Assertion : In woody stems, the amount of heart wood continues to increase year after year. Reason : The…
Assertion : In woody stems, the amount of heart wood continues to increase year after year.
Reason : The cambial activity continues uninterrupted.
If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion
If both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion
If assertion is true but reason is false
If both assertion and reason are false.
Solution
Heartwood formation occurs spontaneously because it is a genetically programmed process. As a result of continued secondary growth for several years, the older parts of the stem and its old branches have a part of its secondary xylem rendered non - functional. Such a modified and non - functional secondary xylem is called the heart wood or duramen, the functional outer younger rings of secondary xylem constitute the sap wood or alburnum. With the passage of time and addition of new outer rings of secondary xylem due to cambial activity more rings of the sap wood are changed into heart wood. This leads to the increase in the thickness of heart wood, whereas the sap wood remains of about the same thickness.