Question

In a ring girdled plant
A) The shoot and the root die together
B) Neither root nor shoot will die
C) The shoot dies first
D) The root dies first

Answer 1

Girdling is defined as a process of ring-barking wherein a complete strip of tree bark is removed from its entire circumference of either a tree trunk or a bark of a woody plant.

Complete answer:

Option A: In a ring girdled plant, the root dies first, and not both shoot and root die together. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option B: In a ring girdled plant, the root dies first. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option C: In a ring girdled plant, the root dies first, and not the shoot. Therefore, this is the incorrect option.
Option D: In this ring-girdling process, the phloem from the tree is removed which subsequently results in the death of both the plants and trees. This tree death occurs due to the inability of the plant leaves of transporting sugars to the underground roots. However, along with phloem, if the xylem is also removed, there occurs no movement of the water and the minerals thereby leading to their deposition and death of roots and ultimately that of the tree. Therefore, this is the correct option.

Thus, the correct option is (D) The root dies first.

Note: Sometimes, this process of ring-girdling is also used as a technique for forcing the plant to bear larger varieties of the fruits.A tree can usually survive if less than half its circumference is girdled. Even so, the area with the embedded material is weak and susceptible to breaking. The trunk can snap during an ice or wind event.