Question

Which one of the following plants produces edible roots?
A) Raphanus sativus
B) Brassica campestris
C) Brassica oleracea
D) Eruca sativa

Answer 1

Hint:The plant that produces edible roots has a fusiform taproot system. The roots of many plants are modified for food storage by becoming swollen like the taproots of carrot and turnip become swollen for storing food.

Complete answer:
The plant that produces edible roots is Raphanus sativus which is a type of fusiform tap root. Taproots are seen in dicotyledenous plants which are formed by the direct elongation of the radicle and consist of many lateral roots known as secondary, tertiary roots. Fusiform roots are the roots when they are swollen in the middle but thin and tapering on both ends. These roots became modified by changing their shape and structure for storing food. The adventitious roots of sweet potato is another such example where roots were swollen to store food.

Additional information:
-Conical roots are roots that have a broad base but taper on one end as seen in carrots.
-Napiform roots are roots that are spherical in shape and become tapering at the apex as seen in a turnip.
-The roots of sweet potatoes have no exact shape and are known as tuberous roots.
-The roots coming out of the aerial stems of banyan to support those branches are known as prop roots.
-Roots come out from the lower nodes of the stems of maize and sugarcane to support the plant and are known as stilt roots.
-Plants that grow in swampy areas have roots that come out from the ground and grow vertically upwards to help in respiration as there is no oxygen in the swamps

Hence, the correct answer is option ‘A’ i.e ‘Raphanus sativus’.

Note:
-The structure of the root is divided into several regions like the region of meristematic activity where cells divide repeatedly resulting in the growth of the root.
-The region above it is known as the region of elongation where the cells become elongated and enlarged.