NCERT Book Class 7 Science Chapter 8 Reproduction in Plants

8 Reproduction in Plants

T
o produce its kind is a reproduction, new plants are obtained
characteristic of all living from seeds.
organisms. You have already
learnt this in Class VI. The production
of new individuals from their parents is
known as reproduction. But, how do Paheli thought that new
plants reproduce? There are different plants always grow from seeds.
modes of reproduction in plants which But, she has never seen the seeds
we shall learn in this chapter. of sugarcane, potato and rose. She
wants to know how these plants
8.1 MODES OF REPRODUCTION reproduce.
In Class VI you learnt about different
parts of a flowering plant. Try to list the
various parts of a plant and write the Asexual reproduction
functions of each. Most plants have
In asexual reproduction new plants are
roots, stems and leaves. These are called
obtained without production of seeds.
the vegetative parts of a plant. After a
certain period of growth, most plants Vegetative propagation
bear flowers. You may have seen the It is a type of asexual reproduction in
mango trees flowering in spring. It is which new plants are produced from
these flowers that give rise to juicy roots, stems, leaves and buds. Since
mango fruit we enjoy in summer. We eat reproduction is through the vegetative
the fruits and usually discard the seeds. parts of the plant, it is known as
Seeds germinate and form new plants. vegetative propagation.
So, what is the function of flowers in
plants? Flowers perform the function of Activity 8.1
reproduction in plants. Flowers are the Cut a branch of rose or champa with a
reproductive parts. node. This piece of branch is termed a
There are several ways by which cutting. Bury the cutting in the soil. A
plants produce their offspring. These are node is a part of the stem/branch at
categorised into two types: (i) asexual, which a leaf arises (Fig. 8.1). Water the
and (ii) sexual reproduction. In asexual cutting every day and observe its
reproduction plants can give rise to new growth. Observe and record the number
plants without seeds, whereas in sexual of days taken for roots to come out and