WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF A PLANT IS KEPT IN THE DARK FOR 72 HOURS? EXPLAIN WITH REASON(CBSE 10TH BIOLOGY)

  

If a plant is kept in the dark for 72 hours, it will become destarched — meaning it will use up the stored starch and not produce any new starch.

• Photosynthesis requires sunlight to produce glucose, which is stored as starch.
• In the absence of light, photosynthesis stops, so the plant cannot make food.
• However, the plant continues to respire, using up the stored starch for energy.
• As a result, after 72 hours in the dark, no starch will be present in the leaves.
• This is why destarching is done before photosynthesis experiments  to ensure that any starch found afterward is due to new photosynthesis.