DELHI PUBLC SCHOOL BANGALORE

Cambridge International

SUBJECT: BIOLOGY GRADE : 9

CHAPTER 6

PLANT NUTIRTION
Van Helmont 1664
 The willow Tree Experiment

Observation :
• The weight of pot and soil have no significant change
• The weight or biomass of plant has increased a lot .
Conclusion:
• Plants only need water to grow
 Photosynthesis
Plants grow by synthesizing their own food.
The word photosynthesis comes from the
Greek language:
“photo” means “light”
“synthesis” means “putting
together”

Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that

takes place in the chloroplasts in green
plant cells, where light energy is used to
convert carbon dioxide and water into
glucose and oxygen.
 light energy
carbon
water glucose oxygen
dioxide chlorophyll
light
energy

c
h
l
carbon o oxygen
r
dioxide glucose
o
p
water h
y
l
FATE OF GLUCOSE
 Transport in plants
Xylem- Transport water and minerals from root to leaves
Phloem- Transport food produced by photosynthesis from
leaves to other body parts
Leaves are wide and flat Leaves are thin so gases
to create a large can reach cells easily.
surface area and to
absorb
as much light as
possible.

Leaves have holes, called

Leaves have lots of veins stomata, on their
to carry water to the underside through which
cells and carry glucose gases move in and out.
away.
Structure of leaf
 Structure of leaf
Although a leaf looks thin, its is made up of several layers of
cells.
1. Cuticle: made of wax – which waterproofs the leaf.
2. Upper epidermis : thin and transparent – allows light to pass
through
3. Palisade mesophyll : Cells are columnar (quite long) and
packed with chloroplasts to trap light energy. This is main region
of photosynthesis
 Structure of leaf
4. Spongy mesophyll : Cells are more spherical and loosely
packed, have air spaces between cells allow gaseous exchange
5. Vascular bundle : Leaf vein, made up of xylem and phloem
Xylem vessels bring water and minerals to the leaf
Phloem vessels transport sugars and amino acids away
(translocation)
6.Lower epidermis: Acts as a protective layer and have
stomata .
Leaf – Chloroplast and Chlorophyll
Chloroplast - Reaction center of photosynthesis.
All green parts of a plant, including the green stems, green
leaves, and sepals – floral parts comprise of chloroplasts.

Chlorophyll - It is the light trapping green pigment found

in the chloroplast of green plants.
 Leaf-Stomata

•Each stomata is surrounded by a pair of guard cells

•Guard cells – control whether the stoma is open or closed
 Leaf-Stomata
Stomata - are the tiny openings present on the
surface of leaves. It plays following important role :
• Gaseous exchange between the plant and
surrounding.
• Transpiration and removal of excess water in
the form of water vapor.
• Stomatal closure at night prevents water loss
• Stomata facilitate carbon dioxide uptake and
release of oxygen during the process of
photosynthesis.
 Compensation point

The (light) compensation

point is the light intensity on
the light curve where the rate
of photosynthesis exactly
matches the rate of cellular
respiration. At this point, the
uptake of CO2 through
photosynthetic pathways is
equal to the respiratory release
of carbon dioxide, and the
uptake of O2 by respiration is
equal to the photosynthetic
release of oxygen.
 The rate of photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction and so has a rate.
light energy
carbon
water glucose oxygen
dioxide • chlorophyll
•Is the rate of photosynthesis always the same?

•The rate of photosynthesis varies depending on three

main factors:
• light carbon dioxide
temperature

How do these factors affect the rate of photosynthesis?

 Light and the rate of photosynthesis
More light energy means that photosynthesis will be faster.
If light intensity is too high plant cells can be damaged.
Carbon dioxide and the rate of photosynthesis
More carbon dioxide means more photosynthesis, so
plants make more food and grow quicker.
Temperature and the rate of photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is controlled by enzymes.

Enzymes usually work best at warmer temperatures. If
the temperature gets too hot (above 40 °C), plant
enzymes begin to break down and are destroyed or
denatured
 W h a t is a limiting factor?
A limiting factor is something which in present in
environment in such a short supply that it restrict
the life process.
 Photosynthesis and light – limiting factors

How does the amount of light affect the rate

of photosynthesis on this labelled graph?
1 As the amount of light
increases, so does the rate.
rate of photosynthesis

The limiting factor is light.

2
2 Here, increasing the
amount of light has no
affect on the rate. The
limiting factor is now
1 carbon dioxide or
temperature.
light intensity What must be increased for
the rate to increase?
 Photosynthesis and carbon dioxide – limiting factors
How does the amount of carbon dioxide affect the
rate of photosynthesis on this labelled graph?

1 As the amount of carbon

dioxide goes up, so
rate of photosynthesis

does the rate. The

2 limiting factor is carbon
dioxide.
2 Here, increasing the
amount of carbon dioxide
has no affect on the rate.
Light or warmth is now the
1
limiting factor.
What must be increased
concentration of
for the rate to
carbon
increase?
dioxide
 Photosynthesis and temperature – limiting factors
How does temperature affect the rate of
photosynthesis on this labelled graph?
1. As temperature increases,
so does the rate because
rate of photosynthesis

photosynthetic enzymes
work best in the warmth.
Here, the limiting factor is
temperature.
2
2 Most plant enzymes are
1 destroyed at about 45°C.
Here, photosynthesis stops
and the rate falls to zero.
0oC temperature 45oC
What is the limiting factor?
QUESTIONS
 W h a t minerals do plants need?
Plants need mineral elements for healthy growth.
Some of the most important minerals needed by plants are:
nitrogen nitrates
phosphorus phosphates
potassium potassium ions
magnesium magnesium ions
How do plants obtain these minerals?
The mineral elements are found in salts dissolved in water.
Plants obtain minerals when they absorb water from the soil.
 Where do minerals come from?

