Question

Describe the girdling experiment.

Answer 1

Girdling experiment is used to identify the tissuethrough which the food is transported. In this experiment a ring of bark (phloem) is removed from the wood by a technique known as girdling. Since the woody xylem part remains intact, water and nutrient reaches the leaves. After the preparation of the photosynthate it is not transported to other parts below the girdle since the phloem part is removed. So it is observed that there is accumulation of the photosynthate just above the girdle region. Thus experiment shows that the phloem tissue aids the food transport.