Plant morphology and physiological function

crop life cycle ?????

 Crop parts
 Growth and developmental
stages
 Physiological functions:
oPhotosynthesis
oRespiration
oTranspiration
oEvapotranspiration
oAbsorption of water & nutrients
 Environmental (stimuli)
response
S-shaped (sigmoid) growth curve
Growth patterns
sigmoid or S- shaped curve
• In annual plants, the sigmoid growth curve of
dry mass versus time shows a small reduction
in dry mass in the initial part of growth (lag
phase), due to seed germination.

• During germination, food stored in the

cotyledons is usually used up before the
first leaves undergo photosynthesis.

•This loss of mass is later replaced when the

first leaves develop and start photosynthesis

Later, growth rate is very rapid, until it becomes

constant at a later stage ( during the exponential
phase)
After some time the growth rate slowly decreases.
This phase constitutes the stationary phase.

• This phase is maintained until the plant achieves maturity,

after which the rate gradually reduces until it becomes zero.
e.g: pea plant
CHAPTER FOUR: CROP ENVIRONMENT
Complex interaction of plats with their environment

Two categories of factors: 1. internal and (2) external (a. Abiotic b. Biotic )
 1. Internal factors = Genetic factors :-

 The genetic make up of d/t crops have d/f response external

factors:
 yielding ability (productivity)
 Maturity time (earliness)
 Resistance to logging
 Tolerance drought and salinity
 Tolerance to pests
 grain and straw quality (oil content, protein content
sweetness, juiciness)
what do you observe from the figure below ?????

external factors
 2. External Factors affecting Plant Growth
a. Abiotic factors
i. Temperature = measure of intensity of heat energy
 High  temperature=heat stress  Very low To= Chilling injury:

   Break dormancy  water and nutrient uptake

 Facilitates germination  induce seed dormancy
 seedling desiccation  Inhibit seed germination
 Pollen sterility
 Prolong growing season
 Enzyme denature
 Temperature on Photosynthesis of different crops

 crops native to tropical or subtropical are

 Temperature on Photosynthesis
 Table1: Cardinal Temperatures of cool and warm season crops

Cardinal temperature(oF)
Types of crops Example
Min. Optimum Maximum.
Cool- season crops Wheat, Rye, Oats, 40 60 - 90 100 - 110
Barley and Potato
Warm - season crops Corn, Rice, Cotton, 50 85 - 100 110 - 120
  Sorghum and
  Soybean.
 Light on plant growth
 Quantity= intensity, or concentration, of
sunlight.
 Quality= color (wavelength) of light=red,
yellow, green, blue, and violet.
 plants absorb Blue and red light=PS.
 Why Plants look green to us??= b/c
they reflect green light.
 Duration (photoperiod)= amount of time
a plant is exposed to light.

 Phototropism: Response of plants to light direction.

Light quality
Effect of Low light

 Starvation
 Weak stem
 Etiolating
 Stomata closure
 Low PS starvation
 No chlorophyll

Effect of Excess light

 photo-inhibition
 Shorter wave-
lengths= harmful
 starvation
 Rain fall= Water=moisture

 A primary component in photosynthesis and respiration.

 Keeps turgor pressure in cells .

 Maintain turgor= cell shape and ensure cell growth.

 Vital for nutrient uptake & food mobilization.

 cooling leaves = transpiration.

 Regulate stomata opening and closing.

How plants uptake water????
 What if water become excess and deficient????
water logging Deficient water

 Slow shoot and leaf growth=cell

 poor aeration /SUFFOCATION
 Root disintegration
decay and death= no
 Reduction of tillering
production
 Decline of enzymatic activity
 Leaching of essential nutrients,
 Closing of stomata
 toxic substance may accumulate
 Low the rate of PS and translocation
 Reduced microbial activity
 Leaf and root mortality, finally plant death
 Promote diseases.
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 humidity and Relative humidity

 the concentration of water vapor present in the air.

 The greater the difference in humidity, the faster water moves.

 This factor is important because the rate of water movement

directly affects a plant's transpiration rate.

 When a stoma opens, water vapor inside the leaf rushes out into

the surrounding air and a bubble of high humidity forms around

the stoma.
 RH_40-60% is suitable for most of the crop plants.
 High RH promotes the outbreak of pest and disease. How???
 Wind velocity

 carry moisture (precipitation) and heat.

 Wind movement for 4 – 6 km/hour is suitable for more crops.
 Enormous wind speed results mechanical damage of the crops
 Affects dispersal of pollen and seeds
 Causes soil erosion.
 Helps in cleaning produce to farmers.
 Increases evaporation.
 Spread of pest and diseases.
 Edaphic factors

 Soil is the outermost layer of the surface of the earth

 Sources of water and nutrients.
 Soil Properties
Physical properties
 textural classes
 Bulk density
 Porosity
 Water holding
capacity
 Color
 Chemical properties

 Nutrients= essential elements

Organic mater = store house of nutrients

 Cation exchange capacity= the presence of nutrient

ions ready to up taken by plants.

 Electric conductivity=indicator high solute in soil

pH= indicates alkalinity or acidity of the soil.

 Soil Organic matter

 It supplies all the major, minor and micro nutrients

to crops.

 It improves the texture of the soil.

 It increases the water holding capacity of the soil.

 It is a source of food for most microorganisms.

Soil organisms:  Rhizobium bacteria

 Mycorhizal fungi
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 BIOTIC FACTORS

Beneficial and harmful effects caused by other biological organism .

Mutualism: species-to-species interaction in which both the

biotic factor and the plant are benefited by the relationship.
 Insect pests

 In herbivore, plant-eating organisms called herbivore, such as

ruminant animals, rodents, insects.
 Herbivores with significant deleterious effects on crop growth
and yield are called „pests‟.

aphides Stalk borer Locust swarm

 Parasitism and weeds******
 an interaction b/n two organisms in which one organism,
called parasite, is benefited, but causes harm to another,
called host.
 The parasite steals its food from the host =haustoria.
 Micro organisms such as fungi, bacteria and virus injure
crops by causing diseases and are called pathogens.
Striga Orobanche
Cucuta
Disease on crops. What is diseases????
septoria
leaf rust

late blight
How diseases can happen????
 Plant Interaction and Allelopathy
 Allelopathy refers to the chemical inhibition of one species by
another.

Examples: eucalyptus ??
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