Growth and Movement in Plants

Class 6 Science · Chapter 10: Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics · NCERT Curiosity section 10.3

Learn

Tenzin plants a bean seed and measures the shoot every day. It grows taller and gets more leaves: plants grow throughout their lives, much more than animals do.

He keeps the pot near a window. In a few days the shoot bends towards the light. He turns the pot around, and the shoot bends back towards the window! Meanwhile, roots always grow downwards, towards the soil and water.

Some plant movements are quick: touch a chhui-mui (touch-me-not) leaf and it folds in seconds. Some plants, like the pitcher plant, even trap insects to get nutrients missing from poor soil.

The Indian scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose built very sensitive instruments over a hundred years ago that showed how plants respond to touch, light and other changes.

Explore: which way does it grow or move?

1. Sort each one.

Remember

• Plants grow throughout their lives.
• Shoots grow towards light, roots grow down; some plants move quickly when touched.

Quick check

A plant on a windowsill bends towards the window. What is it responding to?

1. Light
2. Sound
3. Smell
4. Music

Think about it

A seedling is placed in a box with only one small hole on one side for light. What will the shoot look like after a week?

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.