🌱 Intermediate Practical Manual - Root Modifications

🌱 Root Modifications

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🔹 Storage Roots – Example: Carrot (Daucus carota)

Specimen Characters:

1. The specimen is non-green in colour.

2. It is a tuberous structure formed due to accumulation of food materials.

3. Nodes and internodes are absent.

4. The tuberous root is conical in shape.

👉 By the above characters, the given specimen is identified as a storage root (carrot).

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🔹 Epiphytic Roots – Example: Vanda

Specimen Features:

1. The plant bears two types of roots: clinging roots and velamen roots.

2. Clinging roots are short and fix the epiphyte to the branch of a tree.

3. Velamen roots are stout, hanging roots with spongy velamen tissue.

4. Velamen tissue is a special, dead, hygroscopic epidermal tissue.

5. Velamen roots absorb moisture from the surrounding atmosphere through velamen tissue.

👉 By the above features, the specimen is identified as an epiphytic plant with velamen roots (epiphytic roots).

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✅ Figures on the page show:

• Carrot storage root (conical, tuberous).

• Vanda with clinging root and velamen root.

🔹 Nodular Roots – Example: Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea)

Specimen Features:

1. Root system is tap root type, consisting of tap root, lateral roots, and root hairs.

2. Small nodules are found on these roots.

3. Nodules contain Rhizobium bacteria.

4. These bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen.

5. A pink pigment called leghaemoglobin is present in the nodules.

👉 By the above features, the specimen is identified as nodular roots (Arachis).

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✅ Diagram on the page shows:

• Tap root with lateral branches.

• Root nodules labelled (pink colored).

👉🔬 Intermediate Practical Book