How Do Plants Use Glucose Formed By Photosynthsis?
When glucose is first formed in the leaf it is used by the cells during tissue respiration to provide energy for cellular activities. It is used to make cellulose cell walls. Excess glucose is converted to sucrose which is transported to storage organs such as the seeds, stem or roots. The glucose is usually stored in the form of starch. However in some plants it is stored in other forms as well. In sugarcane, glucose is stored in the form of sucrose. During the day, the rate of photosynthesis is so great that glucose is formed at a faster rate than it is removed. A large portion of it is temporarily stored in the leaves as starch. At night, when the process of photosynthesis stops, the starch accumulated in the leaves is converted to simpler sugars by the enzymes present there. The glucose in the leaves reacts with nitrates and other salts to form amino acids. These are then combined to make proteins that are used to form the protoplasm in the cells. Excess amino acids are either stor
