NOTES OF CH-6

Coordination in Plants

Different living organisms have different mechanisms of control and coordination.

The changes in the environment to which the
organisms respond and react are called stimuli.
The working together of the various organs
of an organism in a systematic manner so as to
produce a proper response to the stimulus, is
called coordination.
In plants, only chemical coordination occurs.
The ability of a plant to detect change and
respond to the same is called sensitivity of the
plant.
Plants lack nervous system, so they do not respond quickly to stimulus unlike
animals.
For example- Light, Heat, Cold, Sound and Pressure.
The sunflower always faces the sun. Here, sunlight is the stimulus and bending of
sunflower towards the sun is its response.
Leaves of Mimosa pudica (Touch me not plant) fold when they are touched.
In case of plants, coordination is brought about by chemicals called Phytohormones or
Plant Growth Regulators(PGRs).

Important points:
-The plants do not have nervous system and sense organs like eyes, ears or nose etc.,
like the animals, but they can still sense things.
-The plants coordinate their behaviour against environment changes by using
hormones.
-Plants have no nervous system, so plants use only hormones for coordination.
- The plants respond to various stimuli very slowly by growing.
The function of control and coordination in plants is performed by the chemical
substances called plant hormones.
Dormancy: A resting, inactive condition in which metabolism almost stops is called
dormancy.
-A seed must have certain conditions like water warmth, air and hormones to break
dormancy and germinate to form a seedling.

Q. How do plants respond and react to various environmental stimuli like light, water,
touch, gravity and chemicals?
Ans:-
➢ Plants do not have brain and nervous system.
➢ But, they have hormones which help them to respond.
➢ These plant hormones are called Phytohormones.
➢ It affects the plant growth as well as the movement of plant parts like leaves,
 Plant Hormones (Phytohormones)

❑ They are naturally occurring organic chemicals produced by plants in response to

stimuli.
❑ Plant hormones are synthesised in various parts of plants.
❑ They are synthesised at actively growing parts such as shoot meristem, root
meristem, leaves, seeds, fruits etc.
❑ Apart from growth, Phytohormones also affect the Dormancy period, Opening and
closing of stomata, Falling of leaves, Ripening of fruits and Ageing in plants.
❑ Characteristics of Phytohormones:-
These are produced in very small amount and are specific in action.
They are synthesised at certain specific sites in plants and reach at the required
sites through diffusion.
The synthesis and action of Phytohormones are influenced by external stimuli
like Drought, salinity and UV radiation.

Types of Phytohormones

On the basis of effects ,Types of plant

Phytohormones

1. Growth Promoters 2. Growth Inhibitors

e.g.- Auxins, Cytokinins, e.g.- ABA, Ethylene.
Gibberellins.

1. Auxins
Auxins are present in actively growing regions like shoot and root tips, young leaves
and seeds.
The most common natural Auxin of higher plants is Indole 3- Acetic Acid (IAA).
Functions of Auxins:-
Promote cell enlargement and differentiation in plants.
Helps in the formation of roots and seedless fruits.
Use as Weedicides.
Prevent premature leaf and fruit fall.
Auxin hormone is responsible for the phototropic and geotropic response of plants.
Auxin move away from light, and towards gravity.
Auxin speeds up the growth in stem but it slows down growth in roots.
Synthetic Auxins are applied in agriculture and horticulture.
 2. Gibberellins

Responsible for cell enlargement and cell differentiation in the presence of Auxins.
Gibberellins are formed in young leaves, developing embryo and root tips.
Example:- GA3(Gibberellic acid).
Functions of Gibberellins:-
-Break Dormancy of buds and seeds.
-Stimulate growth of leaf, stem and increase size and number of fruits.
-promote growth in fruits.
-Promote stem elongation.
-Induce Parthenocarpy (Formation of fruits without seeds) in many plants.

3. Cytokinins

These are the chemicals which stimulate mainly cell division and other growth
regulatory functions.
The main site of cytokinins production is non- photosynthetic tissues i.e.-Root
apical meristem.
The first natural cytokinins was Zeatin.
Functions of Cytokinins:-
-Promote cell division.
-Promote the opening of stomata in leaves.
-Promote growth of fruits.
-Regulate transport of nutrients.
-helps in keeping flowers and fruits fresh.
-Helps in breaking the dormancy of seeds and buds.
-Delay the ageing in leaves.
 4. Abscisic Acid (ABA)

It was first identified by Fredrick Addicott and his associates in 1963.

Functions mainly as a growth inhibitor.
It is produced in stems, leaves and roots.
It is also called Stress hormone or Dormin, because it induces dormancy for
overcoming stress conditions.
Functions of Abscisic Acid (ABA):-
-It controls plant growth.
It controls the closing of stomata in order to prevent water
loss.
It promotes the wilting and falling of leaves
(which is called abscission.)
It also causes detachment of flowers and fruits
from the plants.
It controls loss of protein and chlorophyll.

5. Ethylene

It was first recognized by Crocker in 1935.

Burg (1962) proposed that ethylene is a unique
type of growth regulator because it is a single
gaseous hormone.
Ethylene is produced in maximum amounts in
fruits as they ripen.
Ethephon or ethrel release ethylene gas which is
used for artificial ripening of fruits.
Functions of Ethylene:-
Promotes transverse growth.
Promotes Senescence and abscission of leaves.
 An essential hormone for ripening of fruits.
Plant Movements

The movement of the plant part is usually caused by an unequal growth in its two
regions by the action of plant hormones, under the influence of the stimulus.
If one side of a stem has more Auxin than the other side, then the side of stem
having more Auxin hormone will grow faster than the other side(having less
Auxin hormone) This will cause the stem to bend.
❑ Plant movements are mostly movement of curvature.
❑ Movement of plants towards stimuli is classified into two categories.

