Effect of temperature on water transport through plants

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Abstract
Experiments were conducted to gain information on the effect of temperature on water transport through plants. The rate of water flow through several plant tissues was measured. Temperature coefficients were calculated and used to help analyze the effect of temperature on water transfer through these tissues. The Arrhenius theory was applied to the data to obtain the activation energies for the water flow from its temperature dependence. The activation energy for water flow through the plant stem was in good agreement with those calculated for the self-diffusion and viscous flow of water. This indicates that possibly one process (probably viscous flow) which involves the same activation mechanism as diffusion, is involved in water movement through the plant stem. The apparent activation energies were higher for water moving through roots than through stems or leaves, and they were higher for leaves than stems. This indicates that the mechanisms of water movement through leaves and roots were more complex than either simple diffusion or viscous flow.