Question

Which pathway is faster Apoplast and Symplast?

Answer 1

Apoplast:

1. Outside the plasma membrane, the apoplast comprises intercellular spaces where material can freely diffuse.
2. It affects the non-living parts of the plant, such as the cell wall and intercellular spaces, rather than protoplasm in the plant tissues.

Apoplast Pathway:

1. Water is transported from root hair to xylem through the cell walls of intervening cells in the apoplast pathway.
2. The Casparian strip of endodermal cells prevents apoplastic water movement beyond the cortex.
3. As a result, the symplastic route is used to transport water and ions outside the cortex.

Symplast:

1. Plasmodesmata connect every plant cell's cytoplasmic network to form symplast.
2. Because symplast lacks intercellular spaces and cell walls, it is regarded as the entire living component of plant tissue.

Symplast Pathway:

1. The symplastic pathway is the ion and water pathway created by symplast.
2. Because the selective plasma membrane of the root cells handles the intake of ions and water, this pathway provides resistance to water flow.
3. Furthermore, the root's metabolic state impacts the symplastic pathway.
4. The Casparian strip is a suberized band in the endodermis.
5. Water cannot pass through the Casparian strip, so it must pass through the non-suberised wall regions and cross the cell membrane to reach the xylem.
6. Because the Casparian strip blocks apoplastic water movement beyond the cortex, water, and other solutes enter the vascular bundle via the symplastic pathway by crossing the endodermis.

Hence the apoplastic pathway is generally considered to be faster than the symplastic pathway.