Int.

Agrophysics, 2000, 14, 181-186

INFLUENCE OF WATER POTENTIAL ON THE FAILURE OF POTATO TISSUE

J. Haman1, K. Konstankiewicz2, A. Zdunek2

1
Boya-¯eleñskiego 4/72, 00-621 Warsaw, Poland
2
Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Doœwiadczalna 4, PO. Box 201, 20-290 Lublin 27, Poland

Accepted February 16, 2000

A b s t r a c t. This paper presents research on the ternal pressure. Any changes in the internal
influence of water potential of potato tuber tissue on the
mechanical parameters and count sum of the acoustic
pressure cause changes in the mechanical para-
emission signal. In the experiment method of acoustic meters of the cell, and hence the whole tissue
emission have been used. The results obtained prove the [12,13,14,15].
influence of water potential on the formation and When plant tissue is compressed, each of
propagation of cracks in the plant tissue deformed with a
constant velocity along the sample axis. It has been
the cells takes over part of external loading.
observed that an increase in water potential causes a Nilson et al. stated that the following processes
decrease in the compressive strength, maximal strain, take place [13]: 1) cells change their shape, 2)
critical strain, critical stress and an increase in the total count tension in the cell walls increases due to the
sum.
K e y w o r d s: acoustic emission, water potential, po- increase in the ratio between the surface of the
tato tissue cell walls and their volume, 3) turgor pressure
increases, 4) intracellular liquids flow out of the
INTRODUCTION cell with the speed related to the rate of loading
Plant material is subjected to external for- and permeability of plasmalemma.
ces during the whole production process. The Cell walls are basic construction elements
action of external mechanical factors is mani- responsible for the strength of the whole tissue
fested in the micro damages that cause plant [6,14,15]. Tissue failure due to high cellular
browning and lower the quality of the whole adhesion occurs through the cracking of cell
yield. For these reasons intensive studies on the walls [17]. If we continue deformation of the
mechanical properties of plant materials have cell, the tensile stresses in the cell walls will
been carried out for many years [1,2,5]. Deter- increase and in consequence cracking of the
mination of the mechanical conditions for the tissue.
formation of micro cracks is especially im- The method that enables studies on the
portant in the case of this type of material [3,4, processes of cracking that occur in the deformed
6,10,11]. material is the method of acoustic emission
Plant tissue has a very complex structure. (called the AE method) [9,16]. The studies
Each element in this structure exerts a certain showed that this method allows for the de-
influence on the mechanical properties of the termination of the mechanical conditions for the
tissue. Cellular liquids are one of these ele- crack formation and then observations of their
ments. They are sustained in the cells of the propagation in the plant tissue that are generated
plant tissue under a certain pressure called in- as a result of external forces [7,8,18].
182 J. HAMAN et al.

The aim of the article is to present the were used for the analysis (Fig. 1). Sample
results of studies on the influence of water po- compressive strength was defined as the maxi-
tential on the parameters of the acoustic emis- mal stress or the stress at which an increase in
sion signal and mechanical parameters of the the strain did not cause any further increase of
potato tuber tissue. stress (beginning of the plateau) or a momenta-
ry, observable decrease in the stress. Maximal
MATERIALS AND METHODS strain was defined as strain for the strength of
the sample. Critical strain and critical stress
The present experiment has been carried were defined as the strain and the stress at which
out for the potato variety Panda. The study first AE counts were recorded.
material was bred in the Institute of Plant Bre-
eding and Acclimatisation in Jadwisin. Potatoes
ware collected in September, 1998 and stored 10000 total count sum
compressive strength
1,6
during one month in the controlled conditions: 1,4
8500
6 oC, 90.95 % humidity. 1,2
7000

