3rd Class Science Parts of Plants Notes - Plant Life

Plant Life

1. Plants are living things. They need air, water, minerals and light to prepare food and grow.

2. A plant consists of two main parts: root system and shoot system.

3. The part of the plant which remains under the ground is called root and the part which remains above the ground is called shoot.

4. Usually roots are of two types: fibrous roots and tap roots.

5. When a number of roots grow from the end of the stem, it is called fibrous root. Plants like onion, grass, wheat and rice have fibrous roots.

6. When a long main root grows from the end of the stem and many small side roots grow from the main root, it is called a tap root, e.g., bean, balsam, mustard and mango.

7. Roots fix the plant to the soil. The tiny hairs on the root absorb water and minerals from the soil and push it up into the shoot. In some plants like carrot, radish, turnip and beetroot. The roots store food in them.

8. Stem holds the plant upright on the ground. Stem bears the branches, leaves, fruits and flowers.

9. Stem carries water and minerals from roots to all the other parts of the plant. Stem also transports food prepared by leaves to different parts of the plant.

10. Leaves are also called food factories of the plants because it is the leaves that manufactures the food.

11. Leaf has a flat and broad part called leaf blade which has tiny holes. These holes are called stomata. Plants breathe air in and out through these stomata.

12. Each leaf has a main vein and many side veins coming out of it. Veins bring water and minerals to the leaves.

13. Leaves contain a substance called chlorophyll. It helps making food using carbon dioxide and water in presence of sunlight. The process by which plants make their food from air, water and sunlight is called photosynthesis.

14. Flowers are the most beautiful part of the plant. They help in reproduction because they grow into fruits and seeds.

15. Fruits are formed from flowers and have seeds in them. Some fruits like mango have one seed while pear, tomato, papaya have many seeds. Banana has no seeds.

16. There are two methods of sowing seeds: direct method and indirect method. In direct method seeds of crop plants like wheat, maize, gram, beans and peas are scattered and sown directly in the fields. Seeds of crops like rice are grown first in small seedbeds, when the seedlings are few inches high, they are taken out and planted in the fields. This method is called indirect method or transplanting.