Ascent of sap

The ascent of sap in the xylem tissue of plants is the upward movement of water and minerals from the root to the crown. Xylem is a complex tissue consisting of living and non-living cells. The conducting cells in xylem are typically non-living and include, in various groups of plants, vessels members and tracheids. Both of these cell types have thick, lignified secondary cell walls and are dead at maturity. Although several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the phenomenon, the cohesion-tension mechanism has the most evidence and support. Although cohesion-tension has received criticism, for example due to the apparent existence of large negative pressures in some living plants, experimental and observational data favor this mechanism.