Simulation of Atmospheric Humidity Uptake by the Aerial Roots of Plants

The mobilization of water by the plant is one of the main challenges of the moment given the threats of food insecurity whose main cause is climate change. The atmosphere contains moisture at any time of the year in the arid or semi-arid zone. Apart from the underground roots naturally possessed by many plants, there are plants which possess exclusively or not aerial roots. In the search for methods of adapting crops to water stress, it is imperative to deepen knowledge about interaction between atmospheric humidity and the aerial roots of plants with respect to water absorption. Assuming transfer coefficients of the aerial roots homogeneous and taking into account the variability of the water potential of atmospheric humidity, simulations showed that relative air humidity, root size, and radial and axial transfer coefficients strongly influence radial and axial flows and therefore the amount of water absorbed by the roots.