“Does dew provide water to plants?”
In ancient times, the dew was believed to be a source of vegetative and plant life and considered a great blessing.
By Udayakumar Sekaran, Clemson University
Sustainable, Secure Food Blog
Aug 8, 2022
Excerpt:
Plants in the arid and semi-arid regions close their stomatal openings in the middle of the day. This is a defense mechanism to conserve moisture within the plant. During this time, a plant cannot perform the photosynthetic activity. However, in these regions, early mornings are the maximum plant growth period because dew drops surround the leaves of the plants and trigger photosynthetic activity.
By regulating transpiration pressure, dew also helps the plant from wilting by creating a higher steady restoration state.
In some context, dew also plays an indirect role in plant health by improving soil moisture condition. Dewdrops on the soil surface decrease soil evaporation loss and mitigate soil water tension.
Forest ecosystems also receive numerous benefits from dew. Dew deposition on the forest canopy regulates the micro-climate changes and is also connected with the water-heat exchange process.
