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# Chapter 1: Applications of Plant Physiology Plant physiology is the study of life activities, responses and functions of plants. A proper knowledge of this helps us in improving plant growth in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture etc. Plant physiologist informs about the physical, chemical an...

# Chapter 1: Applications of Plant Physiology Plant physiology is the study of life activities, responses and functions of plants. A proper knowledge of this helps us in improving plant growth in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture etc. Plant physiologist informs about the physical, chemical and biological functions of living plants. They study whole plants, as well as plant cells, molecules, and genes. Plant physiologists often work as members of multidisciplinary teams composed of molecular and cell biologists, biochemists and geneticists, with broad objective of understanding the function of gene in plants. For a plant physiologist, he needs to understand botany, chemistry, biology and mathematics. Plant physiologist support scientist in other disciplines, they understand enzymology, meterology, horticulture, economics. The plant physiologist study the effect of those genes on plants growth, flowering, and seed yield. They also carry to reveal how plants respond to pathogens and insect pests and to environmental stress like drought, salinity, pollutants organization that have agricultural or related biologist interests. The physiological processes of plants are the machinery through which both the genetic potentialities and the environment operate to produce the quantity and quality of growth or phenotype which term yield. ## Role of Plant Physiology in Agriculture The only way plant breeders can produce higher yielding varieties is by producing genotypes possessing combinations of physiological processes resulting in plants that are structurally better. | Genetic Capacity | Environmental Factors | Physiological Processes | Quantity and Quality of Growth | |---|---|---|---| | Sets limits within which the environment can influence growth | Precipitation, temperature, light, soil fertility, cultural practices, pests and diseases | Water absorption, transpiration, water balance. Photosynthesis, respiration nitrogen, metabolism etc. | Size of cells, organs, and plants, root-shoot ratio, kinds and quantity of compounds accumulated and economic yield. | *Fig. 1. Genetic capacity and environmental factors control yield by their influence on the physiological processes.*