TITLE:
Dynamics of Water Flow in the Atmosphere-Aerial Roots Continuum
AUTHORS:
Médéhouénou Enagnon Alexis, Kounouhéwa Bruno Basile, Koutchadé Clément
KEYWORDS:
Plant, Aerial Root, Absorption, Atmospheric Humidity
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Fluid Dynamics,
Vol.8 No.4,
November
21,
2018
ABSTRACT: The study of the parameters influencing the absorption of atmospheric humidity not condensed by plants with aerial roots is a challenge in the current context of climatic disturbance where methods of adapting plants to water stress have become the concern of many scientific researchers. Based on Poiseuille and Fick laws, leaf water potential depending on solar radiation and atmospheric water potential around aerial roots; the influence of temperature, relative humidity, inclination angle of roots and solar radiation wavelength on the radial and axial water flow through a root segment is simulated. The various simulations show that a low temperature of the air surrounding the root favors a significant entry of water into the root as well as a relative humidity of the high air approaching 100%. The angle of inclination has an influence on the quantity of water entering the root and that rising in the xylem. These different streams of water are optimized for root tilting of 60°. The wavelength of the red radiation received by the leaves favors more entry and rise of water in the root. Future studies for transgenes should be taken into account the influence of all these parameters.