Growth: It is a quantitative parameter and refers to an irreversible increase in size or weight of a cell, tissue or organ. Plants are capable of growing throughout their life due to meristematic tissues present in certain parts.
Development is the sum of two processes – growth and differentiation. It is essential and sufficient to know that the development of a mature plant from a zygote follows a precise and highly ordered succession of events. A complex body organization is formed which dies eventually. The first step in this process of plant growth is the germination of seeds. Seeds require favourable conditions to germinate and resume metabolic activities incase they had entered a period of suspended growth (under unfavourable conditions).
This chapter also enlightens students about some of the factors that govern and control the various developmental processes. These factors are both internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) to the plant.