Question

Pericycle in roots is never thick and sclerenchymatous because
a. It does not act as mechanical tissue in roots
b. It gives rise to root hairs
c. It is place of origin of lateral roots
d. It gives rise both to root hairs and root branches

Answer 1

Hint: It is a cylinder of parenchyma or sclerenchyma cells that present inside the endodermis and is the outermost part of the stele of plants.

Complete answer
Pericycle in roots is never thick and sclerenchymatous because it is a place of origin of lateral roots. In the roots of vascular plants, the pericycle is the outermost cell layer of the vascular cylinder. These cells remain capable of dividing during plant growth.
The pericycle involves two main functions:
- It gives rise to lateral roots.
- It participates in secondary root growth by contributing to the formation of the vascular cambium and the cork cambium.

- Additional information:
- The pericycle provides strengths to the roots.
- It also protects vascular bundles.
- The pericycle manages the formation of lateral roots by quickly dividing close to the xylem elements of the root.
- It is located between the endodermis and phloem in plant roots
- The pericycle is mainly composed of parenchyma cells of sclerenchyma cells or both the cells.
- It has a specific role in the metabolism and transport of substances between ground tissues of the root and its vascular tissues.
So, the correct answer is ‘It is a place of origin of lateral roots’.

Note: Monocotyledonous plants, even very large ones like palm trees, generally do not have secondary growth in their roots.
In peanut plants, root nodules initiate directly from the pericycle.