Transpiration in plants and how to reduce it

How to Reduce Transpiration Rates and Save on Water

Similar to the way humans sweat, plants transpire through their stomata as a way to keep cool on hot days.

Transpiration happens when plants draw water from their root zone to stay hydrated and lower their temperature. As water evaporates into the air surrounding the leaf, the plant’s temperature will drop. While this process certainly helps the plant deal with heat stress on scorching days, too much water loss over the growing season will definitely have a negative impact on your crop. This is particularly a concern where temperatures are high, precipitation is low, and water is scarce.

On the flip side, if air humidity is too high, plants will struggle to transpire. Conditions for heat stress can vary vastly between different plant species and in different growing environments. That’s why it’s easier to grow tomatoes in Canada than avocados or bananas, for example.

Diagram showing transpiration in plant illustration

Help your plants beat the heat with HYSHIELD

While drought and heat stress are significant environmental strains for plants, chitosan — a by-product of the crab shells — has been shown to help.

For example, young apple seedlings foliar sprayed with chitosan showed enhanced antioxidant activity, reduced electrolyte leakage, and restored moisture content under continuous drought stress for 35 days. Chitosan is also reported to trigger resistance against drought and reduce transpiration in potato, moth orchid, rice, white clover, and grapevine plants.

By stimulating physiological responses to water deficit tolerance, chitosan foliar application works as a type of antitranspirant without compromising the agronomic yield.

Essentially, it reduces transpiration through partial or full closure of the leaf’s stomata. A recent 47-day study showed chitosan-treated plants used 26 per cent less water than non-treated plants.¹

Hygrozymes’ unique HYSHIELD chitosan formula gives your crop a fighting chance to survive in high heat stress environments. Additionally, by activating the plant’s natural defense mechanisms, HYSHIELD can help your plant ward off potential pests and pathogens.

Designed to be compatible with all water-soluble nutrients and supplement programs, HYSHIELD can boost your yield and enhance conditions for more vigorous plant growth.

To find out more about HYSHIELD or any other Hygrozyme products, be sure to contact us today.

¹Reduction of transpiration through foliar application of chitosan : By Marco Bittellia, Markus Flurya,∗, Gaylon S. Campbellb, Everett J. Nicholsc. a Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA b Decagon Devices, Inc., Pullman, WA 99164, USA c Vanson, Inc., Redmond, WA 98052, USA Received 27 June 2000; received in revised form 1 December 2000; accepted 8 December 2000 .