Plant-Water Relation Water is essential for all physiological activities of the plant and plays a very important role in all living organisms. Water is a main component of plant cells. Many plant functions depend upon the properties of water.
Water constitutes 70% by weight in most forms of life. Watermelon has 92% of water. Most herbaceous plants have 10-15% of its fresh weight as dry weight.
Carrot root is about 85% water by weight. And young leaves of lichus contain 90% of water. Distribution of water within a plant varies. Woody pots.
have relatively very little water while other parts mostly contain water. A seed may appear dry but still has water otherwise it would not be alive. The physical and chemical properties of water make it suitable for a variety of purposes in plants.
It is a medium. which diffusion of solutes takes place in plant cells 2 it is a solvent in which mineral nutrients enter into a plant from soil solution and transported throughout the plant in an aqueous medium 3 it is a medium in which many biochemical reactions occur 4 Water Imports Turgidity to Plant Cells 5. It Provides Mechanical Support and Rigidity to the Plant Cells 6. Several Movements of Plant Paths, such as Folding of Leaflets in Sensitive Plants, Opening and Closing of Flowers, and Stomata Movements of Leaves are due to Water. 7. Growth of plants due to elongation depends on water.
It is a source of O2 evolved in photosynthesis. 9. Water regulates heat in plant body. 10. Water is a medium for fertilization. It helps in dissemination of spores.
fruits and seeds terrestrial plants take up huge amount of water daily but most of it is lost to the air through evaporation from the leaves that is transpiration a mature corn plant absorbs almost three liters of water in a day while a mustard plant absorbs water equally to its own weight in about five hours because of this high demand for water it is not surprising that water is often the limiting factor for plant growth and productivity in both agricultural and natural environments