Login

Type your search
Biology

Biology >  Biology Article >  Plant Physiology

×

Plant PhysiologyBOOK A FREE CLASS

Plant physiology is a branch of study in Botany dealing with the physiological processes or
functions of plants. Precisely, it is a descriptive study of variation and structure of plants at the
molecular and cellular level, resulting in ecological, physiological and biochemistry related
aspects of plant exploration.

With terrestrial plants evolving, special techniques and procedures were needed for its
survival with a distinction between water and carbon dioxide.

Plant physiology deals with different plant structures and their functioning.  It enables
analysing processes in plants, namely – photosynthesis, mineral nutrition, respiration,
transportation, and ultimately plant development and growth which are traits displayed by
living entities.

The description is in the context of cellular activities in molecular parameters. It also gives a
brief idea of the role of physiological processes in the environment.

Let us have a detailed look at the plant physiology notes for better conceptual understanding
of the topic.

Physiology of Plant Parts Hi there! Got any questions?

I can help you...

Leaves
Now in your neighbourhood
Play
& BYJU'S TUITION CENTRE
Leaves are an important organ of the plant. They can grow in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Play
& BYJU'S TUITION CENTRE
Leaves
Win are an important organ of the plant. They can grow in a variety of shapes and sizes.
They are the
Click to primary
Chat on centre of photosynthesis.

Stem
The stem provides support and structure to the plant. They perform many important functions
such as plant growth, compete and survive in different environments, etc. The structure of the
stem differs in different species.

Roots
The roots are an underground part of the plant that absorbs water and nutrients from the soil.
That is why they are an important part of the plant.

Xylem and Phloem

These form the vascular tissues of the plant. These are also known as sap. They transport
water, sugars and other important substances between the roots, stem and leaves.

Functions of Plant

Transportation In Plants
Plants have a distinct vascular system (xylem and phloem) which helps in transporting
nutrients and water from roots to all the parts of the plant through translocation.

Transport of water and nutrients in rooted plants is unidirectional or multi-directional. Modes

of transportation can either be passive which occurs through diffusion, facilitated diffusion to
be precise or can be through active mode carried out by specific membrane proteins which
are called pumps.

Water plays a pivotal role in carrying out physiological activities, hence understanding the
importance of plant-water relations is essential.

The concept of water potential helps in comprehending the water movement through terms
such as- Solute potential and pressure potential.

At the cellular level, osmosis takes place in plants which allows movement of molecules in and
out of the cells.

Transpiration is another aspect crucial in the life cycle of plants.

Mineral Nutrition
Plant nutrition is an important aspect instrumental in the growth of plants. It gives an insight
into the methods used to identify essential elements for the development of plants, the role of
these elements, criteria to identify their essentiality, deficiency symptoms and mechanism of
absorption of these elements. It also conveys the importance of nitrogen fixation.
absorption of these elements. It also conveys the importance of nitrogen fixation.

Macro and micronutrients present in plants carry out essential processes such as cell-
membrane permeability, osmotic concentration of cell sap and its maintenance, enzyme
activity and so on.

Inadequate supply of essential elements can lead to critical concentration in plants. Elements
are absorbed through a mechanism which involves isolated cells, tissues and organs.

Apart from other essential elements, nitrogen fixation also takes place in plants.

Photosynthesis In Higher Plants

Plants synthesize their own food through photosynthesis and hence are called autotrophs.

Photosynthesis is important since it is the primary source of food for all living entities on earth
and it releases oxygen in the atmosphere which we inhale to breathe.

It takes place in chloroplasts through light and dark reactions using 4 pigments- Chlorophyll
a, chlorophyll b, Xanthophyll, carotenoids. Extracting energy from oxidizable substances and
storing in the form of bond energy is phosphorylation.

In plants, cyclic and non-cyclic photo-phosphorylations take place. During photosynthesis,

the Calvin cycle takes place through a set of 4 chemical reactions.

Respiration In Plants
Food that is required for life processes comes from photosynthesis. Cellular respiration results
in the release of energy used for the synthesis of ATP which involves glycolysis.

Aerobic respiration leads to complete oxidation of organic substances in the presence of

oxygen, which is common in higher organisms.

To release and utilize the energy stored in molecules, they undergo the following steps:
electron transport system and oxidative phosphorylation.

Another important aspect of respiration is the respiratory quotient. The ratio of the volume of
carbon dioxide released to the volume of oxygen consumed gives the respiratory quotient.

Plant Growth And Development

The process of plant development starts right from germination under favourable
environmental conditions.

Generally, plant growth is indeterminate as they retain their capacity to grow throughout their
lives because of the presence of meristems. The growth of plants is, however measurable
through parameters such as – dry weight, increase in fresh weight, length, area, volume, cell
number etc.
number etc.

The period of plant growth is categorized into three phases – meristematic, elongation and
maturation.

The growth rate can be determined quantitatively in 2 ways – absolute growth rate and
relative growth rate.

The growth of plants is controlled by plant growth regulators.

Plants also produce compounds such as phytochromes that are light sensitive and stimulate
the growth of the plant in response to environmental signals.

Plant physiology is also an important topic related to fruits, vegetables and other edible parts
of the plants. The production of food crops, including the harvest and post-harvest storage of
plant products, also hinges on the plant physiology studies.

