Take a well-watered potted plant and from a stem, above 6 inches from the surface of the soil, remove a girdle containing bark, cortex and phloem, leaving the only xylem. After some time, it will be observed that the growth of the plant below the girdle is reduced while above the girdle growth remains normal or even enhanced. Since xylem conducts water from roots to leaves, the potted plant will not wilt. The prepared dissolved food will not be able to cross the band portion since phloem have been scraped out.
As a result, the food will go on collecting just above the band and it will swell up and may sprout roots. Growth will be reduced below the girdle. Thus, reduced growth below the girdle and swelling of the upper portion indicates that organic food material manufactured by leaves is unable to move below the girdle, because of the absence of phloem. This experiment shows that liquid food material in a plant is translocated through the phloem.
