Ah, bhai, these numbers in megapascals – for the scientist, they measure a plant's thirst. Water potential is the total pull, osmotic potential is the pull from salts and sugars in the roots, and pressure potential is the push from the roots themselves. But my life tells me the numbers lie when the ground is baked. Just last week, the meter said my chikoo had sufficient water potential, yet it wilted, because the pressure potential in its young roots was zero – they could not push against my concrete-hard soil. The obvious answer of just adding water was wrong; I had to loosen the earth to give its roots room to push.
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