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Plant water uptake from soil through a vapor pathway
Ana I Vargas1, Bruce Schaffer1, Leonel da S L Sternberg2
1Tropical Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Homestead, FL, 33031, USA.
Physiologia Plantarum
|July 24, 2020
Summary
Plants can absorb water through vapor, even in dry soil. However, this study found that vapor uptake did not alleviate drought stress in Viburnum suspensum L. plants.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Environmental Science
- Isotope Hydrology
Background:
- Plants can absorb water through various pathways, including soil and atmospheric vapor.
- Drought stress significantly impacts plant physiological processes, affecting survival and productivity.
- Understanding alternative water uptake mechanisms is crucial for predicting plant responses in changing environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate water uptake by Viburnum suspensum L. through a vapor pathway in dry soil conditions.
- To determine if water absorption via vapor can mitigate the negative effects of drought on plants.
- To quantify the contribution of vapor water to plant hydration using stable isotope tracers.
Main Methods:
- Experimental setup with three treatment groups: irrigation, drought with vapor, and drought without vapor.
- Use of deuterium-labeled water to trace vapor uptake.
- Measurement of physiological parameters: net CO2 assimilation (A), transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs), and stem water potential (Ψ).
- Stable isotope ratio analysis (δ²H) of soil and xylem water.
Main Results:
- Viburnum suspensum L. plants demonstrated water uptake through the vapor phase in dry soil.
- Soil and xylem water in the vapor treatment showed significantly enriched δ²H values, confirming vapor absorption.
- Despite vapor uptake, physiological stress indicators (A, E, gs, Ψ) significantly decreased in both drought and vapor treatments, indicating no mitigation of drought effects.
Conclusions:
- Plants can absorb water from atmospheric vapor, contributing to their water balance even in arid conditions.
- Vapor water uptake, under the tested conditions, did not provide sufficient hydration to counteract drought-induced physiological decline in Viburnum suspensum L.
- Further research is needed to explore the efficiency and limitations of vapor uptake as a drought adaptation strategy in different plant species and environments.
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