Question

What will happen if a plant cell is kept in a hypotonic solution for some time?

Answer 1

Tonicity is the comparative concentration of solutes thawed in solution which regulates the direction and degree of diffusion that takes place across the semipermeable membrane. Water diffuses into the cell that often appears turbid and bloated due to osmotic pressure.

Complete answer: Tonicity is the amount of the active osmotic pressure difference; the water potential of two solutions is divided by a semipermeable cell membrane.
A hypotonic solution is a solution having a lesser concentration of solutes than the other solution that is placed. In biology, a solution outside of a cell is known as hypotonic if it has a lower concentration of solutes compared to the cytosol. Due to osmotic pressure, water enters into the cell, and the cell often appears turgid or swollen. Cytolysis is induced and the cell wall is ruptured when there is excess water uptake due to vast concentration difference in the animal cells where cell walls are absent. When plant cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, the central vacuole takes on extra water and forces the pressure of water of the cell membrane against the cell wall. Due to the rigidity of the cell wall, it pushes back, preventing the cell from bursting which shows a defensive approach by the cell. This pressure which is exerted back is known as turgor pressure.

Note: In isosmotic conditions, the cell neither swells or shrinks as no concentration difference is generated to induce the diffusion of an increased quantity of water across the cell membrane. Water molecules easily diffuse through the plasma membrane in both directions, and as the rate of water diffusion is equal in each direction, the cell will neither gain nor lose water.