fungi, and bacteria. The lower
the concentration of solutes in
the soil solution, the faster os-
mosis proceeds and conversely
the higher the concentration of
solutes in the soil solution, the
slower osmosis proceeds.
During a hot day, the sol-
utes that are not absorbed by
the plant and are left behind
concentrate around the root
hairs forming a boundary layer
of concentrated solutes. This
layer, being more concentrated
in solutes than the rest of the
water on the surface of the root
hair, inhibits absorption in a
process that is called induced
osmotic resistance. The bound-
ary layer is produced dynami-
cally and limited by diffusion
and tends to vanish with time.
May 2018
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