Question

The leaves of a well-watered potted plant were found wilted during a hot sunny day.

e. What explanation would you suggest if the wilted leaves did not recover even during the night?

Answer 1

Condition (a): If the plant recovers from the wilted state:

1. The plant usually recovers from the wilted state during the night because at night the atmospheric temperature falls which reduces the rate of transpiration thereby, reducing the water loss from the plant parts.
2. The recovery of wilted plants is based on the increased rate of absorption as compared to the low rate of transpiration.
3. The rate of absorption exceeds the rate of transpiration and this results in providing sufficient water supply to the plant. Therefore, plants recover from the wilted state.

Condition (b): If the plant did not recover from the wilted state:

1. The most possible explanation for this condition is the rate of absorption cannot exceed the rate of transpiration even during the night.
2. The rate of absorption cannot provide a sufficient amount of water and cannot compensate for the water that is being lost during the day.
3. This can result in the leaf drop and eventually the death of the plant.