The Biology and Ecology of a Plant

p The Biology and Ecology of a Plant

Introduction

This is an essay concerning the theme : The Biology and Ecology of a Plant . This is about the aspects of biology of an organism specifically a potato plant , which are linked - the anatomy and physiology , through its interaction with other organisms and to its human significance . So now , let 's delve into the world of potato plants and see its features and contributions to the ecological entities

Taxonomy

A potato plant belongs to the Kingdom Plantae and like other plants , it

is an autotroph , which are described as photosynthetic . Its scientific name is Solanum tuberosum (Martinez-Goss 2004 : 3 . The potato plant is a member of the night-shade family . Other plants of the night-shade family are tomatoes and eggplant , as well as some narcotic-containing plant such as tobacco , henbane and belladonna . This plant is a part of a large genus , and its common name includes a number of species

Growth form and appearance

The potato plant is an annual plant that is , it goes through its entire life cycle within a year 's time . It has a stout , erect stem that grows from 12 to 24 inches high (Martinez-Goss 2004 : 4 . The flowers are white , lilac , purple or blue . Under certain conditions , the plant may produce a smooth , round green or yellow berry (fruit . Each fruit may contain 100 to 200 seeds

Soon after the potato stems appear above ground , slight growths develop on the underground portion of the stems . These growths lengthen from a time and then swell at their tips to form tubers . The tuber , which is the part that is called potato , is a shortened , thickened stem

The tubers differ according to the variety of the potato . They may be oblong or oval , have a somewhat rough or a smooth skin , and have a light yellowish-brown or red skin color . With good growing conditions , certain varieties of potato plant will produce large tubers within 2 ? or 3 months of planting

The above ground part of a potato plant has dark green leaves and small flowers . The edible parts are the thin-skinned tubers that grow underground . After being harvested by machine , the potatoes are sorted and graded

Reproduction and dispersal

The environmental factors that influence seeding establishment are the water , light , air , and nourishment from the soil . Asexual reproduction plays a role here . In growing and harvesting potatoes , when new varieties are produced , potato plants are raised from seed . But in commercial potato growing , seeds are not used . The plants are grown from the potato itself . A whole small potato is plant , or a large potato is cut into pieces , each containing an eye . An eye is really the bud of an underground stem . Just like the seed production and dispersal of blackberries as discussed by Amor (1995 , potatoes also have seeds (233 . Each potato piece , called a seed piece , has at least one eye and as much potato flesh as possible . The flesh around the eye provides the food...