The first essential condition for the diffusion of

water to take place from outside to inside root hairs

is that the root hair cell sap must have higher salt
concentration or in other words lower water
potential than the water in the soil.

Thus A, the root hair will take up water from the

soil and it will ultimately become turgid and as a
result its water potential will fall below B. B will
now take up water from A and will in turn become
Absorption of Water by Roots (With
turgid and now its absorbing capacity will fall below
Diagram)!
B1; B1 will now draw water from B and so the pro-
cess will continue until the xylem vessel K is
Now for the actual absorption of water by the roots
reached.
—it can be shown that when a root hair is in contact
with a number of cortical cells of the root and
The force with which water will be drawn from the
finally a trachea or a xylem vessel, water will enter
soil will depend entirely upon the difference
the root hair, pass from there into the cortical cells
between the osmotic pressure external to A and the
and finally into the xylem if there be a gradient of
osmotic pressure of the xylem vessels. The greater
water potential from the root hairs to the xylem
the difference, the greater will be the force with
vessels.
which water is drawn into the vessels through the
cortical cells.
It is the gradient of water potential from the root
hair to the xylem vessels that is essential for the
Ordinarily the osmotic pressure of the cell sap of
absorption of water by the roots.
the xylem K can scarcely reach a value as low as the
osmotic pressure of the surrounding soil solutions
If the root hair A has a high osmotic pressure and is
which (vessels) form a continuous pipe line from
exposed to the surrounding water in the soil and
the roots to the leaves, for once the water from the
the cells B to J and the xylem vessel K have
soil reaches the main transpiration current in the
progressively lower pressures, water will pass from
xylem vessels, water is taken upwards to the leaves
A→K by diffusion from the soil to the roots
for utilisation and for ultimate escape of the excess
following the same osmotic relations we have
water through stomata.
discussed so far.

As a result there generally is a higher osmotic

Thus A, the root hair will take up water from the
pressure in the sap of the xylem vessels than the
surrounding medium as water tends to move by
water outside the root hair in the soil.
diffusion from regions of higher water potential to
regions of lower water potential.
The osmotic pressure of the root hair cells generally
varies from 3 to 5 atmospheres. Thus whenever
water potential of such soil exceeds that of young
root cells and root hairs, water will move from soil
into the root and since the osmotic pressure of the
soil solution in inert soils is only a fraction of an
atmosphere, the absorbing capacity or suction need
not be very great before water will enter them.
The absorption process which has been described
above undoubtedly accounts for the intake of most
of the water which the roots absorb, but it is
certainly not the only mechanism of absorption
known to operate in plants.
This active absorption apparently takes place in
plants when transpiration rate is relatively low and
the soil contains water in abundance. This active
absorption of water can only be in very small
amounts since water would tend to leak out so
rapidly by diffusion that enormous amount of
respiratory energy would be required to maintain
the gradient.

This mechanism of absorption of water is

sometimes referred to as passive absorption
because the entry of water into the roots is brought
about probably by conditions which originate in the
top of the plant and the root cells apparently play a
passive or subsidiary role.

‘Originate in the top of plant’ means that the

osmotic concentration of the root cells is due to the
presence of soluble metabolic products which are
synthesised in the aerial parts of the plants and
translocated downwards to all the tissues including
the root cells.

In many plants, an internal pressure known as root

pressure often develops in the xylem. This can be
demonstrated in some plants which are growing
vigorously, particularly in spring.

If the root system of a suddenly decapitated plant is

immersed in a potometer, absorption of water can
be shown clearly by the movement of the bubble in
the horizontal arm of the potometer.

Thus it is seen that water can be absorbed by root

cells by forces which develop there. In this type of
absorption, the mechanism involved is localised in
the root system and is often called active
absorption.
Plant Transport

1. Ask the learners to recall the functions of xylem and phloem from BIO 1. The current topic is mentioned in
the chapter on Nutrient procurement but it may also be reviewed here. Plant transport involves: (A) absorption
of water through the roots and (B) up and down movement of substances in phloem.

A. Absorption of water plus macronutrients and micronutrients through the root system is possible by
diffusion. Root hairs increase the surface area for transport. Water molecules pass through the epidermis,
cortex, endodermis and pericycle; then they move upwards by means of xylem vessels.

B. Phloem cells transport substances such as products of photosynthesis, water and other compounds up
and down the plant body. Phloem tissues are adjacent to companion cells that give them support and
nourishment. There are two major hypotheses on how substances can move up and down the plant body. These
are (i) Ascent of xylem sap and (ii) Pressure flow or bulk flow.

i. Ascent of xylem sap is explained as a “push” from below by the water molecules gushing
upwards through xylem vessels. It can also be described as “pull” from above by a combination of
transpiration (evaporation of water from Teacher Tip: “Transport” and “Circulation” are interchangeable
terms although the term “transport” usually applies to structures that deliver water and substances
throughout the plant body. “Circulation” as a term is more applicable to animals. Teacher Tip: The heart
is the pump that pushes blood to the lungs for oxygenation and delivers it to different body parts. It
consists of several chambers, muscles and are connected with blood vessels. the plant body) and
cohesion of water molecules through hydrogen bonds.

ii. Pressure flow or bulk flow maintains that in the plant there is a source cell and a sink cell. A
“source” cell is where photosynthesis occurs and a “sink” cell is where the nutrients are needed. Leaf
cells are definitely source cells. Sucrose and other substances accumulate in the source and due to high
concentration they flow down (or up) where they are needed. Sink cells are growing parts of the plants-
buds, flowers, fruits, root tips. In this way, phloem tissues carry materials down and up. Xylem lies
adjacent to phloem tissues and water may easily diffuse from xylem to phloem. Materials are transported
up and down the plant body by a combination of the actions of phloem and xylem cells.