PLANT GROWTH AND

DEVELOPMENT

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 Growth and development
• Development means the sum total of growth
and differentiation seen in living organisms
• Intrinsic and extrinsic factors determine the
developmental process
• Growth is irreversible permanent change and
increase in size, weight, and volume of an
organ in an organism

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• Root and shoot apical and lateral meristems
play an important role in plant growth and
development
• Plant growth is indeterminate both longitudinal
(height) and radial (girth)
• Major phases of growth are
– Cell division (Meristematic)
– Cell elongation
– Cell differentiation (Maturation)

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 Growth rate
• Increase in growth per unit time
• Arithmetic and exponential
• Arithmetic growth shows linear curve and is
mathematically expressed as
Lt = Lo + rt
• Geometric growth shows S-shaped (sigmoid)
curve and is mathematically expressed as
Wt = Wo ert
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• Quantitative comparison shows
– Absolute growth rate: A = 5cm2 ; B = 5cm2
– Relative growth rate: A = 100% ; B = 10%

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 Differentiation
• Meristematic cells undergo differentiation to
become permanent cells
• Permanent cells dedifferentiate to become
meristematic. Eg: Inter fasicular cambium and
Cork cambium
• Dedifferentiated cells can again undergo
redifferentiation to become permanent cells

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• Developmental process in plant cell account
for cell division followed by plasmic growth,
expansion, differentiation, maturation and
finally senescence

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 Plasticity
• Plants follow different pathways in response to
environment or phases of life to form different
kinds of structures. This ability is called plasticity
• Eg: Heterophylly in cotton, coriander and larkspur.
In such plants, the leaves of the juvenile plant are
different in shape from those in mature plants

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 Plant Growth Regulators
• Biochemical molecules that control and regulate
plant growth
– Auxin
– Cytokinin
– Gibberellins
– Ethylene
– Abscisic acid
• Auxin, GA and cytokinin are growth promoters
• Ethylene and ABA are growth inhibitors
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 Auxin
• Indole derivatives
• Natural – IAA, IBA; Synthetic – NAA, 2,4-D
• F W Went isolated auxin from tips of coleoptile of
oat plants
• Auxin promotes apical dominance, root intiation,
parthenocarpy and xylem differentiation
• Auxin prevents premature fall of leaves and fruits
but promotes abscission in old and matured parts
• 2,4-D is dicot weedicide

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 Cytokinin
• Adenine derivative
• Natural – Zeatin; Synthetic – Kinetin
• Skoog and Miller identified and crystallized
kinetin
• Promotes cytokinesis in cell division
• Promotes lateral shoot growth, new leaves and
chloroplast formation
• Delay senescence by mobilizing nutrients
(Richmond Lang effect)

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 Gibberellins
• Terpene derivative
• Kurosawa extracted GA from Gibberella
fujikuroi which caused ‘Bakane disease’
• Break seed and bud dormancy
• Induce bolting in cabbage and beet
• Hastens early seed production in conifers
• Promotes stem elongation in sugar cane and
increase sugar cane yield
• Accelerate malting process
• Size of grapes and apples can be increased
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 Ethylene
• Gaseous hormone
• Respiratory climatic by causing ripening of fruits
• Peanut germination, Potato tuber sprouting, elongation
of petiole and internode in deep water rice plants
• Synchronize flowering and fruit set in pineapples and
mangoes
• Epinasty in leaves
• Ethephon:
– Thinning of walnut, cotton and cherry plants
– Increase yield in cucumber by promoting more female
flowers

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 Abscisic acid
• Carotenoid derivative
• Antagonistic to GA3
• Promote abscission to withstand dessication,
dormancy in seed, closure of stomata
• Increase tolerance to stress
• Stress hormone, Inhibitor B, Dormin

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 Photoperiodism
• Flowering with respect to exposed periodic duration of light
• Long day, Short day and day neutral plants
• Day length and dark period is perceived by leaves

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 Vernalization
• Exposure to low temperature induces
flowering
• Wheat, Barley, Rye are classified as Winter
and spring varieties
• Spring variety – Planted in spring and produce
grains in summer
• Winter variety – Planted in autumn, seed
germination in winter, resume growth in spring
and harvested in summer

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 Seed dormancy
• Impermeable seed coat
• Immature embryo
• More ABA, phenolic acids

Can be broken by
• Mechanical treatment with knife, sand paper
• Treating with chemicals like GA, nitrates
• Providing favorable conditions

