Mechanisms In Phloem Transport

While movement of water and minerals through the xylem is driven by negative pressures
(tension) most of the time, movement through the phloem is driven by positive hydrostatic
pressures. This process is termed translocation, and is accomplished by a process called phloem
loading and unloading. Cells in a sugar source "load" a sieve-tube element by actively
transporting solute molecules into it. This causes water to move into the sieve-tube element by
osmosis, creating pressure that pushes the sap down the tube. In sugar sinks, cells actively
transport solutes out of the sieve-tube elements, producing the exactly opposite effect. The most
widely accepted hypothesis, explaining phloem transport is called pressure flow mechanism, first
proposed by Munch in 1927. two regions can be recognized in the plants, source and sink.
Sugar is actively loaded into the sieve tube element at the source. As a result of differences in
water potential, water moves osmotically into the sieve tube element. At the sink sugar is
actively unloaded and water leaves the sieve tube element by osmosis. The gradient of sugar
from source to sink causes pressure flow through the sieve tube toward the sink.
An area where sugar is made is called source e.g. green leaves and stem. Any area where sugar is
stored or used is called sink e.g. young leaves, fruits, seeds and roots. According to pressure flow
mechanism water containing sugar in solution flows under pressure through the phloem. It
involves the following.
a) Glucose is produced by photosynthesis in the mesophyll cells of the green leaves. Some
glucose is used within the cells during respiration. The rest of glucose is converted into nonreducing sugar i.e. sucrose. b) It has been shown that the sucrose concentration in sieve tubes in
leaves is commonly between 10 to 30 percent whereas it forms only 0.5% solution in the
photosynthesis cells. c) The sucrose is actively transported to the companion cells of the smallest
vein in a leaf. d) The sucrose diffuses through the plasmodesmata to sieve tube elements. As a
result, concentration of sucrose increases in the sieve tube cells or elements. The sucrose is
actively transported to the sieve elements. e) Water moves by osmosis from the nearby xylem in
the leaf vein. This increases the hydrostatic pressure of the sieve tube elements. f) Hydrostatic
pressure moves the sucrose and other substances in the sieve tube cells, and then moves to sink.
In the storage sinks, such as sugar beet root and sugar cane stem, sucrose is removed into
apoplast prior to entering symplast of the sink. g) Water moves out of sieve tube cells by
osmosis, lowering hydrostatic pressure. Thus the pressure gradient is established as a
consequence of entry of sugars in sieve elements at the source and removal of sugar i.e. sucrose
at the sink. h) The presence of sieve plates greatly increases the resistance along the pathway and
results in the generation and maintenance of substantial pressure gradient in the sieve elements
between source and sink.
The sieve elements contents are physically pushed along the transportation pathway by bulk
flow. The pressure flow theory accounts for the mass flow of molecules within phloem. As the
sap is pushed down the phloem sugar is removed by the cortex of both stem and root and is
consumed or converted into starch. Starch is insoluble and exerts no osmotic effect.
Consequently the osmotic pressure of the contents of phloem decreases. Finally relatively pure

water is left in the phloem and this is thought to leave by osmosis or be drawn back into nearby
xylem vessels by suction of the transpiration pull.
The pressure flow mechanism depends upon: 1) Turgor pressure 2) Difference of osmotic
pressure gradient along the direction of flow between the source and the sink.