Root hair cell

A root hair, or absorbent hair, the rhizoid of a vascular plant, is a tubular outgrowth of a trichoblast, a hair-forming cell on the epidermis of a plant root. As they are lateral extensions of a single cell and only rarely branched, they are invisible to the naked eye. They are found only in the region of maturation of the root. Just prior to the root hair cell development, there is a point of elevated phosphorylase activity.

The function of root hairs is to collect water and mineral nutrients present in the soil and take this solution up through the roots to the rest of the plant. As root hair cells do not carry out photosynthesis they do not contain chloroplasts.

Root hair cells are outgrowths at a tip of the plant's roots. Root hair cells vary between 15 and 17 micrometres in diameter, and 80 to 1,500 micrometres in length. They are found only in the zone of maturation, and not the zone of elongation, possibly because any root hairs that arise are sheared off as the root elongates and moves through the soil.

Root hairs form an important surface as they are needed to absorb most of the water and nutrients needed for the plant. They are also directly involved in the formation of root nodules in legumeplants.

Having a large surface area, it makes absorbing water and minerals during osmosis have a more efficient active uptake. Also, root hair cells secrete acid (H⁺ from malic acid) which exchanges and helps solubilize the minerals into ionic form, making the ions easier to take up.

Root hairs are also vital in the development of nodules in legumes. The root hairs curl around the bacteria which allows for the formation of an infection thread through into the dividing cortical cells to form the nodule.

Root hair cells can survive for 2 to 3 weeks and then die off, at the same time new root hair cells are continually being formed at the tip of the root. This way, the root hair coverage stays the same. When a new root hair cell grows, it excretes a poison so that the other cells in close proximity to it are unable to grow one of these hairs. This ensures equal and efficient distribution of the actual hairs on these cells.

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Wikipedia