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1. A phase of growth which is maximum and fastest
is
(a) Lag phase (b) Exponential phase
(c) Stationary phase (d) Both (b) and (c)

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 OPTION : B

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2. Growth can be measured in different ways. Which one
of these can be used as a parameter to measure growth?
(a) Increase in cell number
(b) Increase in cell size
(c) Increase in height and weight
(d) All the above

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 OPTION : D

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3. Recognize the figure and find out the
correct labeling
(a) A – Linear curve in geometric
growth, B – sigmoid or S-curve
in arithmetic growth

(b) A – Linear curve in arithmetic

growth, B – sigmoid or S-curve
in geometric growth

(c) A – Sigmoid or S-curve in

geometric growth, B – Linear
curve in arithmetic growth

(d) A – sigmoid or S-curve in

arithmetic growth, B – Linear
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curve in geometric growth
 OPTION : B

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4. Two leaves, A and B, are of different sizes but shows absolute
increase in area in the unit time to give leaves A1 and B1. Find
out the absolute growth and relative growth rate of both the
leaves

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 OPTION : D

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5. Plasticity in plant growth means
(a) Plant roots are extensible
(b) Plant development is dependent on the environment
(c) Stems can extend
(d) None of the above

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 OPTION : B

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6. The living differentiated cells that by now have lost the
capacity to divide can regain the capacity of division
under certain conditions. This phenomenon is termed as
(a) Differentiation
(b) Dedifferentiation
(c) Redifferentiation
(d) Heterophylly

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 OPTION : B

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7. All changes that an organism goes through during its
life cycle from germination of the seed to senescence, is
called
(a) Development (b) Differentiation
(c) Plasticity (d) Photoperiodism

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 OPTION : A

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8. Match the PGR with their respective functional role

(a) A→ 4, B→ 1, C→ 2, D→ 3
(b) A→ 3, B→ 4, C→ 2, D→ 1
(c) A→ 4, B→ 2, C→ 3, D→ 1
(d) A→ 4, B→ 3, C→ 2, D→ 1
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 OPTION : D

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9. In botanical garden and tea gardens, gardeners trim the
plants regularly so that they remain bushy. They do this
on the scientific explanation of
(a) Richmond Lang effect (b) Vernalization
(c) Apical dominance (d) Senescence

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 OPTION : C

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10. Ethylene is used for
(a) Retarding the ripening of tomatoes
(b) Hastening of ripening of fruits
(c) Slowing down of ripening of apples
(d) Both (b) and (c)

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 OPTION : B

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11. ABA acts antagonistic to
(a) Ethylene (b) Cytokinin
(c) Gibberellic acid (d) IAA

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 OPTION : C

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12. Bakane disease leads to the discovery of which
phytohormone (PGR)
(a) ABA (b) IAA (c) GA (d) IBA

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 OPTION : C

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13. The most widely used compound as source of ethylene
is
(a) Kinetin (b) Zeatin
(c) Ethephon (d) Lunaric acid

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 OPTION : C

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14. Which is used as a weedicide?
(a) Indole Acitic acid
(b) Napthalene acetic acid (NAA)
(c) Indole butyric acid (IBA)
(d) 2, 4 – D

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 OPTION : D

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15. During drought, plants develop hormone
(a) Indole acetic acid
(b) Naphthalene acetic acid
(c) Indole butyric acid
(d) Abscisic acid

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 OPTION : D

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16. The photoperiod in plants is perceived by
(a) Meristem (b) Flower
(c) Floral buds (d) Leaves

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 OPTION : D

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17. Plants which require the exposure to light for a
period exceeding a well defined critical duration for
flowering are called
(a) Short day plants
(b) Long day plants
(c) Day neutral plants
(d) Short long day plants

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 OPTION : C

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18. Certain plants need to be exposed to low temperature
so as to hasten flowering later in life. This treatment is
known as
(a) Stratification (b) Scarification
(c) Vernalisation (d) Photoperiodism

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 OPTION : C

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19. Seed dormancy can be due to
(a) Impermeable seed coat
(b) Presence of ABA
(c) Presence of GA3
(d) Both (a) & (b)

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 OPTION : D

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20. Day neutral plants relate to
(a) loss of activity during day time
(b) flowering in all possible photoperiods
(c) overacting during day time
(d) no flowering in any photoperiods

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 OPTION : B

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 Thank
you !

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