Active Water Transport in Plants

Abstract

AbstractThere is no unanimous agreement about a definition of active water transport. The following definition was accepted: During an active transport or process, the water potential must increase and this gain must depend on the decrease in free energy in some metabolic process (5, 10).The passage of water from soil through plants to atmosphere can involve several active steps. A removal of solutes from the water represents a gain of osmotic water potential and this gain can exceed concurrent losses of other water potential components, resulting in a net gain of water potential.An increase of water potential was demonstrated in barley seedlings. Bleeding and guttation liquids were usually found to be more dilute than the external solution. Osmotic and gravitational potential components in exudates, thus, increased while other components remained virtually constant relative to the external solutions. The gain in osmotic potential depends most likely on a metabolic removal of salts: hence, the requirements for an active transport are satisfied. Active water transports, however, are not dependent or connected with the development of root pressure.The existence of active water transports disproves the rule that water flows only along water potential gradients (only against diffusion pressure deficit gradients).A gain in leaf water potential has a physiological significance since the range of soil water potentials a plant can withstand without wilting is extended.