Question

Refer the given experimental set-up in which a ring of bark along with the phloem is removed from the stem and select the incorrect statement.

• A. Swelling of the stem occurs above the ring due to accumulation of nutrients.
• B. Downward translocation of food is blocked.
• C. Roots are starved and killed first due to non-availability of food.
• D. The experiment demonstrates that phloem is responsible for upward conduction of water and minerals.

Answer 1

The correct option is D The experiment demonstrates that phloem is responsible for upward conduction of water and minerals.

• Bark is the outer covering of the stems, branches, and roots of woody plants. It consists of all tissues outside of the vascular cambium, the layer of cells that encloses the inner stem.
• It is composed mainly of secondary phloem, cortex, cork cambium, and cork cells.
• The secondary phloem, or inner bark, consists of living tissues. It conducts food, manufactured in the leaves, to the branches, trunk, and roots.
• If a complete ring of bark is removed from the trunk, the tree will die because the roots no longer obtain food from the phloem.