Ear (botany) Ear (botany) An ear is the grain-bearing tip part of the stem of a cereal plant, such as wheat or maize. It can also refer to "a prominent lobe in some leaves". The ear is a spike, consisting of a central stem on which tightly packed rows of flowers grow. These develop into fruits containing the edible seeds. In corn, it is protected by leaves called husks. In some species (including wheat), unripe ears contribute significantly to photosynthesis, in addition to the leaves lower down the plant. A parasite known as "Anguina tritici" (Ear Cockle) specifically affects the ears on
Plant physiology plants in a water solution rather than soil, which has become a standard technique in biological research, teaching lab exercises, crop production and as a hobby. One of the leading journals in the field is "Plant Physiology", started in 1926. All its back issues are available online for free. Many other journals often carry plant physiology articles, including "Physiologia Plantarum", "Journal of Experimental Botany", "American Journal of Botany", "Annals of Botany", "Journal of Plant Nutrition" and "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." In horticulture and agriculture along with food science, plant physiology is an important topic relating to fruits,