For the first time, researchers have observed how plants suck up water

Plants are thirsty for water, just like us animals, but exactly how they suck it in through their tissues has remained a bit of a mystery, as trying to see it happen alters the process.

Applying a gentle imaging technique in a new way, University of ทดลองเล่นสล็อต Nottingham physicist Flavius ​​Pascut and the team were able to observe the innards of plants at work as they drank in real time.

We have developed a way to allow us to monitor this process at the individual cell level, ”said Kevin Webb, electrophysiologist at the University of Nottingham. “We can not only see the water rising inside the root, but also where and how it moves. about."

Not only is water itself essential for plants, but it also acts as a vehicle for the transport of other important nutrients, minerals and biomolecules in living structures. The efficiency with which plants are able to move the precious liquid can have a huge effect on their ability to tolerate harsh environmental conditions.

"To observe the uptake of water by living plants without damaging them, we applied a laser-sensitive light microscopy technique to see the movement of water inside living roots non-invasively, which has never been done before, ”explained Webb.