ABSTRACT
In any horticultural situation, growers are concerned with controlling and even manipulating plant growth. They must provide for the plants the optimum conditions to produce the most effi cient growth rate and the end-product required. Therefore, the processes that result in growth are explored here, in order that the most suitable for economic growth can be achieved. Photosynthesis is probably the single most important process in plant growth. Respiration is the process by which the food matter produced by photosynthesis is converted into energy usable for growth of the plant. Photosynthesis and respiration make these processes possible and the balance between these results in growth. It must be emphasized that growth involves the plant in hundreds of chemical processes, occurring in the different organs and tissues throughout the plant.
