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Related Concept Videos

Responses to Salt Stress02:02

Responses to Salt Stress

Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
Tonicity in Plants00:53

Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water. It depends on the quantity of solute that does not penetrate the membrane. Tonicity delimits the magnitude and direction of osmosis and results in three possible scenarios that alter the volume of a cell: hypertonicity, hypotonicity, and isotonicity. Due to differences in structure and physiology, tonicity of plant cells is different from that of animal cells in some scenarios.
Tonicity in Plants01:20

Tonicity in Plants

Plant cells maintain appropriate osmotic balance in extreme conditions. For instance, plants in dry environments store water in vacuoles, limit the opening of their stoma, and have thick, waxy cuticles to prevent unnecessary water loss. Some species of plants that live in salty environments store salt in their roots. As a result, water osmosis occurs in the root from the surrounding soil.
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress02:45

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
The Soil Ecosystem02:23

The Soil Ecosystem

Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:
Key Elements for Plant Nutrition02:35

Key Elements for Plant Nutrition

Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the atmosphere, the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
08:16

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Soils set the optimal tension limit for plants.

Md Mahadi Hasan1, Nadiyah M Alabdallah2, Md Atikur Rahman3

  • 1Basic and Applied Scientific Research Center, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia.

Trends in Plant Science
|May 10, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Land plants regulate water loss at a consistent leaf tension, around 1.3 MPa. This threshold is determined by soil water availability, not xylem vulnerability, with osmotic pressure playing a key role.

Keywords:
osmotic pressureplant hydraulicssoil hydraulicsstomatal closurevascular tensionwater potential

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Physiology
  • Soil Science
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Land plants absorb soil water under negative pressure.
  • Stomatal regulation, crucial for plant survival, initiates at a conserved leaf tension of approximately 1.3 MPa across various species.
  • Understanding the drivers of this conserved threshold is vital for plant ecophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the primary factors triggering stomatal regulation at a conserved leaf tension.
  • To determine whether soil hydraulic constraints or xylem embolism vulnerability dictates this physiological threshold.
  • To explore the role of leaf osmotic pressure in setting the stomatal closure point.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of plant water relations across diverse species.
  • Hydraulic measurements to assess soil and plant water status.
  • Modeling to link soil properties to leaf water potential.

Main Results:

  • A conserved leaf tension threshold (∼1.3 MPa) for stomatal regulation was observed across species.
  • Soil hydraulic conductivity and water availability were identified as the main drivers for this convergence.
  • Xylem embolism vulnerability was found to be less influential than soil constraints.
  • Leaf osmotic pressure was shown to contribute to setting the physiological threshold.

Conclusions:

  • Soil hydraulic limitations, rather than xylem embolism, are the primary determinants of the conserved stomatal regulation threshold in land plants.
  • Leaf osmotic pressure plays a significant role in modulating this threshold, influencing plant responses to drought stress.
  • These findings advance our understanding of plant water use strategies and their ecological implications.