How are water and minerals transported in plants?

Water and minerals are transported in plants by Xylem vessels. In xylem tissue, vessels and tracheids of the roots, stems and leaves are interconnected to form a continuous system of water-conducting channels reaching all parts of the plant. Water and minerals are transported in plants in following ways:

1. At the roots, cells in contact with the soil actively take up ions.
2. This creates a difference in the concentration of these ions between the root and the soil.
3. Water, therefore, moves into the root from the soil to eliminate this difference. This means that there is steady movement of water into root xylem, creating a column of water that is steadily pushed upwards.
4. As this pressure is not enough to push water very high, plants create a suction force through transpiration by losing water in the form of vapour from their aerial parts which pulls water higher up from the roots.