Question

How does the water enter the plant and reaches its top?

Answer 1

Transport of water in plants:

1. Water is essential for all organisms including plants.
2. It helps in cooling it down and other cellular functions.
3. It is absorbed by root hairs of root and transported through the xylem to the top of the plant.

Water entering in plant:

1. Water molecules are present in the spaces between soil particles which are taken up by plants through their roots.
2. Root hairs absorb soil water by a special diffusion process called imbibition that takes place by both living and dead cells present on the surface of root hair.
3. Osmosis is another process involved that pushes water into cortical cells from the root hair by creating osmotic pressure around the cells.

Movement of water to the top:

1. Water is moved through xylem vessels to the apical parts of the plant body by transpiration pull and root pressure.
2. Root pressure is the pressure applied by cortical cells on cell sap present in the xylem to move to the top of the plant.
3. Transpiration pull is the suction force applied to the water column due to transpiration that causes loss of water in form of water vapor.
4. The xylem vessels act as capillary tubes when water evaporates from the surface of the leaves.
5. Because of this capillary action water is drawn up water from the roots and pulled towards the top portions of the plant.