Which plant tissue transports sugars in plants?

• A. Xylem
• B. Phloem
• C. Cortex
• D. Palisade mesophyll

Answer: (B)

Sugars produced in the leaves must be moved to other parts of the plant, and that job is done by the phloem. This tissue consists of living sieve tube elements supported by companion cells, forming channels that transport dissolved sugars, mainly sucrose, from sources like photosynthesising leaves to sinks such as roots, fruits, and growing tissues. The movement, called translocation, relies on loading sugar into the phloem, which creates a pressure difference that pushes the sap through the sieve tubes. Phloem can move substances in multiple directions, depending on where they’re needed. Xylem, by contrast, carries water and minerals from roots to shoots and is made of dead cells at maturity. Cortex is ground tissue between the epidermis and vascular bundles, primarily for storage and support, while palisade mesophyll is the photosynthetic layer in leaves, not a transport tissue. So the tissue responsible for transporting sugars is phloem.