How does water pass from the root epidermal cells to the xylem in the center of the root? What ...

Answer to q. 1

Water moves into the epidermal root hairs by diffusion, and the majority of the water moves between cells of the cortex (along the cellulosic cell walls), although some doies flow from cell to cell, through the plasmodesmata. Once it reaches the endodermis, the Casparian strip forces both water and minerals to pass through the endodermal cytoplasm. Minerals are then actively pumped into the xylem, and water follows by osmosis.

Answer to q. 2

Glyphosate works by blocking a plant enzyme that is needed to produce three essential amino acids, hence it kills the plant. Genetic engineers have produced glyphosate-resistant crop plants, so the herbicide can be applied to the field, and it only kills the weeds, which presumably do not have the resistance.


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