Stress [MPa]
Cylindrical samples with the diameter of
Count sum

critical 1
5500 stress
10mm were cut out of the outer core by means of 0,8
a steel cork drill along the longer diameter of the 4000
0,6
potato tuber. Next, the cylinders with similar 2500 critical strain
0,4
height of about 30 mm were placed in 200 ml of 1000 0,2
one the mannitol concentrations with the fol-
-500 0
0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5
lowing water potentials: -0.3, -0.45, -0.6, -0.9,
Strain
-1.2, -1.5 MPa. Water potential of the man- nitol
solutions was measured by means of a psycho-
metric chamber C-52 and micro voltmeter Fig. 1. The stress-strain curve (wide line) and the count sum
- strain curve (narrow line) recorded in the experiment.
HR-33. The samples were left in the solutions
till the system reached the state of balance for
Acoustic emission
20±0.3 h [13]. The water potential of potato
tissue will reach the value close to the initial The term acoustic emission (AE) is used for
value of the mannitol water potential. It is dif- the phenomenon of elastic waves generation
ficult to state exactly the value of turgor pres- and propagation as a result of release of the
sure for given water potential, since water tran- stored inner energy. As a result of turgor pres-
sportation in the plant is an active process. For sure in the plant tissue, there is a certain initial
that reason in the further parts of the article the and heterogeneous distribution of stresses in it
term water potential will be used for quantitati- (Fig. 2). An external force acting on it will chan-
ve analyses, whereas in the qualitative conside- ge this distribution. If the local stress exceeds
rations - the term turgor pressure will be used. the critical stress for the cell wall, then the
After that, samples were cut out by means process of plant tissue cracking will start. Part of
of a knife with two parallel blades to the height the energy released in this process is emitted in
of 5 mm. Compression tests were carried out by the form of elastic waves that are called the
means of a Lloyd LRX testing machine. The acoustic emission signal (AE signals). The fre-
samples were compressed with a constant velo- quency range of this signal is from 10 kHz to
city of 0.33 mm s-1 along the cylinder axis. For- 1000 kHz. The AE signal propagates from the
ty repetitions were carried out for each water source to the material surface where it can be
potentials. In the experiment the stress in the recorded by suitable transducers, i.e., piezoele-
function of strain were recorded. Mechanical ctric. The most frequently used parameter of the
parameters such as sample compressive strength, acoustic emission signal is the count sum that is
maximal strain, critical stress and critical strain determined by summing up the number of times
 INFLUENCE OF WATER POTENTIAL 183

way of connecting eliminates sample friction

EXTERNAL FORCE
against the sensor front but at the same time is
ensures satisfactory good “acoustic connec-
DISTRIBUTION tion”. At the bond of sample - plate material
OF INNER ENERGY
(potato tissue - steel) the AE signal goes from
the material with lower density to the material
with higher density. Hence signal damping and
distortion is not big. After leaving the AE sen-
sor, the electric signal is amplified in the pre-
amplifier (40 dB) situated in the close vicinity
NEW of the sensor. Then the signal is filtered and
DISTRIBUTION
OF INNER ENERGY amplified again in the Acoustic Emission Ana-
lyser Type EA 100 [16]. The EA 100 Analyser
transforms the AE signal into the form of counts
MECHANICAL HEAT
ACOUSTIC recorded in the chosen time period (0.01 s). In
WORK EMISSION
ENERGY
SIGNAL
the present experiment the recording of counts
was carried out to the moment the sample rea-
Fig. 2. The generation of the acoustic emission signal in the ched the stress value equal to the sample com-
plant tissue subjected to external forces. pressive strength. The number of all the cunts
recorded up to that moment was defined as the
when the assumed voltage level (called the dis- total count sum.
crimination level) has been exceeded by the EA
The measuring set applied for the present
signal amplitude in a given time period [8,14].
experiment allows for the simultaneous record-
In the present experiment, a wide-band pie-
ing of the mechanical parameters mentioned
zoelectric sensor type WD (Physical Acoustic
above and the count sum of the acoustic emis-
Corp., USA) with high sensitivity in a wide ran-
sion signal.
ge of frequencies (25 kHz to 1000 kHz) has
been used for the recording of the acoustic emi-
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
ssion signal. Due to small sample sizes and high
deformations of the plant tissues, the AE sensor The results obtained in the present study
is fixed to the plate of the stress machine exactly prove that changes in the turgor pressure of po-
in the sample axis as can be seen in Fig. 3. This tato tissue cause changes both in the mechanical

Fig. 3. The measuring system used in the experiment.

184 J. HAMAN et al.

parameters and the total count sum. The average 10400 with coefficient of linear regression =
values of tissue compressive strength, maximal 0.961. Considering the sample size used for the
strain, critical stress and strain and total count present experiment, i.e., (10 x 5 mm) the total
sum together with their significant level (a= count sum ranges from about 2500 (the minimal
0.05) obtained for different water potentials turgor pressure) to about 10 000 (the maximal
have been presented in Table 1. turgor pressure).

