Plant Body

Plants, except a few, are multicellular, with bodies made up of two major systems: the root system and the shoot system. The first is normally subterranean, whereas the second is usually above ground. To succeed and grow in two very different environments—air and soil—requires a variety of adaptations, beginning with cellular modifications into specialised types of tissue (groups of similar cells organised in a structural and functional unit), and then organ development (structures composed of several kinds of tissues grouped in a structural and functional unit). 

Root system

Roots

All vascular plants have roots, which are the most significant subsurface component. This portion of the plant is primarily responsible for attaching it to the soil and absorbing essential mineral components, nutrients, and water. It can also be used to keep food. However, not all plants have roots that develop underground; others have roots that grow above ground. These are referred to as aerial roots. 

Types of roots

Taproot system

Taproots comprise a core root which is linked to little lateral roots known as root hairs. Taproot systems can be found in mustard, carrot, beet, parsley, china rose, and all dicotyledons. 

Fibrous root system

Fibrous roots are bushy roots with thin, somewhat branched roots that branch out from the stem. Fibrous root systems can be found in rice, wheat, maize, marigold, banana, and all monocotyledons. 

Functions of roots

Anchoring

Plants cling to the earth because of their roots. They provide support for the plant’s body, allowing it to stand upright. 

Absorption

The roots’ main job is to take up water and dissolved minerals from the soil. This is critical since it aids in the photosynthesis process. 

Storage

Plants use starch to make food and store it in their leaves, branches, and roots. Carrots, radish, and beetroot are just a few examples. 

Reproduction

Although roots are not reproductive, they are vegetative portions of plants. The roots of some plants serve as a means of reproduction. 

Shoot system

The main stem of a plant, or the complex network of branches, leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits linked to it, is referred to as a shoot. A shoot or shoot system grows upwards to the ground and performs a variety of functions like photosynthesis, storage, reproduction, transport, hormone production, and so on. 

Characteristics of shoot system

Stem

It acts as a skeleton by forming a significant portion of the shoot system and firmly supporting other components such as leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits. 

Leaves

These are the flattened structures that strike the main stem’s node and the region between two nodes (internode). The “Leaf axil” is the angle formed between the leaf at the node portion and the vertical stem. 

Axillary bud

A lateral bud or lateral meristem linked to a leaf axil is frequently referred to as a lateral bud or lateral meristem. 

Apical bud

A terminal bud or terminal meristem situated at the plant’s shoot apex is frequently referred to as a terminal bud or terminal meristem. It looks to be tiny and compact, with apical meristematic tissues. The apical bud is encircled by leaf primordia. 

Flower

It is a member of the angiosperms that are supposed to reproduce sexually and make up the reproductive element of the shoot system. 

Fruit

The reproductive structure of the plant determines the plant’s maturity or age. “Parthenocarpic fruits” are asexually produced fruits that lack seed or reproductive components. 

Functions of shoot system

Protection

A stem on the surface of some plants has hairy or spiky features that protect the plant from predators. Some plants, such as bracken, emit noxious substances that keep grazing animals away. 

Support

The ground tissues, such as sclerenchyma and collenchyma, also give the stem strength and stiffness. As a result, the stems remain straight and embrace diverse shoot system components such as leaves, lateral branches, buds, flowers, and so on. 

Photosynthesis

Chlorenchyma tissue is found in the shoot system’s leaves, and it includes a strong chlorophyll pigment that absorbs light energy to make sugar. Mechanism leaves maintain normal metabolism through photosynthesis. 

Conclusion

The fundamental distinction between the root and shoot systems is that the root system comprises the plant’s roots, tubers, and rhizoids, whereas the shoot system consists of the plant’s leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits. Furthermore, the root system is found underground, whilst the shoot system is found on the ground.