Water transport

Important water fluxes are present in a tissue culture container. The sugar concentration on which the shoots are maintained has no major effect on the water fluxes, while the agar concentration has. The higher the agar concentration the more water is translocated via the shoots to the surroundings. These shoots have better water retention.

(A): experimental setup: In a meli jar a small cup is fixed in the centre; 90 ml of stage 2 medium is poured around the cup, 7 ml of stage 2 medium prepared with ³H₂O is pored in the cup, and evaporation from the cup is prevented.

(B): water fluxes, over a 48-h period, in a tissue culture container with stage 2 of Rosa multiflora. The values (in %) represent the redistribution of the ³H₂O-activity, initially added to the small cup. Data are averages of different experiments using different agar and sucrose concentrations and plants of different age in culture.