Introduction to Botany



Introduction 

Botany is one of the main branches of Biology (zoology being the other); it is the systematic and scientific study of plants. Botany covers a lot of scientific discipline, such as chemistry, pathology, microbiology etc. Botany also covers specific sciences that caters for a specific study area in plant life such as Photo-chemistry that deals with chemical reaction, product and chemical derivatives in plants as well as it effects on other biological species, Plant Anatomy and Morphology which deals with structures, evolution, process and mechanism of plant parts and Taxonomy which is the science of describing, naming, and classifying of organisms. New sciences such as Genetic Engineering which caters the issue of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), Economic Botany which deals on how to utilize the plant kingdom and even Forensic Botany, that uses plant to find clues for crimes.

What is a plant?
Anyone can tell which is a plant and an animal; your dog looks very different from your tomato plant or your mom's roses. Plants don't often get as much appreciation as animals; there are more people interested in zoos' than gardens, and often times the real entity of plant is often boxed as either: good for "food or flower" thinking. Plants are exciting and interesting than anyone can expect; diversity of plant life ranges from carnivorous Nepenthes sp (Pitcher plant), giant stinking Rafflesia, beautiful orchids, to the towering and old Sequoia. Human Nutrition -Virtually all foods eaten come from plants, either directly from staple foods and other fruit and vegetables, or indirectly through livestock or other animals, which rely on plants for their nutrition. Plants are the fundamental base of nearly all food chains because they use the energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil and atmosphere and convert them into a form that can be consumed and utilized by animals; this is what ecologists call the first trophic level. Botanists (scientist who specialize in Botany) also study how plants produce food we can eat and how to increase yields and therefore their work is important in mankind's ability to feed the world and provide food security for future generations, for example through plant breeding. Botanists also study weeds, undesirable plant, especially ones that grow profusely where they are not wanted. Weeds are a considerable problem in agriculture, and botany provides some of the basic science used to understand how to minimize 'weed' impact in agriculture and native ecosystems. Examples of Staple plant food are: Oryza sativa (rice), Zea mays (maize), Solanum tuberosum (potatoes), Triticum sp (wheat). There are thousands of list of edible plants, from the nori of Japan which are algae, to pine nuts.

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