T a b l e 1. Mean mechanical parameters and mean total count sum of AE signal for potato tuber var. Panda as a function of
water potential (lest significant differences in 0.05 confidence level in brackets)

Water potential Compressive Maximal strain Critical stress Critical strain Total count sum
Y (MPa) strength em Rc (MPa) em SN
R (MPa)
1 2 3 4 5 6
-0.3 1.42 (±0.04) 0.34 (±0.005) 0.65 (±0.02) 0.18 (±0.006) 9537 (±220)
-0.45 1.66 (±0.05) 0.36 (±0.005) 0.77 (±0.04) 0.21 (±0.006) 7641 (±300)
-0.6 1.70 (±0.03) 0.37 (±0.004) 0.81 (±0.03) 0.25 (±0.01) 6853 (±340)
-0.9 1.94 (±0.03) 0.39 (±0.004) 0.94 (±0.03) 0.29 (±0.01) 4995 (±240)
-1.2 2.36 (±0.08) 0.42 (±0.006) 1.31 (±0.07) 0.36 (±0.01) 4326 (±280)
-1.5 2.54 (±0.08) 0.44 (±0.006) 1.58 (±0.07) 0.38 (±0.01) 2464 (±110)

Increase in the water potential causes de- Most often it is assumed that cells of the
crease in critical strain and critical stress (co- plant tissues have the shape of tetraidecache-
lumns 4 and 5 in Table 1). It means that turgor dron (with 14 walls) or a sphere [13,14]. These
pressure causes changes in the mechanical para- bodies have relatively the highest ratio volume
meters at which the process of tissue destruction to surface. Due to cell turgidity, the cell walls
starts. The results obtained show that changes in are initially tensed. Higher turgor pressure has
turgor pressure can increase critical strain and results in higher tension in the cell walls. In the
critical stress by even over 100%. situation where the cell with initial turgor is
The results of the present experiment prove compressed, the ratio of volume to the cell
that an increase in the water potential of potato surface decreases. It means that the cell walls
tuber cause a linear decrease in the sample are additionally stretched. Hence, cell strain or
compressive strength and the maximal strain stress at which cell wall will cracks, is lower for
(columns 2 and 3 in Table 1). Relation between
the tissue compressive strength and the value
12000 water potential=-0,3 [MPa]
of water potential can be described by equation: water potential=-0,6 [MPa]
R = - 0.93 Y +1.17 (coefficient of linear regre- 10000
water potential=-1,2 [MPa]

ssion has the value of 0.981). Relation between

the tissue maximal strain and the value of water 8000
potential can be described by equation: em =
Count sum

- 0.08 Y + 0.32 (coefficient of linear regression 6000

has the value of 0.992).

Shapes of count sum - strain curves obtai- 4000

ned in the experiment are connected with turgor

2000
pressure (Fig. 4). Changes in the turgor pressure
of the tissue cause changes in the total count
0
sum. Alongside the increase in the water po- 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
tential of the tissue the total count sum increases Strain
almost linearly (in the range of water potential: Fig. 4. The count sum in the function of the strain obtained
from -0.3 MPa to -1.5 MPa): SN= 5384 Y+ for different water potentials.
 INFLUENCE OF WATER POTENTIAL 185

higher value initial turgor pressure. That is how (in the form of cracks) of the plant materials
we one can explain the decrease in the value of take place.
critical strain and critical stress when the water
potential of the potato tuber tissue increases CONCLUSIONS
(Table 1). Results of the studies on the influence of the
At a given strain (higher than the critical water potential on the mechanical parameters
strain), the number of cracked cell walls de- and the parameters of the acoustic emission
pends on the initial turgor pressure and it will be signal allow to formulate the following con-
higher for higher initial turgor pressure. Ap- clusions:
plying great simplification, we can assume that 1. An increasing water potential of the pota-
the plant tissue is mechanically weakened when to tissue reduces the critical strain and the
some walls get cracked. Hence, we can suspect critical stress (the values at which the process of
that the plant tissue with higher initial turgor cracking starts),
pressure will achieve the state of strength at lo- 2. The total count sum increases propor-
wer stress and strain (Table 1). tionally to the increase of water potential of po-
The structure of a plant tissue is very hete- tato tissue,
rogeneous hence the processes of crack forma- 3. The compressive strength and the maxi-
tions and crack propagation are of a stochastic mal strain of the potato tuber are a decreasing
character. This fact makes interpretation of re- function of the water potential.
sults difficult and is the reason for the relatively
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