Plant physiology:- is the branch of biology which deals with the life

functions or metabolism of the plant.

ABSORPTION BY THE ROOTS
The roots not only fix the plant in the soil giving it support but the
most important and life supporting function of the roots is to absorb
water and mineral nutrients from the soil and conduct them into the
stem for supply to the leaves, flowers, fruits, etc.

NEED OF WATER AND MINERALS FOR PLANTS

Besides being a constituent of protoplasm, water is needed inside the
plant body for four purposes: photosynthesis, transpiration,
transportation and mechanical stiffness.

1. Photosynthesis: Water is used up in the green leaves as a raw

material in the synthesis of glucose.
2. Transpiration: A large quantity of water gets evaporated as water
vapour during transpiration, for cooling in hot weather, for
producing a suction force, etc.

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3. Transportation: Transportation of substances in water solution
from the roots upward into the shoot (mineral salts) or from leaves to
other parts (sugar, etc).
4. Mechanical stiffness: Water provides turgidity (fully distended
condition), which is necessary for the stiffness of plant tissues.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROOTS FOR ABSORBING WATER

The ability of the roots to draw water from the soil is dependent on
three characteristics:
(i) Surface area of
roots is enormous:-
If even a small
garden plant such as
balsam, when gently
uprooted from the
soil, shows thick a
bunch of rootlets.

(ii) Root hairs

contain cell sap, of a
higher concentration
than that of the
surrounding water:-
Root hairs are the
extensions of the outer (epidermal) cells of the root. They also contain
large vacuoles filled with a solution called cell sap. Some salts are
dissolved in it and the cell sap, therefore, usually has a concentration
higher than that of the surrounding water.

(iii) Root hairs have thin walls: Like all plant cells, root hairs also
have two outer layers a cell wall and a cell membrane.
• The cell wall is thin and permeable. It allows the movement of water
molecules and dissolved substances freely in and out of the cell.
The cell membrane is very thin, and semi permeable, which means
that it allows water molecules to pass through, but not the larger
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molecules of the dissolved salts. The secret of the absorption of water
from the soil by the roots lies mainly in this characteristic.

ABSORPTION AND CONDUCTION OF WATER AND MINERALS

The entire mechanism of absorbing water and minerals from the soil
by the roots, its movement through the thickness of the root and
subsequently its upward conduction through the stem, is the result of
five main phenomena:
1. Imbibition
2. Diffusion
3. Osmosis
4. Active transport
5. Turgidity and Flaccidity

1. Imbibition
Imbibition is a phenomenon by which the living or dead plant cells
absorb water by surface attraction.Ex: Dry seeds, wooden doors
swell up during rain.
2. Diffusion
Diffusion is the free movement of molecules of a substance (solute or
solvent, gas, liquid) from the region of their higher concentration to
the region of their lower concentration when the two are in a direct
contact.Ex: Pottasium permanganate dissolves evenly throughout the
water.

3. Osmosis and osmotic pressure

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A. Osmosis
Osmosis is the movement of water
molecules from their region of higher
concentration to their region of lower
concentration through a semi
permeable membrane

ENDOSMOSIS:- It is the inward diffusion of water through a semi

permeable membrane when the surrounding solution is less
concentrated. This tends to swell up the cell.

EXOSMOSIS :- It is the outward diffusion of water through a semi-

permeable membrane when the surrounding solution is more
concentrated. This tends to cause shrinkage of the cell.
Semipermeable membrane : it allows the passage of molecules
selectively.
Some Semipermeable membranes : visking bag, cellophane paper

What happen when Rubber sheet and

muslin cloth instead of cellophane as a
barrier

❖ The rubber sheet is impermeable

and would not allow the water
molecules from the beaker to cross over to the other side.
❖ In the second case, the meshes or pores of the muslin cloth are so
large that they would not hold back even the sugar molecules,
and the entire sugar solution would flow down to a common level
due to gravity. The muslin cloth is, therefore, freely permeable
for sugar solution.

How long can osmosis continue?

Theoretically, osmosis should continue until the concentration of
water molecules becomes equal on both sides of the membrane. Such
an increase in the height and weight of the rising column reduces
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further osmosis. In this state of equilibrium, the water molecules
from the beaker tend to force upwards through the membrane, but
the weight or the pressure from above holds them downwards.

B. OSMOTIC PRESSURE
Osmotic pressure is the minimum pressure that must be exerted
to prevent the passage of the pure solvent into the solution when
the two are separated by a semi-permeable membrane.

TONICITY:- Relative concentration of the solutions that determine

the direction and extent of diffusion is called tonicity. Based on it, the
solution can be of three types: isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic
solutions.
1. Isotonic:- The relative concentration of water molecules and the
solute on either side of the cell membrane is the same.No osmosis
2. Hypotonic:- In this condition, the solution outside the cell has a
lower solute concentration than the fluids inside the cell. Cell swells
(Endosmosis)
3. Hypertonic:- In this condition, the solution outside the cell has a
higher solute concentration than the fluids inside the cell. Cell shrinks
(Exosmosis)

4. Active Transport
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Active transport is the passage of a substance (salt or ion) from its
lower to higher concentration through a living cell membrane using
energy from the cell.
Certain nutrients such as ions of nitrates, sulphates, potassium, zinc,
manganese, etc. cannot pass through the cell membrane of the root
cells easily so energy is required.
Passive Transport – It is free movement of molecules from HC 2 LC.

