Roots are equal in importance to leaves as the life support system for plants.
Roots are equal in importance to leaves as the life support system for plants. Roots are Carbon pumps that feed soil organisms and contribute to soil organic matter, Storage organs, Chemical factories that may change soil pH, poison competitors, they filter out toxins, concentrate rare elements, etc. They are sensor network that helps regulate plant growth, they are absorptive network for limiting soil resources of water and nutrients they have mechanical structures that support plants, strengthen soil, construct channels and break rocks.
The epidermis is the outmost layer of roots that functions as the interface between plants and the soil. Cells of the epidermis of young roots. Epidermal cells often have narrow projections called root hairs that extend between soil particles. Root hairs may be long or short, dense, spares, or absent altogether. Root hairs are considered to help in direct mineral nutrient uptake by increasing the surface are of roots. Roots also require minerals. Most importantly they need nitrates. Nitrates from the soil are combined with carbohydrates from photosynthesis to make proteins. All proteins contain nitrogen. Plants get their nitrogen from nitrates. A plant with a shortage of nitrates will suffer from poor growth and yellow leaves. Another mineral required by plants is magnesium. Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll. Magnesium deficiency leads to yellow leaves. Plants without minerals and nitrates will wilt. The xylem tubes in a plant are dead cells, the carry water up through the plant, their secondary function is to support the plant.
