Introduction-The process of evaporation of water from fruits and vegetables is known as transpiration. Water loss is a major cause of product deterioration, such as wilting and shivering, which can have serious repercussions (Ryall and Pentzer 1974). Water loss, in fact, is first and foremost a loss of marketable weight that consequently has a negative impact on look (wilting and shrivelling). Additionally, increased softness, a loss of crispness or juiciness, and a decline in nutritional quality reduce the sensory quality (Irtwange 2006). On the one hand, morphological and anatomical traits, surface-to-volume ratio, surface injuries, and maturity stage influence transpiration, while on the other hand, relative humidity (R.H.), air flow, and atmospheric pressure influence it.
The evaporation of water to plants is known as transpiration. The majority of the water received by a plant’s roots—up to 99.5 percent—is not used for growth and metabolism; it is superfluous water that departs the plant via transpiration. Transpiration is critical for sustaining the environment’s moisture levels. Water transpiration by plants accounts for up to 10% of the moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Types of Transpiration with Example
As a physical process, water loss can occur from any exposed area of the plant. There are three types of transpiration, depending on the surface through which water is lost.
- Stomatal transpiration: On the epidermis of leaves, stomata are tiny pores. Stomata can also be observed on the epidermis of green stems in herbaceous plants. They serve as a link between internal tissue and the outer environment. As a result, they are the primary conduit for the escape of water vapour. Stomatal transpiration is responsible for 80-90 percent of the plant’s total water loss.
Example- The evaporation of water from a plant’s stomata is known as stomatal transpiration. The stomata are where most of the water transpired from a plant’s leaves departs; at least 90% of the water transpired from a plant’s leaves exits through the stomata. Water in liquid form converts to water vapour near the leaf’s surface and evaporates from the plant through open stomata
- Cuticular transpiration: The epidermis of leaves and stems is protected by a waxy coating of cutin and cuticle. The presence of cuticles on the epidermis’s surface inhibits water evaporation directly. If the cuticle is thin, it may be responsible for up to 20% of total transpiration. However, as the thickness of the material grows, the amount of water vapour loss decreases. Under normal conditions, cuticular transpiration contributes for around 10% of the total amount of transpiration from leaves.
Example- The evaporation of water from a plant’s cuticle is referred to as cuticular transpiration. A waxy film covers the surface of a plant’s leaves, and it’s known as the cuticle. The cuticle loses roughly 5-10% of the water in the leaves, so this method of transpiration does not account for much of a plant water loss. More water is transpired when plants close their stomata in dry weather.
- Lenticular transpiration: Small gaps in the cork of woody stems, branches, and fruits are known as lenticels. These apertures allow water vapour to escape. Lenticular transpiration is the loss of water through lenticels seen on woody stems and fruits. It accounts for about 1% of a plant’s overall water loss. Lenticular transpiration can be significant in deciduous trees that drop their leaves in the autumn.
Example- Evaporation of water from such a plant’s lenticels is known as lenticular transpiration. The bark of branches and twigs has microscopic openings called lenticels. Lenticels are not found in every plant. When compared to stomatal transpiration, the amount of water lost by this method is relatively modest, although it can grow in a dry environment, just like cuticular transpiration.
Different types of Transpiration
- Stomatal Transpiration. It is the evaporation of water from a plant’s stomata.
- Lenticular Transpiration.
- Cuticular Transpiration.
- Light.
- Temperature.
- Environmental Factors.
- Cellular Factors.
- Relative Humidity.
Conclusion:
Plants release the water they contain in the form of moisture or water vapour through the process of transpiration. Some of the water in the soil is absorbed by the roots, while the rest evaporates into the atmosphere. Water evaporates from plant parts such as stems, microscopic pores on leaves, and flowers into the sky. The process of evaporation of water from fruits and vegetables is known as transpiration. The evaporation of water to plants is known as transpiration. The majority of the water received by a plant’s roots—up to 99.5 percent—is not used for growth and metabolism; it is superfluous water that departs the plant via transpiration. As a physical process, water loss can occur from any exposed area of the plant. There are three types of transpiration, depending on the surface through which water is lost. 1- Stomatal transpiration 2- Cuticular transpiration 3- Lenticular transpiration