Meristems and Indeterminate Plant Growth — NEET Biology
✅ Asked in NEET 2023Plant growth is unique because plants retain the capacity for unlimited growth throughout their life. This ability of the plants is due to the presence of meristems at certain locations in their body. The cells of such meristems have the capacity to divide and self-perpetuate. The product, however, soon loses the capacity to divide and such cells make up the plant body. This form of growth wherein new cells are always being added to the plant body by the activity of the meristem is called the open form of growth. What would happen if the meristem ceases to divide? Does this ever happen?
NTA tests whether students understand that plants have unlimited growth capacity due to meristems—specialized tissues that continuously divide and add new cells to the plant body. This is called 'open growth' and distinguishes plants from animals. The key trap: students confuse meristems with regular plant cells or think all plant cells can divide indefinitely. Remember, only meristematic cells retain division capacity; the cells they produce lose this ability and form the actual plant body. If meristems cease dividing (due to senescence, injury, or disease), growth stops entirely—which is why meristem activity is essential for the plant's lifespan. This concept is fundamental to understanding plant development and regeneration.
Which of the following statements is not correct? (NEET 2023)
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88/90MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.