From NCERTAsked by Anonymous from Mountain View, United States5 Oct 2026, 6:46 AM ISTUpdated
In one line
Plants store the food they make as starch, sugar, or oil in different parts like roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds.
Potato — Starchy tuber used as a staple food Potato, a stem that stores starch made by the plant. Image: WikipediaCarrot — Root vegetable Carrot, a root where the plant stores sugar and starch. Image: Wikipedia
The rule
Plants store the food they produce (mainly glucose) in the form of starch, sugar, or oil in various parts such as roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds.
Let's understand it simply
Imagine your mother makes extra chapatis (rotis) at night. She keeps the extra in a dabba (box) for the next day. Plants do something similar. When they make food using sunlight (photosynthesis), they keep the extra food in safe places inside them. This stored food helps the plant grow, survive when there is no sunlight, and also helps us and animals when we eat those plant parts.
How it works
Plants make glucose (a type of sugar) during photosynthesis.
Some glucose is used right away for energy.
Extra glucose is changed into starch (a storage form) or oil or kept as sugar.
The plant moves this stored food to different parts—roots, stems, leaves, fruits, or seeds.
When the plant needs energy later (like at night or in winter), it changes the stored food back into glucose.
How plants store food
Make glucose in leaves
Change extra glucose to starch, sugar, or oil
Move it to roots, stems, leaves, fruits, or seeds
Use stored food when needed
The story behind it
Scientists found out about how plants store food by studying potatoes, grains, and fruits. When they tested these parts, they found starch, sugar, and oil. This helped us understand why some foods like potatoes are filling—they are full of stored plant food!
Where you see it in real life
Potato: The potato is a stem that stores starch. When you eat aloo, you are eating stored plant food.
Carrot and beetroot: These are roots full of stored sugar and starch.
Rice, wheat, and maize grains: These seeds store starch, which is why they are our main food.
Mango and banana: These fruits store sugar, making them sweet.
Peanuts and mustard seeds: These seeds store oil, which we use for cooking.
Onion: The onion bulb stores food in its thick leaves.
Why it matters
This stored food is what we eat—rice, wheat, potatoes, fruits, and oils all come from plant storage.
Animals also depend on this stored food for their diet.
Farmers choose crops based on which part stores the most food.
Understanding storage helps us keep food fresh and avoid waste.
Common mistakes
Thinking only fruits store food: Roots, stems, leaves, and seeds also store food.
Believing plants store only starch: Some store sugar (like fruits) or oil (like seeds).
Confusing storage with photosynthesis: Making food and storing food are two different steps.
Remember it
Plants keep extra food as starch, sugar, or oil in roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds—just like we keep food in different boxes at home.
Check yourself
Which part of the potato plant stores food?
The stem (potato tuber) stores food as starch.
Why do plants store food in their roots or seeds?
To use it later for growth or survival when they cannot make food.
Name one plant that stores food as oil.
Mustard or peanut stores food as oil in its seeds.
Is the sweet taste of a mango due to starch or sugar? Why?
Sugar, because fruits like mango store food as sugar to attract animals.
Quick recap
Plants store food as starch, sugar, or oil.
Storage happens in roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and seeds.
We eat these stored foods as grains, vegetables, and oils.
Stored food helps plants survive when they cannot make new food.
