Root Pressure - Role of Endodermis

Role of Endodermis

The endodermis in the root is important in the development of root pressure. The endodermis is a single layer of cells between the cortex and the pericycle. These cells allow water movement until it reaches the Casparian strip, made of suberin, a waterproof substance. The Casparian strip prevents mineral nutrient ions from moving passively through the endodermal cell walls. Water and ions move in these cell walls via the apoplast pathway. Ions outside the endodermis must be actively transported across an endodermal cell membrane to enter or exit the endodermis. Once inside the endodermis, the ions are in the symplast pathway. They cannot diffuse back out again but can move from cell to cell via plasmodesmata or be actively transported into the xylem. Once in the xylem vessels or tracheids, ions are again in the apoplast pathway. Xylem vessels and tracheids transport water up the plant but lack cell membranes. The Casparian strip substitutes for their lack of cell membranes and prevents accumulated ions from diffusing passively in apoplast pathway out of the endodermis. The ions accumulating interior to the endodermis in the xylem create a water potential gradient and by osmosis, water diffuses from the moist soil, across the cortex, through the endodermis and into the xylem.