Transportation in plants

🌟Introduction

We know that blood inside our body is transported from heart to different partt of the body to supply oxygen buy did you ever questioned that how plants transport there gases and food? Lets understand the concept of transportation.

📚Key concept

The process by which water, minerals, and food are transported to different part of plants is called transportation.
Carried out through specialised tissue called: xylem and phloem.

Type of transport:-

Transport of water and minerals:-

Occur through xylem
Water and minerals are absorbed from soil by ROOT HAIRS.
Movement is upward from roots to leaves.

Mechanisms:-

Root pressure: pushes water upwards.
Capillary action: Helps water rise in thin tubes.
Transpiration pull: Main force, evaporation of water from leaves pulls water upwards.

Transport of food (glucose/sugar)

Occur through phloem
Food is made in leaves (Photosynthesis) and transported to other parts of plants.
Movement in both direction (upward and downward)

Mechanisms:-

The mechanisms is called Translocation(process of transport of food) mainly glucose/sucrose
It occurs through a special tissues called phloem.
Source and sink concept –
Source:- The part that produces food (usually leaves)
Sink:- The part where food is stored or used (roots, stems, growing tissues)
Food moves from source🡪 sink depending on the plant’s need.

🔷️ Phloem structure involved:-

Sieve tube:- Main conducting cells.
Companion cells:- Helps sieve tubes by providing energy.
Phloem parenchyma and fibres:- Supporting role.

Mechanisms of Translocation:-

1.Glucose is converted to sucrose in leaves.

2.Sucrose is actively loaded into sieve tubes using ATP

3.Water enters phloem by osmosis from adjacent xylem.

4.At the sink sucrose is unloaded and water exists reducing pressure.

Tissue	Function	Direction	Contents transported
Xylem	Transport water and minerals	Upward only	Water & minerals
Phloem	Transport glucose (food)	Upwards and downwards	Sugar (from leaves to rest of plants)

Transpiration:- 🌬💧

Loss of water in form of water vapour from stomata
Creates transpiration pull helping water to rise in the plants.
Helps cooling the plant and transport of minerals

Importance of transportation in plants:-

Supplies water and minerals for Photosynthesis.
Distribute food and nutrition to all parts.
Maintains plant structure