ABSTRACT
Growth and development are necessary for plants to survive. Growth is defined as an increase in the number, size, and volume of cells; and development is the emergence of specialized, morphologically different body parts. The growth of cells in an organism occurs in three successive phases: cell division, cell enlargement, and differentiation. Growth in plants is restricted to certain regions only, called as meristems. The plants growth cycle is divided into different stages: germination, seedling establishment and leaf production, tillering, stem elongation, pollination, and seed development and maturity. Crop production is concerned with the exploitation of plant morphological and physiological responses with soil and atmospheric environments to produce a high yield per unit area of land. Plant growth is affected by many internal and external factors. Plants, exhibit a growth pattern called determinate or indeterminate growth. The plant responses to various stimuli are called tropisms and controlled by plant hormones. All flowering plants belong to one of three categories with respect to photoperiodism: short-day plants, long-day plants, and day-neutral plants.
