Question

What per cent of the solar energy falling on the leaves is absorbed by plants for photosynthesis? In one mark?

Answer 1

For photosynthesis, plants use approximately 0.023 percent of sunlight energy. This is a very small percentage that plants need to make food when compared to the water cycle’s use of solar energy, which is 23 percent.

Through the photosynthesis process, sunlight is used to convert carbon dioxide and water into a carbohydrate (glucose) and oxygen. The process involves the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. The production of glucose aids in the growth of plant cells.

Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplasts of plant leaves that absorb the sunlight. However, there are many other plant cell structures, such as cytoplasm and chlorophyll, that also are necessary

Answer 2

Most solar energy occurs at wavelengths unsuitable for photosynthesis. Between 98 and 99 percent of solar energy reaching the Earth is reflected from leaves and other surfaces and absorbed by other molecules, which convert it to heat. Thus, only 1 to 2 percent is available to be captured by plants. The rate at which plants photosynthesize depends on the amount of light reaching the leaves, the temperature of the environment, and the availability of water and other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The measurement of the rate at which organisms convert light energy (or inorganic chemical energy) to the chemical energy of organic compounds is called primary productivity. Hence, the total amount of energy assimilated by plants in an ecosystem during photosynthesis (gross primary productivity) varies among environments. (Productivity is often measured by an increase in biomass, a term used to refer to the weight of all living organisms in an area. Biomass is reported in grams or metric tons.)