ABSTRACT
Growth is a diffi cult term to defi ne because it really encompasses the totality of all the processes that take place during the life of an organism. However, it is useful to distinguish between growth as the processes which result in an increase in size and weight (described in Chapter 8), and those processes which cause the changes in the plant during its life cycle, which can usefully be called plant development . This is described here through the typical life cycle of plants, from seed to senescence.