5. Turgidity and Flaccidity

• When a cell reaches a state where it cannot accommodate any more
water, i.e., it is fully distended, it is called turgid and the condition is
called turgidity.
• The pressure of the cell contents on the cell wall is called turgor
pressure and the pressure exerted by the cell wall on the cell content
is called wall pressure.

Plasmolysis and Flaccidity:-

This shrinkage from the cell wall is called plasmolysis and the cells in
this state are said to be limp or flaccid. Flaccidity is the reverse of
turgidity. The recovery or the reversal of plasmolysis is called
deplasmolysis.

The terms defined:--

❖ Turgidity:- It is the state of a cell in which the cell wall is rigid
and stretched by an increase in the volume of vacuoles due to the
absorption of water. The cell is then said to be turgid.

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 ❖ Plasmolysis:- It is the contraction of cytoplasm from the cell wall
caused due to the withdrawal of water when placed in a strong
(hypertonic) solution.

❖ Flaccidity:- It is the condition in which the cell content is

shrunken and the cell is no more "tight". The cell is then said to be
flaccid.

USES OF TURGIDITY TO PLANTS

1. Turgidity provides rigidity to soft tissues such as the leaves:- When

there is not enough water in a leaf, it wilts, i.e., its petiole and lamina
become loose and the leaf droops down.Ex : Leaf wilting during hot
afternoon

2. Turgor pressure helps to push through the hard ground as in

mushrooms and in a seedling: the roots of certain trees have been
seen to crack the walls or a concrete floor of an adjoining building.

3. Turgor in root cells builds up root pressure: If you cut a well-

watered pot plant a few centimetres above the soil and immediately
fix a glass tubing to it by means of a rubber connection, water will
start coming out of the cut end of the stem and rise up in the glass
tubing.

4. Turgor in the opening and closing of stomata: Their opening and

closing depend on the turgidity of guard cells. Each guard cell has a
thicker wall on the side facing the stoma and a thin wall on the
opposite side. On account of turgor, the guard cells become more
arched outwards and the aperture between them widens, thereby
opening the stoma.

5. Turgor Movement: The rapid drooping of the leaves of the sensitive

plant is an outstanding example of turgor movement. If one of the

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leaves is touched, even lightly, the leaflets fold up and within 2 to 3
seconds, the entire leaf droops. The base of petiole is called pulvinus

ROOT PRESSURE
❖ It is the pressure developed in the roots due to continued inward
movement of water through cell-to-cell osmosis which helps in
the ascent of cell sap upward through the stem.
❖ Root pressure is built up due to cell-to-cell osmosis in the root
tissue. As one turgid cell presses the next cell, the force of the flow
of water increases inward. When water reaches the xylem vessels
it enters the pores of their thick walls with considerable force.

Guttation
In certain plants, like tomato, grass, banana or ferns, the root
pressure is high enough to force the water all the way through the
stem and comes out through the ends of leaf veins. This water
apppears as tiny drops along the margins or the tips of the leaves
especially in the early mornings. This loss of excessive water is called
guttation.

IMPORTANCE OF ROOT HAIRS AND THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF

ABSORBED WATER AND MINERALS

Absorption of water by the root is by means of root hairs. A root hair

contains cell sap which has a higher concentration of salts as
compared to the outside soil water. This difference sets off osmosis
and the outside water diffuses into the root hair.

Absorption of mineral elements:-

The soil involves active transport by the cells. Minerals may also be
absorbed as ions rather than as salts. This upward flow occurs
through the xylem.

FORCES CONTRIBUTING TO ASCENT OF SAP

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There are four main forces which contribute to the upward movement
(ascent) of sap.

1. Root pressure:- Root pressure builds up sufficient force to push the

sap in the xylem vessels up to a certain height and may be enough for
herbaceous plants.

2. Capillarity:- Capillarity of xylem vessels causes the water from a

lower level to rise to fill up the vacuum created by the loss of water
due to transpiration from the leaves. Narrower the diameter of a
tube, greater will be the height of water rising in it exerting a force
called capillary force.

3. Transpiration pull:- As the water is lost from the leaf surface by

transpiration, more water molecules are pulled up due to the
tendency of water molecules to remain joined (cohesion), and thus to
produce a continuous column of water through the stem.

4. Adhesion:- It causes the water to stick to the surface of cells thus

drawing more water molecules from below when the leaf cells lose
water during transpiration. This pulling force provided by the leaves
is specially important in tall trees, such as pines, which do not have
enough root pressure.

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experiment to show conduction through Xylem

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To show that root absorbs water

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