How Do Different Sugars Affect Plant Growth?

Overview

• A variety of sugars are produced by a plant as it converts sunlight to energy. The chlorophyll found in plant leafage absorbs solar energy and, with the aid of ground water and carbon dioxide, produces oxygen and natural sugars, along with nitrogen-induced protein production. These simple sugars are then processed to create more complex sugars and starches that are the building blocks of cellulose, the main ingredient for cell construction in plant growth.

Types of Plant Sugars

• Glucose and fructose are the simple sugars that plants use to produce the more complex sugars needed for plant growth. Sucrose and maltose are the main complex plant sugars that are created in this process, which are responsible for protein development and cell production that is so necessary for plant growth. The amount of these sugars found in plants varies, depending on the type of plant and its botanical purpose. Fructose and glucose, for example, are most prevalent in fruits and plants such as sugar beets and sugarcane. The sweet taste of these fruits and plants is caused by the prevalence of simple sugars in their makeup.

Sugar Effects on Plant Growth

• A scientific study provides insight into the effects of different sugars on plant growth. Arabidopsis, a flowering plant genus that includes cabbage and mustard plants, is used extensively in botanical research as a model plant. The effects of different sugars are studied in a laboratory setting, with plant cultures being combined in vitro with plant sugars. One such study, conducted in 2007 by the Department of Biotechnology at Kathmandu University in Nepal, tested the effects of maltose and dextrose on the creation of roots and new shoots on the basmati rice plant. Results of this study found that dextrose in concentrations of less than 0.25 percent produced the most root and shoot plant growth, while maltose in all concentrations tested produced medium root and shoot growth.

Effect of Sugars on Reproduction

• New shoot and root system development is only one aspect of plant growth. Plants must be able to reproduce to survive. In many cases, this involves the production of flowers, known as floral transition, on the plant so that new seeds will be created. The effect of sugars on this process, in a 2001 study in Japan that was funded by grants from the government as well as the Sumitomo Foundation, focused primarily on sucrose and the role this sugar played in floral transition. The study found that higher concentrations (5 percent) of sucrose than would normally be found in the arabidopsis plant delayed flowering, mainly because this sugar prolonged the vegetative stages during which root and shoot production was sustained. Low concentrations (1 percent) of sucrose was also found to inhibit new plant growth in plants found in the wild.