Students learn about: 1.

Process of growth and development in plants

Outline the major differences between monocotyledons e.g. wheat and

dicotyledons e.g. lucerne

Monocotyledon Dicotyledon

Roots Vascular xylem surrounds phloem in Vascular xylem forms a

(Internal) a circular, radiating pattern. cross. Phloem is
clustered between arms
of cross.

No cambium tissue. Cambium thickens the

roots over time.

Roots Fibrous root system. All roots have Taproot; one major root
(External) roughly the same diameter and that goes straight into the
extensively penetrate surface layers ground. Thinner
despite not going as deep. secondary roots branch
off.

Stem Vascular bundles scattered through Bundles arranged in a

(Internal) stem circular, wheel-like
pattern

No cambium in vascular bundles. Cambium thickens the

stem over time.

Hollow Solid

Stem multiple stems (tillers) without One main stem with

(External) branching. branches or laterals
leading off.

Terminal buds do not produce The terminal bud contains

elongation of the stem, so stems are meristematic tissues
usually short. The stem is lengthened which undergoes cell
when the terminal buds produce division to lengthen the
reproductive parts. stem.

Leaves Leaf veins parallel to each other. Leaf veins web or fanlike
Long, thin and pointed. pattern (reticulated)
Short, wide and pointed

Flower In multiples of 3 In multiples of 40 or 5

Parts
 Growth Herbaceous Herbaceous or woody
Form

Outline the phases (stages) of growth and development of one agricultural

monocotyledon and dicotyledon used in agriculture
Development of Wheat Plant-
Vegetative Phase: First process in this phase is germination which means it needs
the right supply of water, air and correct temperature. The seed swells and the first
root emerges. This is followed by the emergence of the coleoptile and further roots
emerge. These roots are seminal roots. The coleoptile grows to the surface of the
soil and through it the first leaf emerges. Near the surface the crown node forms and
from this node roots grow and form the major root system. This is all followed by the
growth of more stems, tillers from axillary buds of the leaves.
Reproductive Phase:
The change from vegetative to reproductive is marked by a change in terminal bud
on the stem. Instead of a rounded dome producing new leaves (in vegetative phase),
it is now a double ridge and an inflorescence. The stem now grows up and
elongation of internodes. After the inflorescence emerges from the flag leaf, the
anthers become visible, known as anthesis. Pollen is shed, fertilisation takes place
and the embryo and seed develop, The flag leaf and the inflorescence are
responsible for most of photosynthesis that produces material for storage in the
seed. Once the seeds have completed filling the plant begins to die and dry out. The
seeds also dry out and harden and are ready for harvest.
Development of Potato Plant- the potato is grown as an annual crop. It grows from
the tuber but not a seed. The tuber is the potato itself and is a swollen stem.
Vegetative Phase: The tuber is planted in the ground like how the seeds of the other
crops would be planted. The buds on the tuber sprout and produce shoots using the
food stored in the tuber. After the shoot breaks through the surface of the soil, they
begin to photosynthesise and supply their own food requirements. 10 days after the
emergence of stems above the ground, the axillary buds of the underground part of
the stems start to send out horizontal stems (stolons). The ends of the stolons swell
up, storing starch to form the tubers that are finally harvested. No material is stored
in the seed tuber, which shrivels up and dies.

Reproductive phase
As the aboveground stem and leaf material reach their full size, flowers are
produced. The]eir colour varies from white to mauve to blue purple. In many varieties
the flowers fall off at an early stage, some flowers get pollinated and form small fruit
they are not unlike tiny green tomatoes and are small. Seeds are only necessary to
the breeding varieties. Tubers continue to grow staring starch
Define plant growth
Growth in vascular plants resulting from the production of primary tissues by an
apical meristem. The plant body grows lengthwise chiefly by the enlargement of cells
produced by the apical meristem (rather than by cell division).
Draw a plant growth curve
Define plant development
Plant development is the process by which structures originate and mature as a
plant grows. Plants produce new tissues and structures throughout their life from
clusters of undifferentiated cells called meristems.

Understand the vegetative and reproductive stages of plant development

Vegetative stage is between germination and reproduction. During the vegetative
growth stage, the plant is busy photosynthesising and accumulating resources such
as energy and glucose, which would be needed for flowering and reproduction. This
is the growth period during which the plant grows the fastest.
The reproductive stage is the growth stage between vegetative and maturity. The
objective of the plant is to reproduce, and the plants energies are directed to the
production of the reproductive parts that are required, such as flowers, seeds and
pollen. Due to this, the plants growth is slows down.

Understand the factors that trigger the reproductive phase

There are various endogenous and environmental cues and factors that trigger the
reproductive phase. Endogenous factors include hormones, carbohydrate
assimilates, such as sugars. The most important environmental factors are
temperature, water and sunlight quality. The change in daytime sunlight exposure
and will trigger reproduction in some species.. Low levels of water, or prolonged time
without water will lead to the plant flowering early, as it believes that it would die and
must reproduce as quickly as possible. Other stress inducing factors can cause this
as well, such as extreme heat.
Students learn about: 2. Processes of respiration, photosynthesis, net assimilation
rate, water and nutrient uptake on the effects of plant growth.

