Living organisms sustain life, based on certain life processes. These life processes help to regulate their daily activities. Excretion is one among them.  The metabolism takes place in the cells of living organisms resulting in both useful and toxic products. The accumulation of toxins may harm the organism. Thus, the living organisms remove all these metabolic wastes from their body and this process is called excretion. Different organisms follow different modes of excretion. Let’s have a glance at excretion in plants and how excretion in plants is different from that of animals.

Excretion in Plants

Elimination of toxic and waste products from the body is called excretion. Organisms like animals have an advanced and specialized system for excretion. But plants lack a well-developed excretory system like that in animals. They do not have special organs for excretion. Thus, excretion in plants is not so complex.

Excretory products

The cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and other metabolic reactions produce a lot of excretory products in plants. Carbon dioxide, excess water produced during respiration and nitrogenous compounds produced during protein metabolism are the major excretory products in plants.

Plants produce two gaseous waste products i.e. oxygen during photosynthesis and carbon dioxide during respiration. Excretion of gaseous waste in plants takes place through stomatal pores on leaves. Oxygen released during photosynthesis is used for respiration while carbon dioxide released during respiration is used for photosynthesis.

Excess of water is also excreted from the plant body through the stomatal pores and from the surfaces of fruits and stems. The process of elimination of water is called transpiration.

Other than gaseous wastes, metabolism in plants also generates organic by-products. These wastes are stored in different forms in different parts. The gums, oils, latex, resins, etc. are some waste products stored in plant parts like barks, stems, leaves, etc. Eventually, plants shed off these parts.

The oil produced from orange, eucalyptus, jasmine, latex from the rubber tree, papaya tree, and gums from acacia, are different forms of stored waste products. Sometimes they even excrete into the soil.  Excretion in aquatic plants takes place through diffusion.

Excretion in plants can be summarized as follows:

• Transpiration: Gaseous wastes and water are excreted through stomata, lenticels of the stem, and the outer surface of stems, fruits, etc.

• Storing: Some organic wastes are stored in plant parts such as barks and leaves.

• Diffusion: Aquatic plants excrete metabolic wastes through diffusion. Terrestrial plants excrete into the soil.

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