Measurements of Plant Water Status

Dr. Birendra Kumar Padhan

Assistant Professor (Plant Physiology)
 Water potential (Ψw)

Water potential: chemical potential of water in a system in comparison/ w.r.t. to pure

water at same temperature and pressure
• Unit- Mega pascal (Mpa)
• 1 MPa = 10 bar = 0.987 (~1)
• Symbol-psi (ψ)
• Term: Slatyor and Taylor

Plant Water Potential: chemical potential of water in a plant cell relative to the chemical
potential of pure water at the same temperature and pressure
✓ Chemical potential: free energy per mole of any substannce
Direction of water movement: towards negative water potential

High Water Potential Low Water Potential

(Pure Water) (Solution)
Spontaneous
movement

Low Concentrated High Concentrated

Solution Solution

Low High

Water potential of pure water = 0

Water potential of solution < 0
 Which statement is correct ?

Water always move from high water potential

to low water potential

Water always move from low concentrated solution

to high concentrated solution
 Solute decreases the water potential

As solute is added, the water potential of that solution drops. It means that the water in that
solution is less likely to do work - in other words, it is less likely to move!
Why is that?
Solutes reduce water potential (resulting in a negative Ψw) by consuming some of
the potential energy available in the water. Solute molecules can dissolve
in water because water molecules can bind to them via hydrogen bonds

Water potential of solution is

always negative
 Factors affecting Plant Ψw: components of Plant Ψw

1. Concentration: solute potential ((Ψs) – due to the effect of dissolved solutes

2. Pressure: pressure potential (Ψp) – due to the positive hydrostatic pressure within the
cells (turgor pressure)
3. Gravity: gravitational potential (Ψg) – due to the force of gravity (negligible in case of
plant cell)
✓ Matrix potential (Ψm)- water absorption/adsorption in dry seeds due to the
presence of hydrophilic colloids (celluse, proteins, lipids, resins)
✓ Seen in seed, dry soil and cell wall

w = s + p + m + g
 Plant water potential under different conditions

✓Partially turgid cell: Ψw = Ψs + Ψp (high)

✓Fully turgid cell: Ψw = zero (highest)
✓Flaccid cell: Ψw = Ψs (lowest)

Turgid-the state of cell is swollen,

especially due to high fluid (water) content

Flaccid-the state of cell is shrunken,

especially due to loss of water from cell
 w = s + p + g
Tree

Closed system like cell w = s + p

Open system
w = s
Soil water system
w = s + m

Seed, Cell wall

w = s + p + m
 Significance of water potential

✓ Determine the direction of water movement ( High to low water

potential)

✓ Determine rate of water movement ( greater the water potential gradient

faster will be the movement)

✓ Reflect water status of plant ( For well watered plants water potential
varies from – 0.2 to -1 MPa)
 Potential Cell A Cell B

SP (Bars) - 12 -5

PP (Bars) +4 +2

A and B in contact with each other

Determine the direction of flow of water?
 Movement of molecules in and out of the cells

I. Diffusion: movement of particles or molecules or ions along the

concentration gradient (from a region of higher concentration to a
lower concentration)

I. Osmosis: diffusion of water molecules from a region of higher

concentration to lower concentration through a selectively
permeable membrane

I. Imbibition: adsorption of water molecules on the surface of cells

due to the presence of hydrophilic colloids
 Diffusion: along the concentration gradient

✓ It’s a physical process

✓ Steeper the gradient faster will be the movement.
Eg. Gaseous (CO2 and O2) exchange in plants
Factors affecting diffusion
✓ Concentration of diffusing particles
✓ Pressure gradient
✓ Temperature
✓ Density of diffusing particles
✓ Medium of diffusion
 Osmosis: diffusion of water through selectively permeable
membrane

✓ Spontaneous net movement of solvent from Selectively permeable or differentially

permeable or semi permeable
solution of low concentration to a solution of high
membrane
concentration through a semi permeable ✓ Allow only certain molecules to pass
through it; water and small
membrane, in the direction that tends to equalize uncharged molecules
✓ E.g., cell membrane, tonoplast
the solute concentrations on the two sides.
(vacuolar membrane)

Factors affecting osmosis

✓ water potential gradient
✓ Nature of the solution
Question??
 Question??

Will osmosis occur rapidly in A or B. Why?

