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11.1: Primary Growth

  • Page ID
    32601
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    All plant roots begin in primary growth, which is a lengthening of plant organs. Primary growth involves the root apical meristem, primary meristems, and primary tissues.

    Newly sprouted wheatgrass removed from its container
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): These wheatgrass seeds have recently sprouted, producing fresh root and shoot growth. This would be an excellent place to look for roots in primary growth. Note that, even though it is a tangled mess, the individual roots are not branching very much. Instead, they are growing like long, thin threads. At the tip of each of these threads, you would find a root apical meristem. Photo by Maria Morrow, CC BY-NC.

    Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): This video by Ben Montgomery provides a walkthrough of the internal structures and organization of plant roots, including lateral root formation. Sourced from YouTube.


    This page titled 11.1: Primary Growth is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Maria Morrow (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .

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