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A student read that plants require several essential elementsfor a healthy growt

ID: 4818 • Letter: A

Question

A student read that plants require several essential elementsfor a healthy growth and decided to fertilize his yellowingbegonia. when she mixed the plant food, she made the solution threetimes as concentrated as the directions suggested. the next day herplant was not only yellow, but also badly wilted. can you help thestudent undertasnd why this happened? A student read that plants require several essential elementsfor a healthy growth and decided to fertilize his yellowingbegonia. when she mixed the plant food, she made the solution threetimes as concentrated as the directions suggested. the next day herplant was not only yellow, but also badly wilted. can you help thestudent undertasnd why this happened?

Explanation / Answer

Wilting refers to the loss of rigidity ofnon-woody parts of plants. This occurs when the turgor pressure innon-lignified plant cells falls towards zero, as a result ofdiminished water in the cells. The process of wilting modifies theleaf angle distribution of the plant (or canopy) towards moreerectophile conditions.

Lower water availability may result from: