EXERCISE #6

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY GROWTH OF THE ROOT

I. INTRODUCTION

For most of the plants, there is no life without soil and no soil without life. Plant roots play an important
link between the two. The roots help develop the soil and the nutrients and water in the soil sustain the
organisms.

The root is usually found underground. It is the continuation of the main axis of the plant. Its main
function is to absorb water and minerals and to anchor the plant to the soil. The root varies in structure
but is generally less complex than the stem. Different groups of plant have different root systems and
internal structures.

II. OBJECTIVES

At the end of this exercise, the student is expected to be able to

1. distinguish between the different root systems;

2. determine the external and internal parts of the primary root.
3. distinguish between primary growth and secondary growth tissues.

III. MATERIALS

Equipment
Microscopes
Glass slides, cover slips, blade

Plant specimens
- Representative fibrous roots of grasses and other common plants
- Representative taproot systems of common plants
- Representative adventitious roots of common plants
- Various kinds of modified roots (e.g. camote, ube, carrot, orchid, radish pandan)

Prepared slides of:

Zea mays monocot root
Ranunculus young dicot root
Tilia and Helianthus old dicot root

IV. PROCEDURE

A. The Major Types of Root Systems

Two types of root systems are commonly distinguished as fibrous and tap roots. Fibrous root systems
are composed of large numbers of roots nearly equal in size. A tap root system is one in which the
primary root remains the largest and a number of smaller secondary roots are formed from it.
Some roots develop from stems or leaves and are almost similar in sizes and growth patterns. These are
adventitious roots that develop from plant parts other than the radicle of seeds.

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1. Examine the root systems of different plants provided in the laboratory. Tabulate your observations
on your worksheet.
2. Draw on your worksheet a representative plant to show each type of root system. Answer the
questions that follow.

B. The Primary Tissues and Internal Structure of Roots

The primary tissues and internal structure of roots can best be seen in a cross-section of a specimen.
The outermost layer of cells is the epidermis. The inner core is the stele. The wide zone between the
epidermis and the stele is called the cortex. The epidermis of the root is usually uncutinized and
permeable to water. Some epidermal cells develop into root hairs especially in the region of maturation.
Cells of the cortex are thin-walled and often contain starch grains. Parenchyma cells are loosely
arranged in this region of the cortex. Thus, these cells are also called parenchyma tissue of the cortex.
Water and dissolved solutes easily move between cortical cells in the intercellular spaces. The innermost
layer of the cortex is called the endodermis. The radial walls of the endodermal cells become
impregnated with a "diffusion proof" waxy substance called suberin. This layer of suberin forms the
Casparian strip. Focus on the endodermis and take note of the Casparian strip.
The stele is composed of many tissues. The outermost layer of the stele is in contact with the
endodermis and is called the pericycle. The pericycle consists of thin-walled cells that are usually only
one cell wide. These cells retain the ability to resume active cell division. The pericycle gives rise to the
lateral roots of plants.
The vascular tissues occupy the center of the root. Vascular tissues conduct water and minerals and
food in the plant and are found throughout the plant body. The vascular tissues are of two types: xylem
and phloem.
The innermost tissue which forms the star-shaped core of thick-walled empty cells is the xylem. The
xylem consists of vessels (and tracheids in some plants) which are the main conducting cells and are
sclerenchymatous in nature. In three dimension, the xylem is a cylinder extending the length of the root.
In cross-section, it is a mass of cells in the center of the root. In young dicot roots, the vascular tissue is
comprised of 3, 4, or 5 ridges or "arms" reaching the pericycle. Xylem functions as a conductor of water
and dissolved mineral nutrients. The vessels are joined end to end to form the xylem water tubes.
Most of the cells which lie between the points of the xylem are phloem. These form semicircular
clusters of cells between the ridges or "arms" of the xylem. Phloem consists of two cell types: sieve tube
elements and companion cells. Phloem cells are thin-walled, living cells and function in the
translocation of organic compounds (food) manufactured by the leaves. Thus, it is parenchymatous in
nature.
In monocot roots, the centermost portion is occupied by parenchyma cells and the tissue is called the
pith. The xylem and phloem taken together are called vascular bundles and are distributed in a ring
around the pith.

1. Examine the prepared slide of a cross section of the young dicot root of Ranunculus.
2. Identify the following parts: epidermis, cortex, endodermis, pericycle, xylem and phloem. Look
at the drawing on your worksheet and label the parts of the young dicot root in the worksheet.

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C. The Modified Roots

Modification of roots enables some species of plants to survive in a variety of habitats encompassing
numerous environmental conditions, some being quite extreme. Some specimens with root
modifications are listed on your worksheet.

1. Examine the modified roots provided and fill up the table on your worksheet.

D. Secondary Growth in Roots

Both woody and herbaceous plants undergo secondary growth of the roots that results in an increase in
root diameter due to the addition of vascular tissue (primarily the xylem). The growth of secondary
tissues is initiated by cells in the pericycle, which undergo periclinal divisions (parallel to the surface).
The inner layer of cells becomes the vascular cambium. The outer layer remains part of the pericycle.
The vascular cambium forms a thin continuous layer around the primary xylem. This cambium then
undergoes periclinal divisions. The cells that arise from these divisions differentiate into secondary
xylem cells if they divide towards the inside of the root or secondary phloem cells if they divide towards
the outer surface of the root. Some roots also form an outer protective layer called the periderm, which
originates from the pericycle and replaces the epidermis.
Not all plants have secondary growth of the roots, and many do not follow the same developmental
pattern. For instance, herbaceous plants like the sunflower (Helianthus annuus) also undergo secondary
growth; however, they do not form a clear periderm. When seen under the microscope, the vascular
cambium can be difficult to distinguish at a low magnification, but at a higher magnification, it can be
differentiated from the other root parts by looking for cells undergoing periclinal divisions resulting in
such cells having a "squashed" appearance.

1. Examine the old dicot roots of Tilia and Helianthus. Label their drawings.

Adapted from:
De Jesus J, Ragragio E. 2000. Laboratory Manual in General Botany. De La Salle University Press, Inc.,
Manila. pp. 66-75; 86-93.

References:

Balbach M, Bliss LC. 1991. A Laboratory Manual for Botany. Saunders College Publishing. Orlando,
Florida. pp. 49-54.
Rost TL. 1996. Secondary growth in roots. Retrieved from http://www-plb.ucdavis.edu/labs/rost/
tomato/roots/secondary.html.