Question

Which of the following trees will die first?
(a)Deciduous
(b)Pruned
(c)Girdled
(d)All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Plants die when there is no adequate supply of food and water to different parts. One of the above options refers to the activity of complete removal of a portion of the trunk or the bark of a woody plant. This leads to the severing of one of the two essential transport systems.

Complete answer:
Ring-barking is the process of complete removal of the part of the trunk which includes the cork cambium, cambium, phloem, and in some cases a part of the xylem too around the entire circumference of the woody plant or tree. This process is also known as ‘Girdling.’
Since many essential tissues are removed in the process, the area above or below the girdle usually dies over time. This is due to the fact that girdling causes the removal of the phloem tissues which are responsible for the transport of food molecules. If girdling is done on the main trunk of the tree, it essentially stops the transport of food from the leaves to the roots. Since roots cannot photosynthesize, they end up dying due to lack of food, and thus the plant will die.
So, the correct answer is, “Girdled”.

Note: -Deciduous plants generally are adapted to the environment they live in. They have mechanisms to control the water loss and thus live in those conditions.
-Pruning is the act of selective removal of certain plant parts such as leaves, buds, etc. It is an active horticultural practice and used to remove dead wood or to shape the plants. It is also used to cut off the apical meristem, so the auxins promote the lateral meristems to grow and then shape the plants. Hence, this process is not harmful to plants.