The upcoming discussion will update you about the differences between Shoot Apex and Root Apex of Plants.
Difference # Shoot Apex:
1. It is truly terminal.
2. Shoot apex is comparatively long and spread over a distance of over 1 cm.
3. It is dome-shaped in outline.
4. A quiescent centre is not distinguishable.
5. Shoot apex is covered by juvenile leaves.
6. New cells are added only towards the base.
7. It produces alternate bands of nodes and internodes.
8. It gives rise to lateral appendages in the form of leaves.
9. Primordia of the branches develop in the axils of leaves in the region of apex.
10. Branches arise exogenously.
11. Plastochrons or periodic cyclic changes occur on the flanks of the shoot apex.
12. Shoot apex changes its activity during reproductive phase.
13. The organization of shoot apex can be explained on the basis of tunica corpus theory.
14. Demarcation of the different regions of the meristem and its derivatives is not elaborate.
Difference # Root Apex:
1. Root apex is actually sub-terminal.
2. It is quite short, less than 1 mm in length.
3. Root apex is generally cup-shaped in outline.
4. A quiescent centre occurs in many root apices.
5. Root apex is protected by a root cap.
6. New cells are added both towards the base and apex.
7. Nodes and internodes are not formed.
8. Lateral appendages are not produced by the root apex.
9. Primordia of branches develop far behind the root apex.
10. Branches develop endogenously.
11. They are not distinguishable in the root apex.
12. No change occurs during reproductive phase.
13. The organisation of root apex can be explained on the basis of histogen theory.
14. There is a high degree of differentiation in the meristem and its derivatives.