 Difference between Osmosis and Diffusion

Osmosis Diffusion

I. It involves movement of solvent molecules I. It involves movement of solute molecules

II. Molecules move from lower concentration of II. Molecules move from higher concentration of
solute to higher concentration of solute solute to lower concentration of solute
III. It occurs only across a semi – permeable III. It does not require a semi – permeable
membrane membrane
IV. Example: Shrinking of potato slice when kept in IV. Example: Spreading of ink when a drop of it is
concentrated sucrose solution put in glass of water
 Osmosis vs Reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis: movement of water against its concentration gradient due to applied
pressure through semi-permeable membrane
Osmotic study: potato osmometer
 Different types of solutions

1. Isotonic solution: the solute concentration inside the cell and its
surrounding is equal (no movement of water)
2. Hypertonic solution: the solute concentration outside the cell is
higher in comparison to inside (water movement towards outside:
exo-osmosis)
3. Hypotonic solution: the solute concentration outside the cell is
lower in comparison to inside (water movement towards inside:
endo-osmosis)
 Different types of osmotic flow

Endosmosis– When a substance is placed in a hypotonic solution, the solvent molecules

move inside the cell and the cell becomes turgid.
Exosmosis– When a substance is placed in a hypertonic solution, the solvent molecules
move outside the cell and the cell becomes flaccid or undergoes plasmolysis.

Cell in Hypotonic Cell in Hypertonic

Solution Solution
 Plasmolysis: water loss from the cell

✓ Plasmolysis: loss of water from a cell to its environment due to exo-osmosis and
contraction or detachment of protoplasm from the cell wall if a cell is kept in a
hypertonic solution.
✓ Separation of cell membrane or protoplasm from the cell wall due to exo-osmosis
of water when the cell is placed inside a hypertonic solution (more concentrated)
✓ Plasmolysis is an example of the results of osmosis.
✓ De-plasmolysis: if the plasmolysed cell is kept inside a hypotonic solution cell
returns to normal state
 Stages of plasmolysis

Incipient plasmolysis: It is the initial stage of

the plasmolysis, during which, water starts flowing out
of the cell; initially, the cell shrinks in volume and cell
wall become detectable.
Evident plasmolysis: It is the next stage of
the plasmolysis, during which, the cell wall has
reached its limit of contraction and cytoplasm gets
detached from the cell wall attaining the spherical
shape.
Final plasmolysis: It is the third and the final stage of
the plasmolysis, during which the cytoplasm will be
completely free from the cell wall and remains in the
center of the cell.
05

✓ Plasmolysed cell: complete detachment of

protoplasm from the cell wall
 Examples of plasmolysis

I. Shrinkage of vegetables in hypertonic conditions.

II. When more amount of salt is added to the preservatives like jams, jellies, and
pickles, the cells lose water due to higher concentration outside and become less
conducive to support the growth of microorganisms.
 Significance of osmosis in plants

1. Water absorbed by roots from the soil

2. Cell to cell movement of water & dissolved substances

3. Opening and closing of stomata

4. Maintain Turgidity of the cells

 Imbibition

✓ Absorption of water molecules or any liquid molecules by a

substance of the cell making them to swell

✓ Hydrophilic colloids present in the substances in the form of

Cellulose, Starch, Protein

✓ The substance which imbibe water is called Imbibants

Significance of imbibition

✓ Germination of seeds
✓ Absorption of water by roots
✓ Absorption of water by cell wall of root hair
 Imbibition

✓ Absorption of water molecules or any liquid molecules by a

substance of the cell making them to swell

✓ Hydrophilic colloids present in the substances in the form of

Cellulose, Starch, Protein

✓ The substance which imbibe water is called Imbibants

Significance of imbibition

✓ Germination of seeds
✓ Absorption of water by roots
✓ Absorption of water by cell wall of root hair
 Solute potential/Osmotic potential (ΨS)

✓ Addition of solute to pure water decreases the water potential. Value by which water
potential decreases on the addition of solute is called solute potential.
✓ Always negative value
✓ Quantified by Vantt Hoff Equation:

ΨS = - CiRT
C-concentration of solution/molar concentration
i-ionization constant (number of ions in the solute; electrolytes-1, non-
electrolytes-less than 1)
R= Universal gas constant 0=0.0831
T = Temperature in K (273+ °C)

✓ ΨS Of 1 mole of any substance = -2.43 MPa

 Diffusion pressure and Osmotic pressure

Diffusion pressure (DP): the diffusing particles have a certain pressure

DP concentration of diffusing particles

Osmotic pressure (OP): pressure developed in a solution due to the presence of

dissolved solutes in it.

OP concentration

✓ If more dissolved solutes present within the solution, more pressure is required
move water against the water potential gradient (reverse-osmosis) and less pressure
is required to move water along the water potential gradient
 Turgor pressure and Wall pressure

Turgor pressure (TP): the positive hydrostatic pressure developed within the cell due to
endo-osmosis of water which presses the protoplasm against the cell wall and cell
becomes turgid
Wall pressure (WP): pressure exerted by the elastic cell wall against the expanding
protoplasm
TP = WP at equilibrium stage (fully turgid cell)
 Diffusion pressure Deficit (DPD) or Suction pressure

DPD: the difference between the diffusion pressure of the solution and its solvent at a
particular temperature and pressure
DPD concentration of the solution
✓More concentration more DPD
✓Less concentration less DPD

DPD-diffusion pressure deficit

OP-osmotic pressure
DPD = OP - TP TP-turgor pressure

✓Water movement from less DPD to higher DPD

THANK YOU