Question

Wilting occurs due to
(a) Diffusion
(b) Imbibition
(c) Exosmosis
(d) Endosmosis

Answer 1

Wilting occurs when the amount of water lost from the plant during transpiration is greater than the amount of water absorbed from the soil. Due to the high rate of transpiration large amounts of water will be moved out of the cell.

Complete answer:
Wilting occurs due to exosmosis. Exosmosis is the movement of water out of the cell. It depends upon the difference in osmotic potential and tonicity between the intracellular contents and the extracellular medium. Osmotic potential is the hydrostatic pressure that draws into a more concentrated solution from a less concentrated solution. Wilting can be referred to as the loss of rigidity of non-woody parts of the plants. It occurs when the turgor pressure in plant cells falls to near zero. In-plant cells, the only solvent involved in water. Water can move from soil to root cells, or from one cell to another, by Osmosis. 70% or more of the water in a mature plant cell is vacuolar. This water can move across the tonoplast, plasma membrane, and the protoplasmic layer in between them.

Additional Information: -Osmosis is the most important physical process that brings about the movement of water in living systems.
-It is the net diffusion of solvent molecules from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution through a semipermeable membrane.
-The diffusing molecules are always liquid molecules. Depends upon the osmotic potential of the diffusing substance.
So, the correct answer is 'Exosmosis'.

Note: -Osmosis is influenced by the presence of non-diffusing solute substances in the system. It is also influenced by Turgor or hydrostatic pressure other than the osmotic potential.
-In osmosis, an equilibrium between the free energy of the solvent molecules is never established.
-It is always influenced by water potential, solute potential, pressure potential, gravity potential, etc.