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Plant growth and development explains how plants grow, change and respond to their surroundings. This chapter explains the different stages of plant growth and how both internal and external factors, like temperature, light and nutrients, affect development. The student will also learn about special chemicals called plant hormones that control growth, flowering and other changes in the plant's life. The NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology Chapter 13 Plant Growth and Development will help students understand complex topics like seed dormancy, vernalisation and photoperiodism with clear explanations and examples.
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Understanding these topics with the help of the answers can improve conceptual clarity. For students preparing for exams, learning the chapter is important for scoring well. The NCERT solutions prove very useful for students in their board exams. Referring to the NCERT Class 11 Solutions Biology provides step-by-step explanations of key concepts.
Students can download the PDF from the link below:-
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The solved exercise questions are given below:
Solution:
Growth:
It is a permanent, irreversible increase in the size of an organ, one of its components, or even a single cell. Metabolic processes that are taking place as a result of the energy support growth.
Differentiation:
A localized qualitative change in the size, biochemistry, structure, and function of cells, tissues, or organs, such as mesophyll, a leaf, a fibre, a vessel, a trachea, or a sieve tube, is known as differentiation. As a result, both the form and the physiological activity change. It leads to specialization in certain functions.
Development:
Development refers to all the changes an organism experiences over the course of its existence.
Dedifferentiation:
Plants that have lost the ability to divide can regain it under specific circumstances. Dedifferentiation is the term used to describe this phenomenon. Example: meristem formation.
Redifferentiation:
It is referred to as redifferentiation when cells produced by dedifferentiation mature to carry out particular functions but once more lose the ability to divide.
Determinate growth:
Determinate growth is the capacity of a cell, tissue, or organism to grow for a specific amount of time. The majority of plants grow indefinitely; however, some plants reach a certain size before ceasing to expand.
Meristem:
The term "meristem" refers to plant tissue made up of undifferentiated cells (meristematic cells).
Growth rate:
A growth rate is an increase in growth per unit of time.
Q2. Why is not any one parameter good enough to demonstrate growth throughout the life of a flowering plant?
Solution:
An increase in protoplasm production leads to growth. The parameters used to measure protoplasmic growth include changes in height, weight, number of cells, fresh tissue sample, length, area, volume, etc. As a result, it is challenging to identify a single growth parameter that characterizes a flowering plant's development over its lifetime.
Q3. Describe briefly.
(a) Arithmetic growth
(b) Geometric growth
(c) Sigmoid growth curve
(d) Absolute and relative growth rates
Solution:
(a) Arithmetic growth
Only one daughter cell divides during arithmetic growth, while the other differentiates and matures. A root extending at a constant rate is the most basic illustration of arithmetic growth.
It can be mathematically expressed as:
Lt = Lo + rt
Lt = length of time ‘t’
Lo = length at the time ‘zero’
R = growth rate/elongation per unit of time
(b) Geometric growth
The initial phase of geometric growth is slow (lag phase), and the subsequent exponential or logarithmic phase sees a rapid increase. Here, both of the progeny cells that result from mitotic cell division are still able to divide. Due to the insufficient nutrient supply, the growth slows down and enters a stationary phase. In geometric growth, the number grows in a multiplicative pattern.
If we plot the growth parameter against time for geometric growth, we obtain a typical sigmoid or S-curve.
Exponential growth can be expressed as:
W1 = Wo ert
W1 = final size
Wo = initial size of the period;
r = growth rate
t = time growth
e = base of natural logarithms
'r' stands for relative growth and the efficiency index, which measures how well plants can produce new plant materials. Wo's initial size determines the final size of W1, thus.
(c) Sigmoid growth curve
Plotting growth against time results in an S-shaped graph that has four main parts: a slow lag phase, exponential phase or rapid phase, stage of diminishing growth, and stationary phase.
(d) Absolute and relative growth rates
The net growth per unit of time is known as the absolute growth rate. The growth rate per unit of time per unit of initial growth is known as the relative growth rate.
Q4. List five main groups of natural plant growth regulators. Write a note on the discovery, physiological functions and agricultural/horticultural applications of any one of them.
Solution:
Plant growth regulators are the intercellular intrinsic factors (chemical substances) that are responsible for the growth and development of plants.
The following are the top five categories of natural plant growth regulators (PGR):
These PGRs are synthesized in various plant parts and regulate various developmental and differentiation processes that occur throughout a plant's life cycle.
Gibberellins
Discovery:
Physiological functions:
Agricultural/horticultural applications:
Q5. Why is abscisic acid also known as stress hormone?
Solution:
Abscisic acid is responsible for stimulating the closure of stomata in the epidermis and raising the tolerance of plants to different types of stresses. This is why it is also known as the stress hormone. In order to ensure that seeds germinate under favourable conditions, abscisic acid is in charge of promoting seed dormancy. This makes it easier for seeds to withstand desiccation and induces dormancy in plants near the end of the growing season, which encourages the abscission of fruits, leaves, and flowers.
Q6. ‘Both growth and differentiation in higher plants are open.’ Comment.
Solution:
Due to the presence of meristems at specific locations of their bodies, higher plants have the ability to retain the capacity to have indefinite growth throughout their life span. Because of these meristems, the cells have the ability to divide and grow on their own. This explains why the growth in higher plants is open. Following several rounds of cell division, some of these cells go through differentiation. Therefore, differentiation is also open.
