Transpiration and root pressure cause water to rise in plants by:

Explanation

The transpiration process, pulls water upwards with the help of cohesion and adhesion properties of water molecules. According to transpiration pull theory, due to transpiration, the water column inside the plant comes under tension. This is called 'transpiration pull'. On account of this tension, the water column is pulled up passively from below to top of the plant (almost like a rope). Root pressure is the pressure that forces water, absorbed from the soil, to move through the roots and up (i.e., pushes it up) the stem of a plant. It may be due to both the osmosis of water from the soil into the root cells, and the active pumping of salts into xylem tissue which maintains a concentration gradient along which the water moves. Transpiration pulls upward while root pressure pushes water. First transpiration pulls water up and then root pressure develops pushing it into the roots and stem, hence first pulling then pushing. Transpiration process pulls water upward while root pressure pushes water into the roots and xylem. So correct option is D.