TITLE: TRANSPIRATION

AIM: To determine the effects different conditions had on the rate of transpiration.

BACKGROUND THEORY:
Transpiration is the process by which plants expel water from their system in the form of
moisture or water vapor. The roots consume some of the soil's water, while the remainder
evaporates into the atmosphere. Plant parts like stems, small pores on leaves, and flowers
evaporate water into the atmosphere. In other words, it is the process by which water
evaporates from plant leaves and other parts into the atmosphere.
Environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and windspeed all
influence transpiration rate. Plant factors include the number and distribution of stomata, the
percentage of open stomata, and the plant's water status. We investigated how wind speed
affected the rate of transpiration in this lab.

APPARATUS AND MATERIAL:

Water, measuring cylinder, plant shoot, oil, electric balance, stop watch, fan.

METHOD:
1.Water was poured into a measuring cylinder and record volume.
2.The cutting was placed into water.
3.A layer of oil was placed into the water.
4.A measuring cylinder and its contents was placed onto an electric balance and the mass was
recorded.
5.It was left in the classroom for about 30 minuets and the mass was recorded after.
6.The experiment was conducted under different conditions.

EXPECTED RESULTS:
During the given amount of time, it is expected that the shoot without windy conditions will
evaporate less water than the shoot with windy conditions. Shoot A (without wind) would lose
less weight than Shoot B. (with wind). This is because transpiration (the process by which water
evaporates from plants) increases in the presence of wind due to increased evaporation from
leaves.

RESULTS:
TABLE 1: Table showing

Conditions Weight Before (g) Weight After (g) Weight Loss (g)-

Shoot A 83.04 82.46 -0.58

(Without Wind)

Shoot B 83.07 82.15 -0.92

(With Wind)
DISCUSSION:
The process by which water evaporates from plants is known as transpiration. This serves a
variety of functions, including thermoregulation and CO2 diffusion, but most importantly, it
creates a water potential difference, which causes a mass flow of water and nutrients from the
plant's roots to its leaves. Guard cells regulate the opening and closing of stomata as well as the
size of the opening; they open to obtain O2 and CO2 in the process they allow the escape of
H2O. This experiment was carried out to learn more about this process and how common
environmental factors influence it. Plant transpiration increases with wind because of increased
evaporation from leaves. The transpiration rate of the shoot was consistently greater in the
presence of wind than in the absence of wind, as shown in Table 1. In addition, oil was used in
this experiment to prevent water from evaporating directly from the cylinder and instead
evaporate through the plant's leaves. When the wind movement around a plant increases, so
does the rate of transpiration. Even though wind movement causes a rapid replacement of moist
air with drier air around the plant, the rate of transpiration inevitably increases. Wind can change
transpiration rates by removing the boundary layer, which is a still layer of water vapor hugging
the surface of leaves. When the boundary layer is reduced, wind increases the movement of
water from the leaf surface because the path for water to reach the atmosphere is shorter.
Water loss during transpiration causes leaves to lose weight. A plant requires a steady supply of
water. When there is insufficient water, cells collapse and the plant is unable to photosynthesize.
Transpiration can also be calculated by using a Potometer. A Potometer experiment is
performed to estimate the transpiration rate in different plants. A potometer is an apparatus
used to determine the transpiration rate of the cut shoot at the desired time. The beaker is then
placed on a digital balance. Readings depend upon the amount of water lost by the plant. Thus,
we can measure transpiration by recording the change in the volume of water taken up or the
change in mass.

LIMITATION:
1. Humidity of the environment conditions during the course of the experiment .

SOURCES OF ERROR:
1. Electronic balance having a systematic error and therefore not starting at 00.00g.

PRECAUTION:
1. Resetting electronic balance ensures that it begins at the zero mark.

CONCLUSION:
It is concluded that Wind, increases the rate of transpiration and causes water evaporation
from leaves to occur more quickly.

REFLECTION: Like all living organisms, plants also require an excretory system to discharge
excess water from their body. This process of elimination of excess water from the plant body is
known as transpiration. It is generally the evaporation of water from the surface of the
leaves.During the process of transpiration, water molecules in the plant tissues are removed.