Which of the following tissues is produced by the vascular cambium during secondary growth?
Xylem
Phloem
Cork
Epiderm
The vascular cambium produces new xylem towards the inside and new phloem towards the outside during secondary growth.
Secondary growth is the process of growth that increases the thickness of a plant's stem or root. It occurs in dicotyledonous and gymnosperm plants.
The secondary growth results from the activity of two lateral meristems: vascular cambium and cork cambium.
The vascular cambium adds secondary xylem (wood) to the inside of the stem and secondary phloem to the outside of the stem, while the cork cambium replaces the epidermis with a thicker, protective layer of cork.
This process enables the plant to provide more structural support and increase water and nutrient transport efficiency.
Phloem: a vascular tissue in plants that transports sugars and other organic compounds.
Cork: a protective, waterproof outer layer of cells in woody plants.
Epidermis: the outermost layer of cells in plants that protect against water loss, regulates gas exchange, and helps absorb nutrients.
Hence, the correct answer is option 1.