What is Water Potential?
Water molecules have a quantity of kinetic energy. The more water there is in a system, the greater it’s kinetic energy or water potential. When two water-containing systems come into contact, water molecules flow from the higher-energy system to the lower-energy system. The potential of water is measured in pascals. At standard temperature, the water potential of pure water is zero.
When a specific amount of solute is introduced to pure water, the concentration of water decreases, as does the water potential. The solute potential is the amount by which the water potential decreases. This is always negative, and the value of solute potential drops as the number of dissolved solutes increases. When pure water is subjected to pressures greater than atmospheric pressure, the value of water potential increases. When water enters a plant cell via diffusion and exerts pressure on the cell’s walls, the cell is said to be turgid. This raises the potential for pressure. This value is almost always positive. The sum of solute potential and pressure potential is water potential.
Plant Water Relations
The transfer of water, nutrients, and other materials from one section of the plant to another is referred to as transport in plants. Plants rely on their transport system for growth, survival, and reproduction. Water transport in plants is critical for sustaining the turgor pressure required for cell structure and function.