Question

Observe the plants of sorghum and chilli. Complete the following chart and explain.

Criteria	Sorghum	Chilli
Roots	Fibrous
Stem	Hollow and tapering
Leaves		Reticulate
Flower	Trimerous
Fruits
Other

Answer 1

Hint: Sorghum and chilli are two plants that belong to different families. Sorghum belongs to a genus of flowering plants of the grass family Poaceae. It includes about twenty five species. It is grown as an important cereal for consumption as well as for manure. The chili is the fruit part of the plant and it belongs to the genus Capsicum and family Solanaceae. Both the plants differ in their essential features such as root system, stem type, leaves venation, type of flower, and fruit.

Complete answer:
The complete chart is given below:

Criteria	Sorghum	Chilli
Roots	Fibrous	Tap root
Stem	Hollow and tapering	Solid
Leaves	Parallel	Reticulate
Flower	Trimerous	Small, white and pendent
Fruits	Single-seeded	Berry
Other (family)	Poaceae family of herbs	Solanaceae family

The important characteristic of the sorghum plant is:
- Sorghum is a flowering plant genus in the Poaceae family of herbs. Sorghum is in the Panicoideae subfamily and andropogoneae tribe (the big bluestem and sugarcane tribe).
- Sorghum exhibits a fibrous root system. It consists of three types of roots: primary roots, secondary or adventitious roots, and the roots of bracelets or buttresses. The primary roots emerge from the radicle, then die.
- Sorghum stems consist of phytomers formed by the apical meristem shoot roughly every four days. During the juvenile phase, stem internode elongation is suppressed but rises during the vegetative process or after floral initiation.
- The coleoptile is the first leaf which emerges from the ground in sorghum. The coleoptile is distinct from other plants, since the tip of the leaf is rounded. Only after the leaf has completed growth is the leaf collar noticeable, and it occurs where the leaf blade and sheath meet. Their leaves have veins that are directed toward parallel venation type.
- Domesticated sorghum usually flowers fifty five days to seventy days after germination in warm climates, but the flowering can occur within hundred days after germination depending on the genotype. Wet and cool weather can delay flowering, too. In this plant, the flowers are of trimerous form.

Fruit - Sorghum fruits are known as caryopsis. It is single seeded, pericarp is completely fused with seed coat and a joint structure is formed which is called a grain.

The important characteristic of the chilli plant is:
- Chili is the fruit of plants of the genus Capsicum, members of the family of nightshades, Solanaceae.
- Chilly plant's root system is tap root system. The body of the Chilli plant is divided into two main parts: Roots: they are the structures that bind the plant to the ground while also collecting water and minerals from the atmosphere around it.
- They've got a kind of solid stem. The stem serves as the chilli plant's structural support and provides the key structure for leaves, flowers and fruits.
- The veins in the chilli plant's leaves are of reticulate form or venation.
- The chili flowers are white, thin, and pendant. In other words, the chili flowers fall down and hang like pendants unlike in other plants. Likewise, the chili fruits often hang downward. Within the fruit of the plant, are chili plant seeds.

Fruit - The chilli fruit is a berry. Unlike the usual berries, fleshy pericarp does not embed the seeds. The shape, and color of the fruits vary. The pericarp is leathery or succulent in chilli fruit that turns from green to purple or red, orange or orange red.

Note: Sorghum plants have tapered stem while chilli has a strong stem form. The root system that sorghum plants possess is fibrous while chilli has a tap root system. In sorghum plants, the leaves are found in parallel venation and in chilli plants in reticulate venation. The sorghum plants are cultivated and domesticated for their use as cereals for human consumption. They are also grown as pastures for animals. Chill peppers are widely used as a spices or flavoring agent in food. They are predominantly used to impart a hot flavor to the dishes.