Q1.
Who was Rustom Hormusji Dastur, and what did he contribute to our understanding of photosynthesis?
Answer
Many scientists across the world contributed to develop an understanding of photosynthesis. In India, Rustom Hormusji Dastur (1896–1961) studied the process.
- He was a plant scientist (botanist).
- He served as the head of the Botany Department at the Royal Institute of Science, Bombay — now the Institute of Science, Mumbai — from 1921 to 1935.
- He studied the effects of the amount of water and of temperature on photosynthesis.
- He examined the importance of water, temperature and the colour of light in the process of photosynthesis.
Did you know? His work on the colour of light connects directly to Activity 10.3 — chlorophyll does not use every colour of sunlight equally, which is one reason leaves look green.