Imbibition

Under certain circumstances water is taken up by the plant materials by a process called imbibition. In this process the water moves along a potential gradient from a region of higher potential to a region of lower potential as in diffusion. The substances that imbibe water or other solvents called imbibants. The imbibans are colloidal in nature. Water is held strongly with the imbibant by forces of attraction which may be electrostatic or chemical Forces.

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