NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Although all green plants make their food by photosynthesis, they also need to get nutrients from the soil. These dissolve in water and are taken up by the roots of the plant. The most important plant nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K).

Detailed explanation-2: -Essentially all of the water used by land plants is absorbed from the soil by roots. A root system consists of a complex network of individual roots that vary in age along their length. Roots grow from their tips and initially produce thin and non-woody fine roots.

Detailed explanation-3: -Vegetable plants transpire water from their leaves, creating suction on the water at the root surface that draws the nutritious surface soil solution toward the plant roots. This process of mass flow caused by leaf transpiration explains how most plant nutrients (98 percent) move from the soil to the root surface.

Detailed explanation-4: -But, roots play a critical role in the life of a plant. They anchor the plant to support the shoots above. They absorb water and mineral nutrients and conduct them upwards. They store carbohydrates and other nutrients that are a source of energy for biennials and perennials as they awaken and grow in spring.

Detailed explanation-5: -Plants take up essential elements from the soil through their roots and from the air through their leaves. Nutrient uptake in the soil is achieved by cation exchange, wherein root hairs pump hydrogen ions (H+) into the soil through proton pumps.