238 Plant Biology 



experiments on plant pigments, hormones, vitamins, and other bio- 

 chemical phenomena may give us additional information. 



Ganong states that many of our common plants produce as an aver- 

 age about 1 Gm. of carbohydrate per square meter of leaf surface per 

 hour. This may seem insignificant, but, when we consider all the green 

 plants which photosynthesize, the total quantity produced is tremendous. 

 In 1930, sugar beets and sugar cane produced photosynthetically in the 

 world about 32,000,000 tons of sugar over and above what they used 

 themselves. The United States produced about 1,500,000 tons. The 

 carbohydrates made photosynthetically are used by the plant in diges- 

 tion, translocation, respiration, assimilation, storage, and synthesis into 

 proteins, fats and oils, or other types of carbohydrates. When we con- 

 sume plants we utilize those products which they formed but did not 

 use for their own needs. 



Plants use the products which they have photosynthesized in many 

 ways as shown by the following: (1) They may be digested into soluble 

 forms; (2) they may be translocated to other parts of the plant; (3) 

 they may be synthesized into proteins, fats, oils, or other carbohydrates; 

 (4) they may be oxidized through fermentation or respiration to liberate 



Products Resulting From Photosynthesis* 

 (Including Years in Which Data Were Selected) 



*The total value of all farm products in the United States alone averages between 15 and 20 

 billion dollars annually. 



