After fruits and vegetables are picked, water loss to air leads to loss of what pressure?

• A. Turgor pressure
• B. Osmotic pressure
• C. Atmospheric pressure
• D. Hydrostatic pressure

Answer: (A)

Water status inside plant cells determines how firm the tissue remains. Turgor pressure is the pressure of the cell sap against the cell wall that keeps plant tissues rigid. When fruits and vegetables lose water after harvest, water moves out of the cells, the vacuole shrinks, and the internal pressure against the wall drops. As turgor pressure falls, tissues become flaccid and wilt, leading to loss of firmness and crispness. Osmotic pressure is about solute-driven water movement, not the internal pressure that maintains tissue structure, and atmospheric or general hydrostatic pressure doesn’t explain the loss of firmness in this scenario.