Impact of Electric Transmission Lines on Plants

Each plant cell consists of a highly conductive cytoplasmic core surrounded by a thin insulating plasma membrane which is in turn surrounded by a porous - but rigid - cell wall. The insulating plasma membrane plays a prominent role in the electrochemical balance between the cell cytoplasm and the environment and this is reflected in the membranes intrinsic electrical potential. The electrical nature of this membrane and the fact that externally applied electrical fields are localized in the plasma membrane - and not the cell cytoplasm - suggests that they are the biologically relevant site for studies into the impact of electric fields on plant growth (Miller et al. 110).

Plant cellular growth is constrained by the rigidity of the cell wall. In order to grow, each cell wall must loosen and undergo elastic extension in response to turgor pressure. For cellular expansion to take place, a turgor pressure sufficient to stretch the cell wall must be maintained within th

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threshold for this inhibition is about 220 V.m-1 which is nominally greater than that of the threshold for growth inhibition in Zea (170 V.m-1). As in the previous study, inhibition of acidification correlates positively with increasing cell size and distance from the root tip, and further indicates that the cellular orientation to the electrical field is an additional factor to be considerated (Brayman and Miller ô60-Hz Electricö 29). Taken together, these studies suggest that 60-Hz electric field exposure inhibits root growth by increasing the electrical potentential of the plasma membrane which subsequently inhibits H+ efflux at the plasma membrane. Inhibition of this efflux - mediated by H+ -ATPase - prevents acidification, and stops solute and water uptake required for cell wall loosening and the persistent increase in turgor pressure associated with plant cell growth. These effects are magnified with increasing cell size and increasing distance from the root tip. While these experiments have not yet been conducted on plant shoots, it is plausible that an identical scenario exists in these tissues. Plant also respond to electric fields by altering their direction of growth in response to the anode or cathode. In general po
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Approximate Word count = 1895
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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