Students learn about: 2. Processes of respiration, photosynthesis, net assimilation

rate, water and nutrient uptake on the effects of plant growth
Describe the effect on plant growth of the process of:
-Photosynthesis is a major factor of plant growth. Plants can only grow due from
photosynthesis, as it is the main form of energy generation for plants
-Respiration also produces a great deal of energy that is needed for plant growth. It
uses the sugars produced in photosynthesis to grow. Excess energy produced is
stored as starch.
-Net assimilation rate is defined as the rate of dry weight (W) per unit of leaf area (L).
It is a way to see how efficiently the plants are changing photosynthesis into growth.
As growth increases, usually so does the net assimilation rate.
-Water and nutrient uptake greatly affects the growth rate of plants. If plants do not
efficiently take in enough water and nutrients, the plants growth rate would slow
down significantly, as without water the plant cant photosynthesise and without
nutrients the plant is unable to maintain health.

Describe the process of photosynthesis (light and dark phases).

Photosynthesis is the process on which all organisms depend for their food supply,
from which they get the material they are made from and their energy. Light energy
is trapped by chlorophyll, converted into chemical energy and used to combine
carbon dioxide and water to form simple sugars.
Light Phase
Here the chlorophyll in the chloroplasts traps light energy and this energy is used to
split water molecules into H and O. The oxygen is released and escapes to the
atmosphere and allows H to be picked up by NADP molecule to form a NADPH 2 and
also used to make an ATP molecule. THe inputs are water and light energy, the
outputs are O and NADPH2
Dark Phase
This phase also takes place in the chloroplasts and the energy in ATP and
NADPH2 is used to combine carbon dioxide with other molecules to form simple
sugars. As no light is required, therefore it is called the dark phase. The inputs to the
dark phase are carbon dioxide, NADPH2 and ATP; the outputs are ADP, phosphate,
NADP and high energy simple sugars from which all the substances in a plant can
be synthesised
Distinguish between C3 and C4 plants.
C3 plants go through the Calvin cycle, taking in carbon dioxide through the leaves'
minuscule pores, called stomata. An enzyme called RuBisCO helps the carbon
dioxide combine with sugar. Eventually, the sugar and carbon dioxide form a
molecule with three carbon atoms (C3) in the chloroplast. Includes wheat, rye and
oats. Temperate or cool season plants.

A C4 plant is a plant that cycles carbon dioxide into four-carbon sugar compounds to
enter into the Calvin cycle. These plants are very efficient in hot, dry climates and
make a lot of energy. Many foods we eat are C4 plants, like corn, pineapple, and
sugarcane. Tropical or warm season plants.

Define respiration.
Respiration: a process in living organisms involving the production of energy,
typically with the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide from the
oxidation of complex organic substances.
Chemical Formula: C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O (glucose + oxygen -> carbon
dioxide + water).
Describe Net Assimilation Rate (ie: Photosynthesis - Respiration = NAR).
Net Assimilation Rate
A measure of the growth of plants resulting from the difference between
photosynthesis and respiration
Indicates growth of a crop/pasture
Defined as the average increase in dry matter per unit area of leaf material in
a given period
To calculate NAR, samples are cut at the beginning and end of a time interval
and and leaf area and weight of dry matter are determined
Draw Figure 18.2
Rate of sugar production (photosynthesis) or consumption (respiration) is the y axis.

Outline the factors affecting NAR.

Rate of photosynthesis - Controlled by interaction of factors like light intensity,
carbon dioxide concentration near leaves, availability of water, temperature
around plant
Rate of respiration - Influenced by factors such as light intensity, carbon
dioxide concentration near the leaves, availability of water and the
temperature around the plant
Availability of inorganic nutrients - Nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulphur, and potassium are necessary for the synthesis of different tissues in
the plant
Proportion of non-photosynthetic tissue - The more roots, stems, flowers and
fruits there are in the plant, the more respiration will take place there
Photoperiod - The length of day can greatly affect the amount of dry matter
produced because it will affect the amount of photosynthesis in a day
Stage of plant development - At certain stages, growth rates of
photosynthesis and respiration will change, affecting the NAR
Leaf area - greater leaf area = greater photosynthesis
Canopy Structure - The arrangement of leave on the plant influence the NAR,
especially if this leads to the shading of lower leaves thus reducing their
photosynthetic capacity
Describe the process of the uptake of water and nutrients.
The water and nutrients enter the roots of the plant from the specialised root hair
cells which has maximal surface area to increase the uptake of nutrients and water.
Water and nutrients then travel up the xylem and is distributed to the respective
areas of need. Nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium are absorbed strongly
by soils and are only present in small quantities in the soil solution. These nutrients
move to the root by diffusion. As uptake of these nutrients occurs at the root, the
concentration camp in the soil solution in close proximity to the root decreases. This
creates a gradient for the nutrient to diffuse through the soil solution from a zone of
high concentration to the depleted solution adjacent to the root. Diffusion is
responsible for the majority of the P, K and Zn moving to the root for uptake.