Types of movement

(a) Tropic Movements

(b) Nastic Movements
Or Tropism

(a) Tropic Movements Or Tropism

When the stimulus has a particular direction and movement of plant occurs in the
direction of stimulus, the movement is called Tropic movement but in nasties
the direction of movement is not determined by the direction of stimulus.
These are directional movements.
These are movements of curvature which occur due to more growth on one
side and less growth on opposite side of plant organ.
-The unequal growths of its two sides are controlled by the action of Phytohormones

Types of Tropism:-
[Link] (Movement in response to Light)
[Link] (Movement in response to Gravity)
[Link](Movement in response to Water)
[Link] (Movement in response to Chemicals)
[Link] (Movement in response to Touch)
 1. Phototropism

The movement of the plant parts in response to light is

called Phototropic movement. The phenomenon
is called Phototropism.
If a plant part moves towards the light, its shows
positive phototropism.
If a plant part moves away from the light, its show negative
phototropism.
Example:– Shoots of plants move towards the light thus are
called positive phototropism and Roots of plants move
away from the light and thus are called negative phototropism.

2. Geotropism

The movement of plant parts in response to gravity is called

Geotropic movement.
If a plant part moves in the downward direction
(along the gravity), it is called positively
geotropic.
If a plant part moves in upward direction (against
the gravity), it is called negatively geotropic.
Example- Roots always move downward
while shoots usually grow Upward.

3. Hydrotropism

❑ It is the growth movement of the plant parts in response to water as stimuli.

❑ If a plant part moves toward water then it is called positive hydrotropism.
❑ If a plant part moves away from water then it is called negative hydrotropism.
❑ Example- Roots of plant.
❑
4. Chemotropism

The growth of plant parts in response to a chemical stimulus is called Chemotropic

movement. This phenomenon is called Chemotropism.
If a plant moves towards a chemical, it is said to be positive chemotropism.
If a plant moves away from a chemical, it is said to be negative chemotropism.
Example – Growth of pollen tube towards ovules during fertilization.

5. Thigmotropism

It is the growth movement of plant part in response to stimulus of touch or contact.

For example- The climbing organs of plants such as tendrils and twinners coil
around a support in order to move ahead and climb up, it is called
positively Thigmotropism.
 The usefulness of trophic movement:
These various trophic movements help the plant to survive.
This movement helps the plants to obtain water and nutrients from soil and light from
the sun, which are necessary for their growth and survival.

(b) Nastic Movements

❑ The movement of a plant part in response to an external stimulus in which the

direction of response is not determined by the direction of stimulus is called Nastic
movement.
❑ The main difference between trophic and nastic movement movements is that trophic
movement is a directional movement of a plant but Nastic movement is not a
directional movement of the plant part with respect to the stimulus.

❑ Types of Nastic movement:-

Photonasty (Stimulus – light) the non-directional movement of a plant part
(usually petals of flowers) in response to light is called photonasty.
e.g. A dandelion flower opens up in the morning in bright light but closes in the evening
when the light fades and it gets dark.
The petals of moon flower close during the day when there is bright light but open up at
night when it is dark and there is no light.
Important: The opening and closing of flowers in response to light are growth
movements.
Petals open when their inner surfaces grow more than their outer surfaces. On
the other hand, petals close when their outer surfaces grow more than their
inner surfaces.
[Link] (Stimulus – contact of insect), e.g.- Bending of tentacles in Drosera.
2. Thermonasty (Stimulus – change in temperature), e.g.- Opening and closing of
flower in Tulip.
Seismonasty (Stimulus – Touch), e.g.- Dropping of leaves in Mimosa pudica (touch
me not plant).
The sensitive plant has pad-like swellings called pulvini at the base of each leaf. The
pulvini contain a lot of water in their cells. Due to the internal water pressure in them
(called turgor), all the pulvini are very firm and hold the leaves above them upright.
The pulvini have large intercellular spaces between their cells.
The folding up of the leaves of a sensitive plant on touching is due to the sudden
loss of water from pad-like swellings called pulvini present at the base of all leaves of
the sensitive plant which make the pulvini lose their firmness causing the leaves to
droop and fall.
Leaves of Mimosa pudica Opening and closing of petals of Oxalis
 Photoperiodism

The term photoperiodism was proposed by Garner and Allard in 1920.

It depends on photoperiod.
Photoperiod is the length of the day during which sunlight is available to plants.
The effect of photoperiod on the germination of seeds and flowering in plants is called
Photoperiodism.
On the basis of photoperiod there are three types of plants:
1. Short Day Plants (SDP)
2. Long Day Plants (LDP)
3. Day Neutral Plants (DNP)
1. Short Day Plants (SDP):- These plants produce flowers when day length is shorter than
period of light.
Example:- Tobacco, Dahlia, Soya bean, rice etc.
2. Long Day Plants(LDP):- These plants produce flowers when day length is longer than
critical period of light. Example:- Wheat, oats, Spinach, Radish,
Barley etc.
3. Day Neutral Plants (DNP):-These plants do not require specific period of light to
produce flowers.
Example:- Maize, Tomato, Sunflower, Cotton etc.

Significance of Photoperiodism:-
It promotes seed germination.
Long photoperiod inhibits flowering in short day plants.
It promotes seed germination.

Functions of plant hormones:

1. Germination of seeds
2. Growth of root, stem and leaves
3. Movement of stomata in leaves
4. Flowering of plants
5. Ripening of fruits