Wilting

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Wilted fig leaves on a branch

Wilting refers to the loss of rigidity of non-woody parts of plants. This occurs when the turgor pressure in non-lignified plant cells falls towards zero, as a result of diminished water in the cells. The process of wilting modifies the leaf angle distribution of the plant (or canopy) towards more erectophile conditions.

Lower water availability may result from:

• drought conditions, where the soil moisture drops below conditions most favorable for plant functioning;
• high salinity, which causes water to diffuse from the plant cells and induce shrinkage;
• saturated soil conditions, where roots are unable to obtain sufficient oxygen for cellular respiration, and so are unable to transport water into the plant; or
• bacteria or fungi that clog the plant's vascular system.

Wilting diminishes the plant's ability to transpire and grow. Permanent wilting leads to plant death. Symptoms of wilting and blights resemble one another.

In woody plants, reduced water availability leads to cavitation of the xylem.

Wilting occurs in plants such as Balsam and tulasi.

Treatment

Keep the wilted flowers in hot water of about 115-120 F temperature. This allows water to move into the plant cells through their selectively permeable membrane. Once in the cells, water moves into the vacuole, which expands and pushes against the cell wall, causing an increase in osmotic pressure (also known as turgor pressure). This restores the flower's rigidity and it becomes turgid once again. Caution: do not keep flowers in hotter water as they may die. Do not keep the flowers which are not wilted in hot water.^{[citation needed]}

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