What are the sources of minerals in the soil?

Rocks: The minerals in rocks are

slowly dissolved by slightly
acidic rainwater. These minerals
are washed into the soil.
Natural fertilizers: Animal faeces
and the decay of dead plants and
animals return minerals to the soil.

Artificial fertilizers: These

contain a ready-made mixture
of the minerals needed by
plants.
Major mineral salt in plant growth
 Not enough minerals!

What happens if plants do not get enough minerals?

Plants do not grow properly if they are deprived of minerals
and begin to look unhealthy.

NITROGEN PHOSPHORUS POTASSIUM MAGNESIUM

If a plant does not get enough of a mineral it is said
to have a mineral deficiency.
 Fertilisers (NPK)
Most compound fertilizers will contain three elements essential for growth, NPK
which stands for Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). They are made
by mixing ammonium phosphate ammonium sulphate and potassium chloride.
These elements help plants grow in different ways.
Wa t e r c u l t u re s
To determine importance of various mineral element
Experimental proof of ingredients
and products of photosynthesis
Basic requirement for carrying out
photosynthesis experiment – Destarched
plant
What is destarched plant ?
A plant that lack starch
How to destarch a plant ?
Place the plant in dark for -3 days
Why we need destarched plant ?
So that it can be concluded that the starch
present is synthesized during experiment.
1.Test for presence of starch in green leaf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZJs7jhvmRU

Observation :
If starch is present the
leaf turn blue black
and if not the iodine
will remain brown
Will you be able to test a leaf for starch by
directly applying iodine on leaf ?
 2. To test light in necessary for
photosynthesis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Le0S52wt0

Observation :
The area of leaf which exposed to light turns blue black with
iodine solution and that which is not remains brown.
3. To test CO2 in necessary for starch
production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpdRsAv7ltM
Observation :
The leaf from plant with
sodium hydrogen carbonate
turns blue black with iodine
solution and that which is from
plant with soda lime remains
brown.
 4.. TO SHOW THAT OXYGEN IS PRODUCED DURING PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

• Place water plant in a beaker containing pond water.

• Cover the plant with short stemmed funnel.
• Invert the test tube full of water and cover the stem
of the funnel.
• While placing the test tube, ensure that the level of
the water in beaker is above the level of stem of
funnel.
• Expose the apparatus to the sunlight.
• After few hours, gas bubbles will form and collect in
the test tube.
• Test the gas in the test tube.
• A glowing splinter bursts into the flame shows the
presence of oxygen.
• Observation: Gas bubbles in a test tube.

Result: Presence of oxygen.

Conclusion: Formation of gas bubbles prove that oxygen

is produced by the green plants during photosynthesis.
Effect of light intensity on photosynthesis:
1. Cut the stem of a bubbling pond weed which has been well illuminated to about 5cm. Place the cut
surface upwards in a test tube containing sodium hydrogen carbonate solution.

2. Place the test tube in the beaker of water and note the temperature. The beaker of water acts as a
heat filter or heat shield, so its temperature should be checked at intervals to ensure that it is constant
throughout the experiment; the water should be renewed if necessary.

3. Attach the gas-collecting apparatus, if any.

4. Darken the laboratory by turning off as many lights as possible.

5. Place lamp 10 cm away from the beaker. Allow the plant to equilibrate or adjust to the light
intensity for 2-3 minutes
When the rate of air bubbles is regular and a adequate (>10 bubbles/minute), place the capillary
tube/test tube over the cut tip of the pondweed and then measure the volume or , count the number of
bubbles. This should be done for 5 minutes. Repeat twice and obtain an average of the results.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5, with increasing distances away from the light source e.g. 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm
and 50 cm. Light intensity is a inversely proportional to the square of the distance, so as the distance
is increased the light intensity decreases. Note that doubling the distance does not half the intensity,
rather quarters it.

7. Record results in a table, then plot a graph of volume of oxygen/minute OR number of

bubble/minute against the distance between the lamp and the plant.
Observation and result :
As light intensity increases (distance between lamp and plant decreases) the volume
of oxygen (or the rate of bubble production) increases. This indicates that the rate of
photosynthesis increases with light intensity.

However, at sufficiently high levels of light intensity, the rate oxygen evolution
remains constant.
Effect of Carbon Dioxide on the Rate of Photosynthesis
• Effect of Temperature on the Rate of Photosynthesis
Explanation:
At low temperature, the enzyme does not have enough energy to meet many substrate
molecules, so the reaction is slowed.

When the temperature rises, the particles in the reaction move quicker and collide more, so the
rate of photosynthesis rises also.

At temperatures above 40°C the rate slows down. This is because the enzymes
involved in the chemical reactions of photosynthesis are temperature sensitive and
destroyed (denatured) at higher temperatures.
Thank you