PHOTOSYNTHESIS

1. Water, air and sunlight are the basic needs of plant.

2. Plants need these basic needs to make their own food.

3. The process of plants making their own food is known as photosynthesis to survive
and grow.

4. Green plants can carry out photosynthesis only with the presence of water, carbon
dioxide, sunlight and chlorophyll.

5. Chlorophyll is the green pigment found on green leaves.

6. The needs of photosynthesis process :

a. Sunlight is the source of energy for photosynthesis and is absorbed by the
chlorophyll in leaves.
b. Chlorophyll is a green substance in leaves.
c. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the leaves through fine pores.
d. Water is absorbed by the roots from the ground.

7. Products of photosynthesis :
a. During photosynthesis, energy from sunlight is absorbed by leaves through
chlorophyll.
b. The solar energy is used by plants to produced starch and oxygen.
c. Oxygen that is produced is released through fine pores on the leaves.
d. Starch that is produced will be stored as food in the leaves.
e. The starch is also stored in other parts of the plant such as roots, fruit, stems
and seeds.
 f. The equation below shows the process of photosynthesis in the leaves.

8. Only green plants can carry out photosynthesis.

9. Photosynthesis takes place on green leaves.

10. Plants carry out both the photosynthesis and breathing process during the day.

11. Plants carry out only the breathing process at night.

12. The importance of photosynthesis :

a. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the plants during photosynthesis. This helps to
reduce the amount of carbon dioxide which is released during breathing
process.
b. Oxygen released into the atmosphere during photosynthesis is needed by all
living things for breathing process.
c. Photosynthesis plays an important role in maintaining the levels of oxygen
and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
d. Photosynthesis converts energy from sunlight to chemical energy which is
kept in the food made by the plants.
e. Humans and animals get the chemical energy when they eat the plants.