TS Inter 1st Year Botany Study Material Chapter 3 Science of Plants – Botany

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

Explain how the term Botany has emerged. [Mar. – 2009]?

Answer:

1. The term Botany had its origin in the Greek language ‘Bous’ refers to cattle and ‘Bouskein’to cattle feed.’
2. In course of time, Bouskein was transformed into Botane and later into Botany.

Question 2.

Name the books written by Parasara and mention the important aspects discussed in those books. [Mar. ’20. ’17]?

Answer:

1. Krishi Parasaram and Vrikshayurveda were the books written by Parasara. (1300 B.C.)
2. Krishi Parasaram the oldest book dealt with agriculture and weeds;, while Vrikshayurveda is about different types of forests, external and internal characters of plants including medicinal plants.

Question 3.

Who is popularly known as “Father of Botany”? What was the book written by him?

Answer:

1. Theophrastus is popularly known as Father of Botany.
2. Historia plantarum was the book written by him.

Question 4.

Who are Herbalists? What are the books written by them?

Answer:

1. Herbalists are botanists of Renaissance period of 16th and 17th centuries who identified and described medicinal plants living in natural surroundings.
2. The books written by them are called Herbais.

Question 5.

What was the contribution of Carolus Von Linnaeus’for the development of plant taxonomy?

Answer:

1. Carolus Von Linnaeus, the Sweedish Botanist popularised the Binomial Nomenclature System.
2. He also proposed the sexual system of classification.

Question 6.

Why is Mendel considered as the Father of Genetics?

Answer:

1. Mendel (1866) proposed the laws of inheritance based on his hybridization experiments on pea plant.
2. He marked the beginning of Genetics. Hence he is popular as the Father of Genetics.

Question 7.

Who discovered the cell and what was the book written by him? [Mar. ’14]

Answer:

1. Robert Hooke (1665) discovered the cell.
2. Micrographia was the book written by him.

Question 8.

What is Palaeobotany? What is its use? [May ’17, Mar. ’15 – T.S. : Mar. ’13]

Answer:

1. Palaeobotany is the study of fossil plants.
2. It helps in understanding the course of evolution in plants.

Question 9.

Name the branches of Botany which deal with the chlorophyllous autotrophic thallophytes and non-chlorophyllous heterotrophic thallophytes?

Answer:

1. The study of chlorophyllous autotrophic thallophytes (Algae) is Phycology.
2. The study of non-chlorophyllous heterotrophic thallophytes (Fungi) is Mycology.

Question 10.

What are the groups of plants that live as symbionts in lichens ? Name the study of lichens.?

Answer:

1. Algal members (Phycobionts) and fungal members (Mycobionts) live as symbionts in lichens.
2. The study of lichens is called Lichenology.

Question 11.

Which group of plants is called vascular cryptogams? Name the branch of Botany which deals with them. [Mar. – 2018]?

Answer:

1. Pteridophytes are called vascular cryptogams.
2. The branch which deals with pteridophytes is called Pteridology.

Question 12.

Which group of plants is called amphibians of plant kingdom? Name the branch of Botany which deals with them.?

Answer:

1. Bryophytes are called amphibians of plant kingdom.
2. The branch which deals with bryophytes is called Bryology.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

Explain in brief the scope of Botany in relation to agriculture, horticulture and medicine?

Answer:

1. Agriculture, horticulture and medicine have recorded great progress through experiments in hybridization and genetic engineering.
2. New techniques of plant breeding are useful to develop hybrid varieties in crop plants like rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane etc.
3. The role of minerals in plant nutrition and the importance of hormones in plant growth helped in the development of agriculture.
4. Antibiotics like penicillin are obtained from fungi.
5. There are many plants like Arnica, Cinchona, Neem, Datura, Digitalis, Rauwolfia, Withania, Ocimum, Belladona, Aloe etc., which have medicinal values.
6. Using genetic engineering technique, cloned DNA s are produced which prepare hormoneslike insulin, interferon and vaccines.

Question 2.

Explain the scope of Botany taking plant physiology as example?

Answer:

1. The efforts made in plant physiology have helped the development of agriculture.
2. It provided the knowledge about role of minerals in plant nutrition and importance of hormones in plant growth.
3. Auxins at low concentration can form roots, so it is applied in agriculture and horticulture.
4. Gibberelins induce seed germination.
5. Cytokinins are used to enhance the shelf life period of leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce etc.
6. Abscisic acid is used for delaying the sprouting of potato tubers under storage.
7. Ethylene accelerates the ripening of fruits like apple, banana, watermelons etc.

Question 3.

What are the different branches of Botany that deal with morphology of plants? Give their salient features?

Answer:

Morphology deals with the study and description of different organs of a plant. It is a fundamental requisite for classification of plants. It can be divided into two parts.
a) External Morphology :
It is the study and description of external characters of plant organs like root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seeds etc.

b) Internal Morphology :
It is the study of internal structure of different plant organs. It has two branches.

1) Histology :
It is the study of different tissues present in the plant body.

ii) Anatomy :
It deals with the study of gross internal details of plant organs like root, stem, leaf, flower etc.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.

Give a comprehensive account on the scope of Botany in different fields giving an example for each.?

Answer:

1. Man has been using plants for various purposes like food, clothes and shelter.
2. The global population is increasing rapidly. So to meet the demands of food and other challenges man depends on plants.
3. The problem of increasing population can be solved by increasing the crop production through “Green Revolution”.
4. Biotechnology is based upon the principles of molecular genetics, microbiology and biochemistry.
5. Biotechnology is applied for the production of medicine, chemicals, food, biofertilizers, biopesticides, disease resistant and pest resistant crops.
6. Agriculture, forestry, horticulture, floriculture have recorded great progress through experiments in hybridisation and genetic engineering.
7. New techniques of plant breeding are useful to develop hybrid varieties in crop plants like rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane etc.
8. Plant Taxonomy helps to study the diversity of plant kingdom by dividing plants into groups.
9. Plant pathology helped in prevention and eradication of several plant diseases.
10. Plant physiology helped the development of agriculture by providing knowledge about the role of minerals in plant nutrition and importance of hormones in plant growth.
11. Algae like spirulina and chlorella are good source of single celled proteins and vitamins.
12. Fungi like penicillin are good source for antibiotic.
13. Plants having medicinal value are Arnica, Cinchona, Neem, Datura, Rauwolfia, Withania, Ocimum, Belladona etc.
14. Plant fossils produce fuels like coal, coke, gasoline, petrol etc.
15. Recently bio-diesel is produced from jatropa and other petro plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Experiments in tissue and organ culture have made it possible to produce large number of plants within a short duration of time.
16. Industries like cloth mills, paper mills, sugar mills could be developed due to Botany.
17. Commercially important products like timber, fibres, beverages like coffee and tea, condiments, rubber, gums, resins, dyes, and essential and aromatic oils are obtained from plants.
18. Green plants reduce pollution, control greenhouse effect.
19. The hazardous effect of frequent use of chemical fertilizers have been reduced by using biofertilizers like Azolla, Nostoc, Anabaena, Rhizobium etc.
20. The Algae like Chlorella is used as food for astronauts in space research programmes.
21. Sand-binding plants help to check soil erosion and also control floods.
22. Several seaweeds are used in the extraction of iodine, agar-agar, etc.