Plant Nutrition
Plant Nutrition
Plant Nutrition
Photosynthesis
Plants are autotrophic as they are able to use external sources of energy and raw materials to
synthesise their own organic food.
Photosynthesis in green plants is a process by which energy from the sun is transformed into
chemical energy in the form of carbohydrate molecules. Carbon dioxide and water react
together using sunlight absorbed by chlorophyll to produce glucose and oxygen. The word
equation for photosynthesis is:
Water is a product as well as being used as a reactant. Oxygen diffuses out of the leaf into
the atmosphere and it is used by living organisms in aerobic respiration.
Photosynthesis occurs in chloroplasts in two stages:
(a) Light reaction
A light-dependant stage which requires light energy. During this reaction,
photolysis of water occurs i.e. photochemical splitting of water molecules into
hydrogen and oxygen, using the light energy trapped in the chlorophyll present
in the chloroplasts. The light energy is also converted to chemical energy in the
form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
(b) Dark reaction
Carbon dioxide is reduced by hydrogen (produced in the light stage) to form
glucose using ATP produced in the light stage. A temperature dependant state
as enzymes is involved.
Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere diffuses into the leaf through the stomata. Once the
carbon dioxide enters the leaf, it dissolves in the thin film of water surrounding the spongy
mesophyll and palisade cells and it finally diffuses into the chloroplasts within the cells and
used in photosynthesis.
Leaf Structure
The main photosynthetic organ of a plant is a green leaf. Leaves are adapted so that photosynthesis
can take place as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Adaptations of Leaves for
Photosynthesis
1. Waxy Cuticle is mainly present
on the upper side of the leaf to
reduce transpiration. It is
chemically composed of fats. In
arid conditions the cuticle is
actually quite thick.
2. Thin leaf so that light, carbon
dioxide, oxygen can reach all
parts in the leaf.
3. Flat leaf so that leaves have
more surface area for absorption
of maximum light.
4. Chloroplasts containing
chlorophyll are present in the
palisade mesophyll cells under upper epidermis, to absorb more light for photosynthesis. More
chloroplasts are present in the spongy mesophyll cells but in lesser amount.
5. Network of vein and veinlets are present in the leaf. They contain xylem and phloem vessels.
The xylem vessels provide water and mineral salts. The phloem vessel transport sucrose and
amino acids away from leaves to other plant parts. Together the xylem and phloem vessels are
known as vascular bundle.
6. Air spaces are present in the leaf in an interconnected system (also known as intercellular
space) so that carbon dioxide and oxygen can rapidly diffuse into and out of the leaf.
7. Stomata are largely present mostly in the lower surface of leaves for rapid diffusion of
carbon dioxide and oxygen between the leaf and the environment.
8. Petiole holds the leaf in such a position that maximum light falls onto it and attaches the leaf
to the plant.
Uses of Glucose
The Fate of Glucose
Glucose is used in all living cells of a plant in respiration to release energy.
It is converted to starch, usually during daytime, and is converted back to glucose according
to its requirements.
It can be converted to cellulose to make cellulose cell walls
It can be converted to sucrose which is transported to other parts of the plant through
phloem vessels.
They are converted to amino acids with the help of nitrate ions (NO31-). These amino acids can
be used in respiration to release energy when required. They can also be transported to other
parts of the plant, through phloem vessels along with sucrose. These amino acids are also used
to make plant proteins.
It can be converted to fatty acids and glycerol in different chemical reactions. Fatty acids
and glycerol can be used to make plant fats e.g. soya bean oil, mustard oil, coconut oil, and to
release energy.
Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are all made from the chemical transformation of glucose
and are used to make cell membranes etc…
DNA, RNA, vitamins, enzymes, hormones etc… are produced in plants by the further chemical
transformation of the products of photosynthesis.
Glucose is converted to sucrose, which is stored in fruit.
Used in the formation of nectar, to attract bees and other insects and help in pollination.
Limiting Factors
If a plant is given unlimited sunlight, carbon dioxide and water and is at a warm temperature,
the limit on the rate (speed) at which it can photosynthesise is its own ability to absorb these
materials and make them react
However, most often plants do not have unlimited supplies of their raw materials so their rate
of photosynthesis is limited by whatever factor is the lowest at that time
So a limiting factor can be defined as something present in the environment in such short
supply that it restricts life processes
There are three main factors which limit the rate of photosynthesis:
o Temperature
o Light intensity
o Carbon dioxide concentration
Although water is necessary for photosynthesis, it is not considered a limiting factor as the
amount needed is relatively small compared to the amount of water transpired from a plant so
there is hardly ever a situation where there is not
enough water for photosynthesis
Temperature
As temperature increases the rate of photosynthesis
increases as the reaction is controlled by enzymes
However, as the reaction is controlled by enzymes,
this trend only continues up to a certain temperature
beyond which the enzymes begin to denature and the
rate of reaction decreases
Light intensity
The more light a plant receives, the faster the rate of photosynthesis
This trend will continue until some other factor required for photosynthesis prevents the rate
from increasing further because it is now in short supply
At low light intensities, increasing the intensity
will initially increase the rate of photosynthesis. At
a certain point, increasing the light intensity stops
increasing the rate. The rate becomes constant
regardless of how much light intensity increases as
something else is limiting the rate.
Importance of Photosynthesis
Source of oxygen for all living organisms (for aerobic
respiration)
Source of food for all living organisms directly or
indirectly
It maintains the balance of oxygen and carbon
dioxide in the environment through the carbon and
nitrogen cycles.
It decreases the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment. Otherwise, the high concentration
of carbon dioxide in the environment will cause global warming. (average increase in the
temperature of the earth is known as global warming)
It is a source of fossil fuels, e.g. coal, gas, oil, etc… Fossil fuels are further used in houses,
vehicles, factories, industries, trains, aeroplanes etc…
Forests are called *lungs of nature*, which ultimately depend on photosynthesis.
It is the only biological process that converts light energy to chemical energy in the form of
glucose.
Experiments on Photosynthesis
All experiments carries out to investigate photosynthesis
must begin with a de-starched plant for both the test and
the control experiment. The plants are de-starched by
keeping them in dark for 48 hours. In the absence of
photosynthesis, all the starched stored in the leaves will be
converted to sugar, carried away and utilised by other parts
of the plant.
The leaves are tested for starch at the end of the
experiment. The presence of starch in the leaves show that
photosynthesis has occurred. The procedure for the starch
test is as follows:
(a) Boil the leaf in water to kills the cells
(b) Boil it in ethanol to extract chlorophyll; ethanol dissolves lipids in cell membranes
(c.) Then soften the leaf in hot water for penetration of iodine.
(d) Treat with iodine to test for starch. Regions where starch is present turn blue-black.
The following series of experiments can be used to investigate the conditions and factors
required to test for photosynthesis:
Minerals required by plants are absorbed from the soil in the form
of ions (salts dissolved in soil water), through the process of active
transport.
The table below are a summary of important minerals required for
the plant.