Desiccation-Tolerant Vascular Plant Species

Why in news?

• India’s biodiversity hotspot, the Western Ghats, is home to 62 Desiccation-Tolerant Vascular Plant Species which could have applications in agriculture, particularly in areas with scarcity of water.

About Desiccation-Tolerant Plant:

• Desiccation-tolerant vascular (DT) plants are able to withstand extreme dehydration, losing up to 95% of their water content, and they revive themselves once water is available again.
• This unique ability allows them to survive in harsh, arid environments that would be uninhabitable for most other plants.

Examples:

• Selaginella lepidophylla (Rose of Jericho)
• Xerophyta viscosa
• Myrothamnus flabellifolius (Resurrection plant)
• Craterostigma plantagineum
• Haberlea rhodopensis.

??????????????

What makes plants ‘desiccation-tolerant’?

• Desiccation-tolerant plants have special adaptations (e.g., mechanisms to prevent cellular damage during dehydration; thick cuticle on leaves, which reduces water loss through evaporation etc.) that allow them to survive extreme dehydration by losing a significant amount of water content and reviving when water becomes available again.

Promising Applications for Agriculture:

• The research on Desiccation-Tolerant plants in the Western Ghats holds promising implications for agriculture, particularly in areas with limited water resources.
• Understanding the mechanisms by which DT plants tolerate dehydration could potentially lead to the development of crops that are more drought-resistant and require less water.
• By harnessing the knowledge gained from these unique plants, researchers can contribute to sustainable agricultural practices and the mitigation of water scarcity challenges.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Plant species such ‘Selaginella lepidophylla’, ‘Xerophyta viscosa’ and ‘Haberlea rhodopensis’ finds mentioned in news because of their ability to:

(a) Cleanup organic pollutants from water bodies

(b) Survive in arid environments

(c) Improve the air quality

(d) Cure skin diseases

Answer