What perentage of incident solar radiatoin is captured in photosynthesis by plants ?

Options

A. `0.8-4%`
B. `0.2-1%`
C. `1-5%`
D. `50%`

Answer

To determine the percentage of incident solar radiation captured in photosynthesis by plants, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand Solar Radiation**: The total solar radiation emitted by the sun includes a wide spectrum of wavelengths. However, only a specific range of this radiation is utilized by plants for photosynthesis.

2. **Identify Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)**: The range of solar radiation that plants can use for photosynthesis is known as Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). This range typically falls between wavelengths of 400 to 700 nanometers.

3. **Percentage of Total Solar Radiation in PAR**: Approximately 50% of the total solar radiation that reaches the Earth falls within the PAR range. This means that about 50% of the sunlight can potentially be used by plants for photosynthesis.

4. **Efficiency of Photosynthesis**: However, not all of the PAR is captured by plants. The actual percentage of PAR that is converted into chemical energy through photosynthesis is much lower. Research indicates that this efficiency is around 1% to 2%.

5. **Select the Closest Option**: Given the options provided:
- 0.8 to 4 percent
- 0.2 to 1 percent
- 1 to 5 percent
- 50 percent

The closest option to the actual percentage of solar radiation captured by plants (1% to 2%) is **1 to 5 percent**.

### Final Answer:
The percentage of incident solar radiation captured in photosynthesis by plants is approximately **1 to 5 percent**.

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