Rain water is made available to crops through root absorption. This is the process where plant roots take in water from the soil. The plant roots absorb the rain water and use it to grow and support the plant. The water is transported from the roots to the leaves, flowers and fruits through a system of tubes in the plant called the xylem. This water is then used by the plant to carry out important functions such as photosynthesis and transpiration. Transpiration is the process where water is released from the leaves into the atmosphere through tiny pores. This helps to regulate the temperature of the plant and also returns some of the water back to the atmosphere, where it can be reused as rain.