Source: PIB
Context: 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.
What are Desiccation-tolerate plants?
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.
What are Vascular plants?
Vascular plants, also known as tracheophytes, are a group of plants that have specialized tissues for conducting water, nutrients, and sugars throughout their structures. These tissues are called vascular tissues and include the xylem and phloem.
