Nutrition In Plants

We see plants around us, everywhere. They supply us with medicine, shelter and food. But how do
plants make their food. We have to water our plants all the time. Could water be their food? That can’t
be because just a little amount of water isn’t enough for the too grow. The answer plants absorb raw
materials from the environment and use those materials to manufacture their own food by a process
called photosynthesis.

In autotrophic nutrition, organisms absorb raw materials from their surroundings and use them to make
their food. Energy is needed for this process. In organisms where this energy comes from chemical
reactions within are known as chemo autotrophs. In organisms where this energy comes from the
sunlight, they are known as photo autotrophs. Plants are such photoautotrophs. The raw materials
required for photosynthesis are light, carbon dioxide and water

Photosynthesis (photo= light, synthesis=putting together) occurs in two stages – the light stage and the
dark stage. In the light stage sunlight is absorbed into the chlorophyll (this is substance found in leaf cells
which absorb light and are responsible for photosynthesis). This light is converted to chemical energy
and used to spit water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen (the photolysis of water).

In the dark stage the light energy from the light stage is used to combine hydrogen and carbon dioxide
to from carbohydrate (glucose). Oxygen is released as a waste product

12 H2 O + 6 C O2 = C6 H12 O6 + 6 H2 O + 6 O2

This is the overall equation for photosynthesis.

Are all wavelengths of light absorbed equally in photosynthesis?

We know that photosynthesis requires light energy from the sun. Light consists of particles called
photons which are particles containing energy vibrating at a particular wavelength. Sunlight consists of
photons vibrating at many different wavelengths. The energy contained in a photon is inversely
proportional to the wavelength at which its vibrating. So , it would only make sense for the plant to
absorb the photons with the largest amounts of energy (the ones with the shortest wavelengths) and
absorb the least amount of photons with the smallest amount of energy (the ones with the longest
wavelengths). Red light is absorbed the most in photosynthesis and green absorbed the least specifically
for this reason. Leaves appear green because they reflect most of the green light.

Importance of Photosynthesis

 Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make food. No matter which animal you choose ,
if you trace a food chain , you will see at some point plants will be present. This means that all
animals depend directly or indirectly on plants for food. And plants depend on photosynthesis
for food. So , without photosynthesis plants as well as many animals would starve to death
 Photosynthesis helps to purify the air in that it removes carbon dioxide in the air and replaces it
with oxygen. Animals then use this oxygen for respiration
 Plants convert the carbohydrates they produce into fats and proteins. When animals eat plants ,
they directly obtain these proteins and fats and can use them for growth , repairs and energy
  Sunlight is ultimately the energy source for all life on earth. Plants convert the sunlight to
chemical energy which is obtained by animals when they eat plants

Structure Of Leaf

Leaves are the organs in which photosynthesis occurs. They are also the organs where carbohydrates
are converted into proteins and fats. The leaf consists of the lamina , petiole and the leaf base. The
lamina is the flattened , thin part of the leaf which absorbs sunlight and is home to most of the
structures responsible for photosynthesis. The lamina is flat and thin which allows for large surface are
to volume ratio for efficient absorption of sunlight as well as rapid diffusion of carbon dioxide into the
cells. The lamina is held in place by the petiole or leaf stalk which leads into the mid rid , the largest vein
in the leaf which then divides into multiple other veins forming a network. These veins carry mineral
salts and water into the leaf and carry the products of photosynthesis away from the leaf.

If we examine a transverse section of the leaf on either side of the mid rib , we’ll notice that the leaf is
divided into many the layers. The first layer is known as the upper epidermis which consists of a layer of
closely packed cells covered on the outside by a layer of film called the cuticle. The cuticle prevents
evaporation of water , mechanical injury.

Next comes the mesophyll layer which is responsible for photosynthesis consists of two sub-layers
namely the palisade tissue and spongy tissue. The palisade tissue consists of a layer of tall , cylindrical
cells containing chloroplasts which are organelles possessing chlorophyll (a substance responsible for
absorption of light). The spongy tissue also contains chlorophyll but the cells are not closely packed ,
resulting in many intercellular spaces being present in the spongy tissue.

Last but not least is the lower epidermis which , like the upper epidermis consists of a layer of closely
packed cells covered on the outside by a cuticle. But , this layer contains tiny holes called stomata
surrounded by two cells known as guard cells. The turgidity and flaccidity of these two guard cels are
responsible for the opening and closing of the stomata. The guard cells contain chlorophyll and are bean
shaped. At night , when photosynthesis stops , water vapour exits the leaf through the stomata ,
resulting in the guard cells becoming flaccid and narrowing the stomata and preventing further loss of
water from the leaf.

Carbon dioxide enters the leaf through the stomata by diffusion. Carbon dioxide travels through the
intercellular spaces of the spongy tissue and dissolves on the thin layer of water present on the cells of
the palisade and spongy tissue. The carbon dioxide then diffuses from the layer of water to the
cytoplasm of the cells.

Water and mineral salts travel from the soil to the roots into the leaf by way of the xylem vessels
present in the veins. The water and mineral salts then diffuse from the xylem vessels to the spongy cells
surrounding the veins of the leaf. Manufactured carbohydrates are then taken by the phloem vessels
present alongside the xylem vessels to the different parts of the plant which require them.