PLANT STRUCTURE AND GROWTH

 Origin of wheat cultivation: region of the Middle East dubbed the "Fertile Crescent".
 A major leap forward occurred in the latter half of the 20th century. "Green Revolution"

ANGIOSPERMS

 Two major groups of angiosperms; monocots & eudicots

MONOCOTS
- are grass and grass-like flowering plants, the seeds of which typically contain only one
embryonic leaf or cotyledon.

EUDICOTS
- Are a clade of flowering plants mainly characterized by having two seed leaves upon
germination.

Basic Organs of a Plant Body: Roots, Stems, Leaves

PLANT ORGAN: ROOTS

FUNCTION: Anchors plant firmly in the soil, Absorbing water and nutrients Production of Hormones.

The plant Body has two connecting systems; The root system and the shoot system

1. Root system consists of components below ground that supports the plant and absorbs water
and minerals.
2. Shoot system consists of all plant components above the ground and has two portions, the
vegetative/ non-reproductive (leaves and stems), and reproductive parts (flowers and fruits).

 Roots can also be aerial

or aerating, that is
growing above ground or
especially up above
water.
ROOT HAIR - a filamentous extension of an epidermal cell near the tip of a rootlet that functions in
absorption of water and minerals.

 Tap root system - main roots

grow down vertically, and
from which smaller lateral
roots arise. (e.g. carrots)

 Fibrous root system - forms

a dense network of roots
that also helps with soil
erosion ( e.g. lawn grasses,
wheat, rice, and corn)

PLANT ORGAN: STEM

FUNCTION: Transport water and solutes between roots and leaves. Produces and supports appendages
of plant (leaves, flowers, fruits.

EXTERNAL STRUCTURE OF A STEM

Nodes - the points at which the leaves are attached

Internodes- the portions of the stem between nodes.

Buds - are undeveloped or embryonic shoots

 Terminal Bud or Apical Bud is the area that is the primary growth point at the tip of the stem
that forms the dominant bud.
 Axillary Bud is an embryonic or organogenic shoot located in the axil of a leaf.
 Apical dominance- In many plants, the terminal bud produces hormones that inhibit the growth
of the axillary buds

The stalk that extends from the stem to the base of the leaf is the petiole

PLANT ORGAN: LEAVES

Function: leaves Are responsible for photosynthesis (making food), respiration (using oxygen to burn
food), and transpiration (releasing excess water vapor).

BASIC LEAF FEATURES: LEAF BLADE, PETIOLE, & STIPULES

BLADE - the broad portion of a leaf

Apex- leaf tip

Margin- leaf edge boundary area (can be smooth, jagged/ toothed, lobed, or parted)

Veins- vascular tissue bundles that support the leaf and transport nutrients

Midrib- travels the length of the leaf and branches to each side to produce veins of vascular tissue

Base- area of the leaf that connects the blade to the petiole

PERIOLE - the thin stalk that attaches leaf to a stem

Leaves that do not have a petiole and are directly connected to the stem are called sessile leaves.

STIPULES - the leaf-like structures at the leaf base

Types of Plant Tissues

Plant tissues fall into one of two general types

Meristematic tissue Permanent tissue

-Are either undifferentiated or
incompletely differentiated and are
capable of cell division. Have not attained
definite form and size and has dense and
abundant cytoplasm.
- Consists of three types: Apical, Lateral, and
Intercalar.
Three Tissue systems that make up the Plant Body
- Tissues that has completed its growth and
differentiation, and is incapable of cell
division. Have attained definite form and
size and have a thin layer of cytoplasm
around vacuole.
- Simple – Parenchyma, Collenchyma, and
Sclerenchyma Complex – Xylem & Phloem

DERMAL TISSUE SYSTEM

- is the plant’s outer protective covering it forms the first line of defense against physical
damage and infectious organisms consists of a single layer of tightly packed cells called the
epidermis-which has a waxy coating called the cuticle.
VASCULAR TISSUE SYSTEM
- It is made up of xylem and phloem tissues and provides support and long-distance transport
between the root and shoot systems.
DERMAL TISSUE SYSTEM
- Tissues that are neither dermal nor vascular It accounts for most of the bulk of a young
plant, filling the spaces between the epidermis and vascular tissue system. Ground tissue
internal to the vascular tissue is called pith, and ground tissue external to the vascular tissue
is called cortex.