continuity of xylem element makes the water movement.
Upward movement of sap is brought by virtue of four main forces.
i. Root pressure
Build-up sufficient force to push the sap in the xylem up to certain heights
ii. Adhesion of water
Cohesion and adhesion property of water makes the water move upward
movement when leaves cells lose water during transpiration.
iii. Capillarity action
Narrow diameter makes water move from the lower level to the leaves in order to
full the vacuum created by the transpiration.
iv. Transpiration pull
More water get pulled due to the tendency of water
Molecules to remain join cohesion.

DESCENT OF SAP

Food manufactured in leaves get dissolved in water and flows


Down mainly
IMBIBITION

Water imbibed called imbibate.


The solid which take part in imbibition is called imbibants.
Imbibition increases the volume of imbibants.
It develops a pressure called imbibition pressure.

IMPORTANCE OF DIFFUSION

Water vapours through stomata


Exchange of gases during respiration
Diffusion spread molecules and ions throughout the protoplasm of cell
Smell aroma of flower diffuse and spread
Within cells substance generally move by diffusion

H 2O H 2O

98% SOLUTE ; 2% WATER


H2O H2O H2O
H 2O H 2O H 2O
H 2O H 2O
2% - solute
98% water
RBC
H 2O H2O

Plasmolysis – shrinking of cytoplasm – water coming out - Exosmosis – only happens in


living cell.
De-plasmolysis – expanding of cytoplasm – water going in - Endosmosis
SIGNIFICANCE OF PLASMOLYSIS:
1. Jamming – hypertonic nature make difficult to micro-organism to grow
2. Pickling -
3. Killing weeds – excessive salt will also kill the root hair cell
4. Excessive fertilizer
5. Blood sucking Leach – salt treatment
6. Plants growing in building- apply salt to kill them
7. Dried and salted meat and fish makes

OSMOSIS – Nollet

Osmotic pressure – minimum pressure to prevent the entry of solvent into the solution
through semi permeable membrane is called osmotic pressure.

Apparatus which is used to demonstrate the osmosis is known as osmoscope.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OSMOSIS
1. Cell sap hypertonic in nature so water absorb by plant roots by endosmosis
2. Water move upwards by the transpiration pull. Upper region of cell more
hypertonic in nature compare to cell near ground
3. Living cell turgid due to osmotic entry of water
4. Stomata open and close due to the pressure in the guard cell
5. Radicle and plumule
6. In many plants folding and drooping of leaves brought by the osmosis
7. Turgidity of plant part maintained by osmosis
Turgidity – full distended condition where no water enter
Turgor pressure – pressure exerted by the cell content against cell wall
Wall pressure – inward pressure exerted by the cell wall against the cell content

SIGNIFICANCE OF TURGIDITY

1. Movement of water from cell to cell


2. Maintenance of proper shape

3. Turgidity provide proper rigidity

4. Movements in plants

1. Stomata movement

2. Drooping of leaves

Root pressure –

Pressure developed in the roots due to inward movement of water. Which help
pushing the sap of plant upward through the stem.

You might also like