Correct Option
Transplanted seedlings often fail to establish and grow primarily because a significant number of their delicate root hairs are lost or damaged during the process of uprooting and replanting. Root hairs are fine, epidermal extensions of root cells that vastly increase the surface area for efficient absorption of water and dissolved mineral nutrients from the soil. Their loss severely impairs the seedling's ability to absorb essential resources, leading to water stress, nutrient deficiency, and a condition known as transplant shock, which can result in wilting and eventual death.
Incorrect Options
- Option 1: While the mineral composition of new soil is important for long-term growth, seedlings possess a degree of adaptability. The immediate failure to grow after transplantation is more directly linked to the impaired absorption capacity rather than an inherent lack of favourable minerals, unless the soil is severely deficient.
- Option 2: Root hairs are responsible for absorption, not for gripping the soil tightly in a manner that would impede growth. This statement describes an incorrect biological mechanism.
- Option 4: Damage to leaves can occur during transplantation and may contribute to stress by reducing photosynthetic capacity or increasing water loss. However, the loss of root hairs and the subsequent inability to absorb water and nutrients is a more critical and primary factor determining the survival and initial growth of a transplanted seedling.