Indication of Growth

Because growth is continuous and often too slow to see directly, it has to be tracked using measurable proxies rather than watched happening in real time. Botanists commonly use four such indicators: an increase in the length or girth of an axis such as a root or stem; a gain in fresh or dry weight of the tissue; an increase in the area or volume of an organ, most easily tracked in leaves and fruits; and simply counting the increase in the number of cells produced by the tissue over time. Any one, or a combination, of these four measurements turn …