Guwahati, Oct. 26 -- Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati) have found how plants adjust their internal water transport system during drought. This discovery could help develop drought-tolerant crop varieties and reduce agricultural losses.

The study, published in Applied Physics Reviews, examined how drought-induced water stress changes the structure and functioning of xylem, the microscopic tubes in plant stems that carry water from roots to leaves.

Led by Prof. Pranab Kumar Mondal of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the research team combined experimental measurements with realistic three-dimensional computer simulations to investigate how plants regulate water movement under stress.

The ...