Nutrition in Plants

Photosynthesis: It is the process by which green plants use chlorophyll to convert light energy
into chemical energy which is in turn used to produce sugars such as glucose from water and
carbon dioxide. Oxygen is released as a by-product.

Hence, carbon dioxide and water are raw materials. Carbon dioxide is obtained from the air. It
diffuses into the leaves through stomata. Water is obtained from the soil. It enters the plants
through the root hairs by osmosis and travels up the xylem vessels to the leaves.
Light and chlorophyll are the necessary conditions for photosynthesis. Light energy comes from
the sun. Chlorophyll is found in the chloroplasts of plant cells. This chlorophyll absorbs the light
energy and converts it into chemical energy for using in photosynthesis to produce sugars , such
as glucose.

Word equation for photosynthesis:

Light
Carbon dioxide + water Glucose + Oxygen.
Chlorophyll

Chemical equation for photosynthesis:

Light
6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2.
Chlorophyll

Importance of photosynthesis:
• Photosynthetic organisms are the most important food producers in ecosystems. They
produce food for practically all living organisms.
• It supplies oxygen to the air and removes carbon dioxide. Thus, it maintains balance of
gasses in the atmosphere.
• Energy stored in coal comes from photosynthesis.
• Chemicals or alkaloids in plants, fibers, wood etc. are products of photosynthesis.

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Use of the products of photosynthesis:
Both glucose and oxygen are made by photosynthesis. The glucose can be used to make every
other substance the plant needs.
• Glucose is used as a respiratory substrate in respiration to release energy for cellular
activities
• It is used to make cellulose cell walls
• Excess glucose is converted into sucrose which is transported to storage organs, e.g. the
seeds, corms etc.to be stored as starch or in other forms
• The glucose in the leaf can react with nitrates and other mineral salts brought to the leaf
to form amino acids which combine to form protein, e.g. enzymes. hormones etc.
• Plants can convert glucose into lipids for storing in seeds. The lipids are then used to
supply the young seedlings with the energy it needs until it can make its own food.

Suitability of starch rather than glucose to be stored energy in plants:

1. Starch is compact. So, more starch molecule can be accommodated in small space.
2. Starch is insoluble and can easily be stored without upsetting the water balance of the
cells
3. It is easily be convertible into glucose for being used as a respiratory substrate in
respiration
4. It is too large to pass through the cell membrane.
Testing leaves for starch:
Presence of starch in the leaves indicates that photosynthesis has occurred. A leaf is tested for
starch in the following stages:
• Remove a leave from a plant and place in boiling water in water bath with the help of a
forceps. (It is needed to kill the leaf and to remove wax)
• The leaf is then placed in a boiling tube containing ethanol, and the tube is placed in a
beaker of hot water at 80oC. (It is needed to remove chlorophyll from the leaf)
• Wash the leaf in cold water. (It is needed to soften the leaf)
• Spread out the leaf on a tile and cover it with a few drops of iodine solution.
• Presence of blue-black color will indicate the availability of starch and yellow color will
indicate the absence of starch in the leaf.

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Safety precautions:
• Wash your hands after handling the leaves or use hand gloves to avoid allergic actions.
• Take care not to splash boiling water.
• Do not heat the ethanol directly with any flame, use a beaker of hot water. Because
ethanol is highly flammable.
• Use lab coat and hand gloves, because iodine solution badly stain everything including
skin.
Factors affecting the rate of photosynthesis:
• Light intensity: Photosynthetic rate increases with the light intensity up to light saturation
point. After this, rate of photosynthesis does not increase.
• Carbon dioxide concentration: Rate increases with increasing carbon dioxide
concentration up to carbon dioxide saturation point.
• Temperature: Rate increases with temperature up to an optimal temperature. Then the
rate decreases. This is related to the effect of temperature on activity of enzymes.

Limiting factor: It is any factor that directly affects the rate of a process if its quantity is

changed. In the following figure, the photosynthetic rate increases greatly

when the carbon dioxide concentration is increased. This shows that carbon

dioxide is an important limiting factor after point X in the graph below.

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Difference between photosynthesis and respiration:
Photosynthesis Respiration
It occurs at day time It occurs both at day and night
It increases body mass Due to this, body mass decreases
Glucose and oxygen are its products Major products: CO2 and H2O in aerobic, lactic acid,
ethanol and CO2 in anaerobic respiration
It occurs in the green plants. It occurs both in plants and animals
It is anabolic It is catabolic

The structure of leaves adapted to carry out its function:

• Leaf stalk – It attaches leaf to the plant and holds leaf in position for maximum
availability of light energy.
• Leaf blade – Broader leaf blade ensures large surface area to absorb maximum light
energy.
• Thin leaf – It allows carbon dioxide to reach inner cells rapidly and enables sunlight to
reach all mesophyll cells.
• Cuticle – It is made of wax and transparent. It reduces water loss by evaporation, acts as a
barrier to the entry of pathogens such as bacteria and fungi and allows light to enter the
leaves easily.
• Upper epidermis – This layer is transparent. Thus, it allows light to enter the cells inside.
It also protects the cells beneath it.
• Palisade cells – These are narrow, long and compactly arranged. Thus, more palisade
cells are arranged in small space. These cells contain chlorophyll which absorbs light
energy and converts it into chemical energy for using in photosynthesis. These cells are
closed to the upper epidermis for maximum availability of light.
• Spongy mesophyll cells – These cells are more rounded and loosely packed with air
spaces between them. Thus, they form the main gas exchange surface of the leaf,
absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen and water vapor. The air spaces allow
these gases to diffuse in and out of the mesophyll. Many mesophyll cells increase the
total surface area for more exchange of gases.
• Xylem – It is involved in transporting water and minerals from the root to the stem and
provides mechanical support to plant body.
• Phloem – It is involved in translocating produced food materials, such as sucrose, from
leaf to different parts of plant, e.g. root, seeds etc.
• Lower epidermis – It has many stomata which are involved in gaseous exchange such as
co2 to diffuse into the leaf to reach the photosynthetic tissue and oxygen and water vapor
to diffuse out. Each stoma is formed by two guard cells which can change their shape to
open and close the stoma.

(Draw the diagram of internal structure of a leaf from your book).

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