Lesson 4 AirTemperature and plant growth

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Module 4 Weather and Plant Growth
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Modules
Lessons

Lesson 4- Air-Temperature and plant growth
After completing this Lesson, you will be able
to answer 1. Why air-temperature is important
for crop plants? 2. How plants
respond to air-temperature? 3. Why pearl millet
do not grow well in hilly areas? 4.
Why plants show wilting symptoms during
afternoon hours in August
in tropics? 5. What important plant
processes are influenced by
air-temperature?
Course on Crop-Weather Relationships
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Lesson 4- Air-Temperature and plant growth

• Why air-temperature is important for crop plants?
• The air-temperature is a deciding factor in plant
  growth
• Each crop has its own optimum, maximum and
  minimum temperature conditions for their growth
  and development
• Some plants grow better in cooler temperatures,
  ex. Wheat, while others prefer warmer
  temperatures, ex. Pearl Millet.
• The air-temperature affects the amount of water a
  crop requires

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Lesson 4- Air-Temperature and plant growth

• How air-temperature affects crop plants?
• The growth rate of most plants increases as the
  temperature increases favorably
• Influences the rate of physical and chemical
  reactions that determine a plants rate of growth
  and development.

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Lesson 4- Air-Temperature and plant growth

• How air-temperature affects crop plants?
• Regulates most plant processes germination,
  flowering, photosynthesis, transpiration,
  respiration, etc.
• High air-temperature generally increases loss of
  moisture from soil and from plants
  (evapotranspiration). When there is insufficient
  water in the soil to meet the plant water demand,
  the plant wilts.

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Module 4 Weather and Plant Growth
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Modules
Lessons

This concludes Lesson 4- Air-Temperature and
plant growth - in this Module.
The last Lesson in this Module is about wind and
plant growth. Click Lessons button to select
Lesson 5
Course on Crop-Weather Relationships