Photosynthesis is the process whereby green plants prepare their own food with carbon dioxide and water, in the presence of sunlight, which is absorbed by chlorophyll.
Photosynthesis provides the basic energy source for almost all organisms.
An extremely important by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen, on which most living organisms depend.
The process of photosynthesis can be expressed as:
Carbon dioxide + water = glucose + oxygen
OR
6CO2 + 6H20→C6H12O6 + 6O2
Water is obtained from the soil, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the sunlight is attracted by chlorophyll which is produced by the chloroplast in the leaves.
The conditions necessary for
photosynthesis are:
Carbon dioxide
Plants make use of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The atmosphere contains only 0.04% carbon dioxide.
Water
The root hairs of plants absorb water, which is then transported to the stems and leaves through the xylem vessels.
Chlorophyll
This is a green pigment that gives leaves
their green colour. Chlorophyll is produce
by chloroplast and is responsible for
attracting sunlight onto the leaves.
Chloroplast contains other enzymes that
help produce sugar which is converted into
starch.
Light
Sunlight is a very essential source of
energy. Artificial light is also effective in photosynthesis, but it is not as productive as sunlight.
Here light or solar energy is
converted to chemical energy.
Energy Transformation in
Photosynthesis
In photosynthesis, light energy (either from the sun or artificial) is converted to chemical energy in food.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS = SOLAR ENERGY ---> CHEMICAL ENERGY
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