Houseplant Care

Storage of Food In Roots

Houseplant Care

Rupert Foxton-Smythe
February 25, 2020
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Roots play a crucial role in plant nutrition, storing food made in the leaves. Discover how these underground structures sustain plant growth and survival.

Roots play yet another important part in the plant’s life-history, by receiving and storing food that has been made in the leaves.

Key Information:

Roots play an important role in receiving and storing food made in the leaves. Carrot, Turnip, Beetroot, and Radish are swollen roots with reserve supplies.

Roots store food made in leaves.
Carrot, Turnip, Beetroot, and Radish are examples of swollen roots.
Biennial plants concentrate on food manufacture in leaves in the first year and store it in roots.

Roots play yet another important part in the plant’s life-history, by receiving and storing food that has been made in the leaves. The roots that we use as food storage of contain the greatest store. The Carrot, Turnip, Beetroot, and Radish are swollen with reserve supplies.

Biennials

All these plants are biennials. In the first year of their growth they bear no flowers. The whole energy of the plant is concentrated upon food manufacture in the leaves. The manufactured food, in soluble form, is then carried down the stem through the tissue known as bast, or phloem, and so reaches the root for storage. The following spring the plant produces flowers as well as leaves, and fruit- and seed-formation follow. There is a great demand for food for all these rapidly growing parts. The demand is met by the supply stored in the root.

If at this period such swollen tap-roots are used as food, they are tasteless, tough, and stringy. The plant has made use of its own reserves, and there is nothing left for us.

As soon as the seeds are set, in the second year, the whole plant dies. Its life-history is completed.

It is not only the obviously swollen roots that hold food reserves. Possibly with the exception of roots of annuals and adventitious roots of underground stems, all roots contain a certain store. This was instanced in the power of the Fuchsia root to continue its pumping action for several days, although it was receiving no fresh supplies of food.

Perennials

In the autumn, before all the aerial parts of herbaceous perennials die down, the food manufactured by the leaves is deposited in the roots. For this reason young shoots of Delphinium, Monkshood, Snapdragon, Columbine and the like, grow up rapidly in the springtime ; each has a store of food to draw upon, just as surely as the embryo of the germinating seed has its reserve supply.

Tap Roots

The Carrot, Beetroot, and the like are swollen tap-roots.

The ordinary tap-root is typically seen in a germinating Broad Bean. It is a long root that grows straight down into the ground on a line with the main stem.

It tapers to a point (possibly this may be the origin of the name) and bears branch roots that are shorter and finer than the main root from which they spring. But it is only in size and direction of growth that the branches differ. In structure they are the same as the parent axis, because roots, unlike stems, only bear lateral appendages that are similar to the main root. Hence a root does not bear leaves.

In beans that have germinated in gas-jars the secondary roots leave the main root almost at an angle of 90 degrees. When plants produce tertiary roots they may often come off at an angle of about 45 degrees In the soil this arrangement may be interfered with by various obstacles, but the point to notice is, that it is only the main root that obeys the pull of gravity by growing vertically downwards.

On the main root and its branches, a short distance behind the root-tip, are the numerous white, plush-like root-hairs.

More Information on Storage of Food In Roots

Storage of Food In Roots

Roots play a crucial role in the life-cycle of plants by receiving and storing food produced in the leaves. Certain roots, such as Carrots, Turnips, Beetroot, and Radishes, are specifically designed for food storage and contain substantial reserves. These swollen roots serve as vital sources of nutrition.

Biennial plants are particularly fascinating in their growth pattern. In their first year, they prioritize food production in their leaves rather than flowering. The manufactured food, in soluble form, is then transported through the stem to the roots for storage. The following spring, these plants produce flowers, fruits, and seeds, requiring a significant amount of energy. Fortunately, these energy demands are met by the reserves stored in the roots.

Interestingly, not only visibly swollen roots hold food reserves. Most roots, excluding annuals and adventitious roots of underground stems, contain a certain amount of stored food. This is exemplified by the ability of Fuchsia roots to continue their pumping action for several days, even without fresh food supplies.

In herbaceous perennials, the food produced by the leaves is deposited in the roots before the aerial parts die down in autumn. This allows young shoots, like Delphinium, Monkshood, Snapdragon, and Columbine, to rapidly grow in the spring, drawing upon their stored food reserves.

Tap roots, such as those found in Carrots and Beetroot, are another intriguing example. These roots grow straight down into the ground, tapering to a point and bearing shorter and finer branch roots. Unlike stems, roots only bear lateral appendages and do not develop leaves.

Understanding the storage of food in roots provides valuable insight into plant nutrition and care. By appreciating the significance of these underground structures, we can better appreciate the complexity and resourcefulness of plants in sustaining their growth and survival.

About The Author:

Rupert Foxton-Smythe

Horticulturist and avid plant enthusiast.

Rupert Foxton-Smythe is a seasoned horticulturist and avid plant enthusiast with over three decades of experience in the field of botany. As a leading expert at Houseplant Guru, Rupert brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep passion for all things green.

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Storage of Food In Roots