Scribd
Upload
36 views

Lecture 1

Uploaded by

victorianyirenda820
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
36 views

Lecture 1

Uploaded by

victorianyirenda820
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 9

DOMASI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Faculty of Science

Department of Agriculture

AGR 111: Crop Botany

Prepared by: Mitole T

INTRODUCTION
Botany, branch of biology that deals with the study of plants,
including their structure, properties, and biochemical processes.

PLANT MORPHOLOGY
The word morphology refers to the study of science that deals
with the form and structure of an organism.

Plant morphology is the study of external plant structures and


shape. In plant morphology we study of both the vegetative and
reproductive structures of the plant. The structures of plants that
are of interest include; Root, Leaf, Stem, Inflorescence, Flower,
Seed
Fruit.
Root System
The primary root and its branches form the tap root system of a
plant. Tap root normally grows vertically downward to a shorter or
longer depth, while the branched roots (secondary roots) grow
downwards in many cases spread horizontally outwards.

Another root system is adventitious root system –These are


roots that grow from any part of the plant body other than the
radicle it includes fibrous root of monocotyledons, foliar roots that
come directly from the leaf petiole or vein.

Function
The tap root system is normally meant to absorb water and
mineral salts from the soil, to conduct them upward to the stem
and to give proper anchorage to the plant, in addition to that
roots also store manufactured food, but in order to perform some
specialized functions it becomes modified into distinct shape.

1. Tap root modified for storage of food


 Fusiform root - is when the root hypocotyls are swollen in the
middle and gradually tapering toward the apex and the base.

 Napiform root - this root swollen considerably at the upper


part and become almost spherical and sharply tapering from
the lower part. e.g.- turnip.

Page 2 of 9
 Conical root - is when the root is broad at the base and
gradually tapers toward the apex like a cone e.g.
carrot.Tubercular root - is when the root is thick and fleshy
but does not take a definite shape.

2. Adventitious roots modified


For Storage of Food
 Tubercular root - this is a swollen root without any definite
shape. e.g. sweet potato

 Fasciculated root - it is when several tubercular roots occur


in a cluster or fascicle at the base of the stem. e.g.
asparagus

 Nodulose root - when the slender root becomes suddenly


swollen at the apex. e.g ginger.

 Moniliform roots - when there are swellings in the root at


frequent intervals. E.g. Indian spinach.

 Annulated root - when the root has a series of ring-like


swellings on its body.

3. Root modified for Mechanical Support

Page 3 of 9
 Prop or stilt root - these roots are produced from the main
stem and often from branches. They grow vertically
downwards and penetrate into the soil, gradually they get
stouter and act as pillars supporting the main stem and the
whole plant.

 Climbing roots - are produced from their nodes and


internodes to ensure a foothold on neighbouring objects.

 Buttress roots - some of the stout roots in forest trees


around the base of the main trunk show prolific abnormal
growth, particularly on their upper side. They first grow
obliquely downwards from the base of the trunk and then
spread horizontally outwards at the ground level e.g.

4. Root modified for Vital Function


 Sucking roots or Haustoria - they are parasites develop roots
which penetrate into tissue of the host plant and suck it. e.g.
cuscuta
 Respiratory root - in an aquatic plant the floating branches
develop adventitious roots which are soft, light, spongy and
colourless, they develop above the level of water and serve
to store up air. e.g. Jussiaea

 Epiphytic roots – they grow perched on branches of trees,


they never suck the supporting plant as do the parasites.

Page 4 of 9
Instead they develop a special kind of aerial roots which
hang freely in the air. e.g. vandal.

 Assimilatory - roots climbing on neighbouring trees produce


long, slender, hanging roots which develop chlorophyll and
turn green in colour thus are assimilatory roots. e.g.
tinospora.

Figure 1 root hairs figure 2 root hairs

Root structure
It’s made up of the following structures:
i. root-cap- Each root is covered over at the apex by sort of
cap, which protects the tender apex of the root as it makes
its way through the soil. The root-cap is usually absent in
some aquatic plant.

Page 5 of 9
ii. Region of cell division – This is the growing apex of the root
lying within and a little beyond the root - cap and extends to
a length of one to a few millimeters.

iii. Region of elongation – This lies above the meristematic


region and extends to a length of a few millimetres

iv. Region of maturation – This region lies above the region of


elongation and extends upwards.

Characteristic of Root
Root possesses some distinctive characteristic that distinguish it
from the stem as follows:
i. Is not normally green and is the descending portion of the
axis of the plant.

ii. It does not commonly bear buds except in sweet potato.

iii. Root bears unicellular hairs while the stem or shoot bears
mostly multicellular hairs.

iv. Lateral roots always develop from an inner layer (pericycle)


while branches on the other hand develop from a few outer
layers.

Page 6 of 9
v. Nodes and internodes are absent in root unlike stem that are
often present.

Anatomy of plant roots


Inside the root, the ground tissue forms two regions: the cortex
and the pith.
Compared to stems, roots have lots of cortex and little pith. Both
regions include cells that store photosynthetic products. The
cortex is between the epidermis and the vascular tissue, whereas
the pith lies between the vascular tissue and the center of the
root.

Figure 3. root cross section

The vascular tissue in the root is arranged in the inner portion of


the root, which is called the stele.

A layer of cells known as the endodermis separates the stele from


the ground tissue in the outer portion of the root.

Page 7 of 9
The endodermis is exclusive to roots, and serves as a checkpoint
for materials entering the root’s vascular system. A waxy
substance called suberin is present on the walls of the
endodermal cells.

This waxy region, known as the Casparian strip, forces water and
solutes to cross the plasma membranes of endodermal cells
instead of slipping between the cells.

This ensures that only materials required by the root pass through
the endodermis, while toxic substances and pathogens are
generally excluded.

The outermost cell layer of the root’s vascular tissue is


the pericycle, an area that can give rise to lateral roots. In dicot
roots, the xylem and phloem of the stele are arranged alternately
in an X shape, whereas in monocot roots, the vascular tissue is
arranged in a ring around the pith.

Figure 4 arrangement of vascular bundles in roots

Page 8 of 9
From the figure, in typical dicots, the vascular tissue forms an X
shape in the center of the root. In typical monocots, the phloem
cells and the larger xylem cells form a characteristic ring around
the central pith.

Page 9 of 9

You might also like