Question

Draw a magnified view of the root hair, and describe how it helps in the absorption of water from the soil.

Answer 1

The root hair is suitable for absorbing water from the soil in the following three ways:

• The numerous root hairs provide a large surface area. The more the surface area, the greater is the absorption.
• The cell wall is freely permeable and the cell membrane is semi-permeable.
• Root hair contains cell sap which is of a higher concentration than the surrounding soil water.