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Water relations in cell walls and cells in the intact plant
Author(s) -
Oertli J. J.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
zeitschrift für pflanzenernährung und bodenkunde
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1522-2624
pISSN - 0044-3263
DOI - 10.1002/jpln.19841470207
Subject(s) - turgor pressure , plasmolysis , cell wall , moisture , plant cell , water content , vacuole , osmotic pressure , hydrostatic pressure , biophysics , chemistry , materials science , botany , geotechnical engineering , biology , composite material , cytoplasm , geology , mechanics , biochemistry , physics , gene
The cell wall sap is a very dilute solution with a low and usually negative hydrostatic pressure that decreases further as the moisture stress increases. From a readily acceptable cell model it follows that, under these conditions of water in cell walls, plant cells will develop negative turgor pressures under severe moisture stress. Cell walls are not built to withstand the buckling loads resulting from negative turgor pressures. Consequently, the cell will collapse and shrivel. This is an important pattern of plant injury during severe moisture stress. Plasmolysis is rather an artifact that is observed under laboratory conditions. It will occur whenever solutes accumulate in cell walls and the osmolality in the walls exceeds that of the vacuole. Under natural conditions, this may e. g. occur in plants growing on salt affected soils.