Question

What are the different type of water absorption system?

Answer 1

ABSORPTION OF WATER

Unlike aquatic plants, terrestrial plants have to absorb water form the soil all the time to maintain turgidity, metabolic activities and growth of the plant. It is essential to understand the structure of soil, its water content and factors; and also the plant structures involved in absorption of water.

Soil structure:

Soil is made up of fine rock particulate of various sizes derived from the weathered igneous and sedimentary rocks. Environmental factors like, heat, wind, rain, cold, river streams and oceanic waves act upon the rock particles, which break them down to smaller particles which on accumulation in a shallow or flat surfaces, constitute the soil.

SOIL WATER:

Rain water is the main source of water for most of the land plants. When the rain water falls or well water canal or river water flow on the soil, some water percolates into and moves into inter spaces found between rock particulates.

FIELD CAPACITY OF THE SOIL

The amount of water found within the soil as capillary water that is available for the root system is often referred to as useful water content of the soil. Hence the capacity of soil to hold maximum amount of utilizable or useful water is known as ‘Field capacity of the soil’, this again depends upon the nature of soil.

WILTING POINT

As roots with their numerous branches and millions of root hairs deplete water from capillary spaces, water from the other regions move into the depleted spaces; sometimes the water moves upwards from the water table and fills up the capillary spaces, but the refilling or replenishment process takes its own time.

ROOT SYSTEM

Plants growing in aquatic habitat do not require any special structures for absorbing water, but plants growing in soil or growing as epiphytes, posses’ special structures for absorbing water. For example, epiphytic orchids contain velamen root specially adopted to absorb water directly from the atmosphere. But the terrestrial plants produce roots that grow into the soil.