In a girdled plant, when water is supplied to the leaves above the girdle, leaves may remain green for some time then wilt and ultimately die. What does it indicate?
Girdling involves the complete removal of a strip of bark around the entire circumference of a tree trunk. In the initial phase, As the xylem continues to transport water upward to the leaves, they stay turgid and green, enabling them to carry out photosynthesis. However, the food prepared by the leaves will not be able to reach the roots of the plants as the phloem was the tissue that got damaged during the girdling process. As a result, the leaves will start wilting and ultimately the plant will die.