Science: News and Articles
What Vegetable Plants Need for Proper Development
"What vegetable plants need for proper development."
The life cycle of growth and development of vegetable crops is divided into specific stages — phases. Environmental conditions strongly affect the growth and development of plants.
Let us recall the saying: "Sun, air, and water are our best friends" — a folk proverb that emphasizes the importance of natural factors for human health.
The sun provides energy, air refreshes and cleanses the lungs, and water heals and helps maintain cleanliness.
Likewise, sun, air, and water are important for plants! Today we will examine these factors in more detail!
- Sunlight. It helps plants grow and produce oxygen from carbon dioxide (photosynthesis). Heat and duration of light exposure strongly affect growth and development;
- Artificial lighting. For example, when growing seedlings, various electric lamps and lighting installations are used to enhance illumination;
- Air. From the air, plants obtain carbon dioxide necessary for their vital activity — it is the sole source of carbon nutrition.
Enrichment of air with carbon dioxide occurs mainly through its release from the soil.
Organic and mineral fertilizers applied to the soil play a major role in the formation and release of carbon dioxide by the soil.
The more vigorous the processes of microorganism activity in the soil, the more actively organic matter decomposes, and consequently, the more carbon dioxide is released into the ground-level air layer.
Another source of replenishing the air with carbon dioxide is living organisms that release it during respiration.
Elevated carbon dioxide content in the air favorably affects all processes occurring in plants, especially accelerating fruiting;
Water. It is necessary for dissolving nutrients in the soil; with insufficient water, yields are significantly reduced, and the plant may perish.
Soil and air moisture are necessary for the plant throughout the entire development period and life cycle as a whole.
Let us start with the fact that water, together with warmth, awakens a plant to life.
Water participates in the creation of organic substances and in dissolved form distributes them throughout the plant. Thanks to water, carbon dioxide is dissolved. Oxygen is released, metabolism takes place, and the necessary temperature for the plant is maintained.
With insufficient moisture reserves in the soil, growth, development, and fruit formation proceed normally. However, moisture deficiency can sharply reduce yields and product quality.
For example, with insufficient soil moisture, green crops and radish plants age prematurely without forming a harvest.
Leaves and root vegetables become coarse, acquiring a bitter taste. The same happens with cucumber fruits.
Cabbage slows head formation.
Fruiting vegetable crops (cucumbers, zucchini, squash, etc.) show increased moisture demand during fruit set and fruiting stages.
During this time, long intervals between watering are particularly dangerous.
Without sufficient moisture, the growth of fruits, heads, and root vegetables ceases, and in sunny weather, their surface tissues quickly become corky and lose elasticity.