Q7. ‘Both a short-day plant and a long-day plant can produce flowers simultaneously in a given place.’ Explain.
Solution:
In a few plants, flowering depends on the relative durations of light and dark periods. Under the condition that they receive enough photoperiod, both long-day and short-day plants can bloom in the same location.
Q8. Which one of the plant growth regulators would you use if you were asked to:
(a) induce rooting in a twig.
(b) quickly ripen a fruit.
(c) delay leaf senescence.
(d) induce growth in axillary buds.
(e) ‘bolt’ a rosette plant.
(f) induce immediate stomatal closure in leaves.
Solution:
The plant growth regulators for the related events are listed below:
(a) induce rooting in a twig. – Auxins
(b) quickly ripen a fruit. – Ethylene
(c) delay leaf senescence. – Cytokinins
(d) induce growth in axillary buds. – Cytokinins
(e) ‘bolt’ a rosette plant. – Gibberellins
(f) induce immediate stomatal closure in leaves. – Abscisic acid
Q9. Would a defoliated plant respond to the photoperiodic cycle? Why?
Solution:
No, a defoliated plant will not respond to the photoperiodic cycle. This is due to the fact that the leaves serve as the sites where dark or light duration is perceived. Therefore, plants would not respond to light if leaves were not present.
Q10. What would be expected to happen if:
(a) GA3 is applied to rice seedlings.
(b) dividing cells stop differentiating.
(c) a rotten fruit gets mixed with unripe fruits.
(d) you forget to add cytokinin to the culture medium.
Solution:
(a) If GA3 is applied to rice seedlings:
The rice seedlings will show internode-elongation, and hence, an increase in height will be observed.
(b) If dividing cells stop differentiating:
The various plant parts, including the stem and leaves, will not form if the dividing cells stop differentiating.
(c) If rotten fruit gets mixed with unripe fruit:
When unripe fruits are combined with rotten fruits, the unripe fruits ripen more quickly due to the ethylene produced by the rotten fruits, which is a plant growth regulator.
(d) If you forget to add cytokinin to the culture medium:
The processes of cell division, differentiation, and growth will be muted and slowed down if cytokinin is not added to the culture medium.
Q1: Growth can be measured in various ways. Which of these can be used as parameters to measure growth?
Options:
1. Increase in cell number
2. Increase in cell size
3. Increase in length and weight
4. All the above
Answer:
Generally speaking, plant growth is indeterminate; plants can continue to develop for the duration of their lives. This is because specific parts of their bodies contain meristems, which have the capacity to divide and reproduce themselves. The open form of growth refers to the process by which the meristem's activity continuously adds new cells to the plant body. Growth Is Measurable: Growth at the cellular level results from an increase in protoplasm, which is hard to quantify. Plant growth is quantified using a variety of techniques, such as a rise in fresh weight, volume, dry weight, or cell number. The apical meristem of a single maize root can produce more than
The growth can be in lateral or apex regions and can cause an enlargement in height or weight; all of these changes are collectively termed growth.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4) All the above
Check the NCERT Books and NCERT Syllabus here:
To solve Plant Growth and Development questions efficiently, the following needs to be done:
NCERT Solutions for Class 11: Subject-wise
Here is a table for all the important topics from the chapter:
NCERT solutions for all chapters are given below:-
Photoperiodism, the plant's response to the relative lengths of light and dark periods, significantly impacts plant growth, influencing flowering, vegetative growth, and even dormancy, allowing plants to adapt to seasonal changes.
According to Chapter 13 of the NCERT Class 11 Biology textbook, plant growth phases happen through three phases: meristematic, elongation, and maturation.
Plant hormones, also known as phytohormones, are chemical messengers that regulate plant growth and development by influencing processes like cell division, elongation, and differentiation, as well as responses to environmental cues.
In plants, growth is the irreversible increase in size (quantity), while development includes the qualitative changes in form and function (structure) over time.
Auxins, gibberellins, and cytokinins are plant hormones that play important roles in growth and development. Auxins promote cell elongation and root development, gibberellins stimulate stem elongation and seed germination, and cytokinins promote cell division and shoot growth.
Plants have two types of movement :
1. Directional movement - Movement is directed towards the response to the stimulus. The stimulus can be either light, water or gravity. Such movements are called tropic movements. For example - Pototropism ( plants grow towards light and light is the stimulus or hydrotropism where plants grow towards the water and water here is the stimulus.)
2. Non-directional movement - Non-directional movement of the plant in response to an external stimulus. It is independent of growth and communicates via electrical chemical signals. For example, In touch-me-not plant whenever someone toches the leaves, the leaves get folded and here, response to touch is a stimulus.
Natural plant growth regulators (PGRs), also known as phytohormones, are produced naturally by plants, while synthetic PGRs are man-made compounds that mimic the effects of natural hormones.
Secondary growth is important for plants, particularly woody ones, as it increases girth, providing structural support and enabling the transport of water and nutrients to support a larger number of leaves.
Abscisic acid is a plant hormone. It is also called a stress hormone because it shows different responses to stress conditions. It leads to seed dormancy and ensures seed germination only when favourable conditions return. It also causes the closing of stomata when plants don’t get enough water.
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