Nutrition in Plants: Photosynthesis

Syllabus tag: KCSE | Biology | Form 1 | Topic 5 Nutrition in Plants

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Define photosynthesis and state its equation.
• Describe the structure of a leaf as adapted to photosynthesis.
• Describe the light and dark stages and the factors affecting the rate.
• Carry out and explain experiments on photosynthesis.

Summary

Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants make food from carbon dioxide and water using light energy trapped by chlorophyll, producing glucose and oxygen. It occurs in the chloroplasts, mainly in leaves, and takes place in two stages — a light stage and a dark stage. Every food chain begins here, and the oxygen released supports nearly all life.