What does the plant need in order to make its own food?

Plants need chlorophyll to make their own food. They also need light, and this is most present in the form of sunlight. To see if a plant has chlorophyll, check to see if it is green, and if it is, then it is likely to have chlorophyll and chloroplasts in its structure.

The general chemical equation for photosynthesis is:

During photosynthetic processes, plants create their own nourishment from basic elements like carbon dioxide and water when exposed to light.

Sunlight provides the energy that plants need to synthesise food; this energy is captured by the green pigment chlorophyll, which is found in chloroplasts, and transformed into chemical energy for use in photosynthesis.

Therefore, only green plants—known as autotrophs—that have chlorophyll pigment can produce their own food from basic elements like carbon dioxide and water.

Therefore, the most crucial component for plants' food synthesis is chlorophyll.

In order for plants to produce their own food through the process of photosynthesis, they require sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.