NUTRITION IN PLANTS
Plant Nutrition
The ability of living organisms to feed is known as nutrition. It is the process by which
living things obtain and assimilate (utilize) nutrients. Living things require nutrients for
various purposes; growth, repair of worn-out tissues, and provision of energy. Plants
manufacture their own food using light energy, carbon (IV) oxide, water, and mineral
salts through the process of photosynthesis. Conversely, animals feed on already
manufactured foods from plants and other animals.
Types of Nutrition
There are two major types of modes of nutrition in plants. They are
1. Autotrophic Nutrition
2. Heterotrophic Nutrition
Autotrophic Nutrition:
Organisms which are able to manufacture their own food are known as autotrophs. In
this kind of nutrition, organisms make their own food from simple inorganic
substances.
There are two types of autotrophic nutrition
(i) Photosynthetic Nutrition
(ii) Chemosynthetic Nutrition
Heterotrophic Nutrition:
Organisms that cannot manufacture food but depend on plants either directly or
indirectly are heterotrophs and the mode of nutrition is heterotrophic.
Most animals, fungi and certain bacterial are heterotrophs.
Types of heterotrophic nutrition include: parasitic, saprophytic, symbiotic etc.
Nutrition in Plants
Nutrition is the process by which an organism obtains food materials and prepares
them for its use. Food is needed for growth, replacement, repair, and respiration.
Green plants differ from other organisms such as fungi, most bacteria, and animals in
the way they make their food from simple inorganic materials.
They take in Carbon(IV)Oxide, water, and minerals salts and build this into the organic
compounds they need; mainly carbohydrates, proteins, and oils.
This basic synthesis in plants is called photosynthesis.
, Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants synthesize organic substances from
carbon dioxide and water, using energy absorbed from sunlight by chlorophyll.
It is often represented by this equation.
The equation helps to highlight the following
▪ The raw materials of photosynthesis are carbon(IV)oxide from the air and water
from the soil. Aquatic plants are surrounded by water which has
carbon(IV)oxide dissolved in it.
▪ Synthesis is an anabolic process which needs energy. In photosynthesis, green
plants use sunlight or radiant energy from the sun. They may also use strong
artificial light for photosynthesis
▪ The chlorophyll absorbs radiant energy from the sun. The chlorophyll which is
green in colour is present in the chloroplasts.
▪ Glucose (simple sugar) is the first product of photosynthesis.
▪ Oxygen diffuses out as a byproduct, a little of this oxygen may be used for
respiration but most of it diffuses from the plant into the surroundings.
▪ During the day, sugars are usually produced more rapidly than they can be
removed from the leaf. The surplus is converted into starch and stored
temporally.
▪ At night, the starch is gradually hydrolyzed to sugar and carried from the leaf to
other parts of the plant. Starch is sometimes called the first visible product of
photosynthesis because the simplest way to find out whether
▪ photosynthesis has taken place is to test for starch in the leaf.
Conditions Necessary for Photosynthesis
Following are the conditions necessary for photosynthesis:
1) Sunlight
2) Chlorophyll
3) Carbon Dioxide
4) Water
Plant Nutrition
The ability of living organisms to feed is known as nutrition. It is the process by which
living things obtain and assimilate (utilize) nutrients. Living things require nutrients for
various purposes; growth, repair of worn-out tissues, and provision of energy. Plants
manufacture their own food using light energy, carbon (IV) oxide, water, and mineral
salts through the process of photosynthesis. Conversely, animals feed on already
manufactured foods from plants and other animals.
Types of Nutrition
There are two major types of modes of nutrition in plants. They are
1. Autotrophic Nutrition
2. Heterotrophic Nutrition
Autotrophic Nutrition:
Organisms which are able to manufacture their own food are known as autotrophs. In
this kind of nutrition, organisms make their own food from simple inorganic
substances.
There are two types of autotrophic nutrition
(i) Photosynthetic Nutrition
(ii) Chemosynthetic Nutrition
Heterotrophic Nutrition:
Organisms that cannot manufacture food but depend on plants either directly or
indirectly are heterotrophs and the mode of nutrition is heterotrophic.
Most animals, fungi and certain bacterial are heterotrophs.
Types of heterotrophic nutrition include: parasitic, saprophytic, symbiotic etc.
Nutrition in Plants
Nutrition is the process by which an organism obtains food materials and prepares
them for its use. Food is needed for growth, replacement, repair, and respiration.
Green plants differ from other organisms such as fungi, most bacteria, and animals in
the way they make their food from simple inorganic materials.
They take in Carbon(IV)Oxide, water, and minerals salts and build this into the organic
compounds they need; mainly carbohydrates, proteins, and oils.
This basic synthesis in plants is called photosynthesis.
, Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants synthesize organic substances from
carbon dioxide and water, using energy absorbed from sunlight by chlorophyll.
It is often represented by this equation.
The equation helps to highlight the following
▪ The raw materials of photosynthesis are carbon(IV)oxide from the air and water
from the soil. Aquatic plants are surrounded by water which has
carbon(IV)oxide dissolved in it.
▪ Synthesis is an anabolic process which needs energy. In photosynthesis, green
plants use sunlight or radiant energy from the sun. They may also use strong
artificial light for photosynthesis
▪ The chlorophyll absorbs radiant energy from the sun. The chlorophyll which is
green in colour is present in the chloroplasts.
▪ Glucose (simple sugar) is the first product of photosynthesis.
▪ Oxygen diffuses out as a byproduct, a little of this oxygen may be used for
respiration but most of it diffuses from the plant into the surroundings.
▪ During the day, sugars are usually produced more rapidly than they can be
removed from the leaf. The surplus is converted into starch and stored
temporally.
▪ At night, the starch is gradually hydrolyzed to sugar and carried from the leaf to
other parts of the plant. Starch is sometimes called the first visible product of
photosynthesis because the simplest way to find out whether
▪ photosynthesis has taken place is to test for starch in the leaf.
Conditions Necessary for Photosynthesis
Following are the conditions necessary for photosynthesis:
1) Sunlight
2) Chlorophyll
3) Carbon Dioxide
4) Water