Explore more crucial functions necessary to sustain plant life, or any other related topics by
visiting BYJU’S Biology. Alternatively, you can also discover important questions about Plant
Physiology for class 11 – only on BYJU’S The Learning App.

Related links:

Passive Transport

Phases Of Growth, Growth Rate And Conditions For Growth Of Plants

Register at BYJU’S for more plant physiology notes for reference.

Questionnaire Of The Day!

 Put your understanding of this concept to test by answering a few MCQs.
Click ‘Start Quiz’ to begin!

Select the correct answer and click on the “Finish” button

Check your score and answers at the end of the quiz

Start Quiz

BIOLOGY Related Links

Haploid Meaning Cytokinin Function

Herbivore Animals What Is Germination

Leaf Structure What Is A Biome

What Is Chlorophyll Manure Meaning

Human Anatomy And Physiology What Is Pollution

BYJU'S Tuition Centre for Class 4 to 10

Class 10 Tuition Centre

Class 9 Tuition Centre

Class 8 Tuition Centre

Class 7 Tuition Centre

Class 6 Tuition Centre

Class 5 Tuition Centre

Class 4 Tuition Centre

CBSE Sample Papers

CBSE Sample Papers Class 8 Science

CBSE Sample Papers Class 9 Science

CBSE Sample Papers Class 10 Science

CBSE Sample Papers Class 11 Physics

 CBSE Sample Papers Class 11 Physics

CBSE Sample Papers Class 11 Chemistry

CBSE Sample Papers Class 11 Biology

CBSE Sample Papers Class 12 Physics

CBSE Sample Papers Class 12 Chemistry

CBSE Sample Papers Class 12 Biology

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 Science

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 12 Physics

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 12 Chemistry

CBSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 12 Biology

ICSE Sample Papers

ICSE Sample Papers Class 8 Physics

ICSE Sample Papers Class 8 Chemistry

 ICSE Sample Papers Class 8 Biology

ICSE Sample Papers Class 9 Physics

ICSE Sample Papers Class 9 Chemistry

ICSE Sample Papers Class 9 Biology

ICSE Sample Papers Class 10 Physics

ICSE Sample Papers Class 10 Chemistry

ICSE Sample Papers Class 10 Biology

ISC Sample Papers Class 11 Physics

ISC Sample Papers Class 11 Chemistry

ISC Sample Papers Class 11 Biology

ISC Sample Papers Class 12 Physics

ISC Sample Papers Class 12 Chemistry

ISC Sample Papers Class 12 Biology

ICSE Previous Year Question Papers

ICSE Previous Year Question Papers

ICSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 Physics

ICSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 Chemistry

ICSE Previous Year Question Papers Class 10 Maths

ISC Previous Year Question Papers class 12

ISC Previous Year Question Papers Class 12 Physics

ISC Previous Year Question Papers Class 12 Chemistry

ISC Previous Year Question Papers Class 12 Biology

Join BYJU'S Learning Program

Name

Mobile Number

City

Grade/Exam

Email Address

Submit
 Comments
Leave a Comment
Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *
*

Mobile Number Send OTP

Type your message or doubt here...

Post My Comment

Sid
May 28, 2022 at 11:39 am

Ok

Reply

COURSES EXAMS

CBSE CAT Exam

ICSE CAT 2023

CAT GATE Exam

IAS GATE 2024

JEE IAS Exam

NEET UPSC Exam

Commerce UPSC Syllabus

JEE Main UPSC 2023

NCERT Bank Exam

JEE Advanced Government Exams

UPSC Prelims 2022 Question Paper Education News

UPSC Prelims 2022 Answer Key

CLASSES
IAS Coaching

CBSE Sample Papers Kids Learning

CBSE Question Papers Class 1st - 3rd

Class 4th - 5th

Class 6th - 10th

Class 11th - 12th

BYJU'S Tuition Centre

EXAM PREPARATION COMPANY

Free CAT Prep About Us

Free IAS Prep Contact Us

Maths Contact our Financial Partners

Physics Investors

Chemistry Careers

Biology BYJU'S in Media

JEE 2023 Social Initiative - Education for All

JEE Advanced 2023 Question Paper with Answers BYJU'S APP

JEE Main Mock Test FAQ

JEE Main 2023 Question Papers with Answers Students Stories - The Learning Tree

JEE Main 2022 Question Papers with Answers Support

JEE Advanced 2022 Question Paper with Answers Faces of BYJU'S – Life at BYJU'S

NEET 2023 Question Paper Blog

NEET 2023 Question Paper Analysis BYJU'S Give

NEET 2022 Answer Key

RESOURCES

Worksheets

BYJU'S Answer

DSSL

Home Tuition

All Products

Calculators

Formulas
FREE TEXTBOOK SOLUTIONS STATE BOARDS

NCERT Solutions Maharashtra

NCERT Exemplar Gujarat

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Tamil Nadu

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Karnataka

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Kerala

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Andhra Pradesh

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Telangana

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Uttar Pradesh

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Bihar

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Rajasthan

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Madhya Pradesh

RD Sharma Solutions West Bengal

RD Sharma Class 10 Solutions

ICSE Selina Solutions

FOLLOW US

Disclaimer Privacy Policy Terms of Services Sitemap

© 2023, BYJU'S. All rights reserved.