Water and minerals are transported from roots upwards through xylem tissue whereasfood is transported from leaves and storage organs to other parts of the plant through phloem tissue. ... Transport of water andminerals is largely carried out by simple physical forces but food transport is achieved by utilising energy.

In plants, it is only water and minerals that need to be transported to its other parts. Another thing that needs to be transported to other parts of the plants is the food prepared in leaves. This is because a plant has a branching shape so it gets carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and oxygen for respiration from air directly through diffusion.Plants need water to make food through the process of photosynthesis and minerals for making proteins. Thus, a plant absorbs water and minerals from soil through roots and transport it other parts like stem, leaves, flowers etc. It is through two kinds of elements of xylem tissue called, xylem vessels and tracheid that water and minerals move from roots of a plant to its leaves.