Question

The process of plasmolysis in plant cell may be defined as

• A. Bursting of plasma membrane in a hypotonic medium.
• B. Shrinkage of cytoplasm in hypertonic medium.
• C. Breakage of plasma membrane in a hypertonic medium.
• D. Shrinkage of cytoplasm in hypotonic medium.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Shrinkage of cytoplasm in hypertonic medium.

Plasmolysis can be defined as the shrinkage of the cytoplasm of a plant cell, away from its cell wall and toward the center. It occurs because of the movement of water from the intracellular space to the outer cellular space. This happens when the plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution (i.e., a solution having more solute concentration than the cell cytoplasm). This causes the water to move out of the cell and toward the solution. The cytoplasm of the cell shrinks and the cell is said to be plasmolysed. This process can be observed in an onion peel kept in a highly concentrated salt solution.

So, the correct answer is option B.