why in a solar cooker plastic cannot be used instead of a glass plate?

Continuing with @roshri's answers:

The plastic plate does not exhibit these qualities of the glass plate and can allow the radiations to pass through, thus the food will not be heated much.

I hope this helps you! Do get back in case of any doubts.

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The light energy that is absorbed by dark pots and the dark absorber plate underneath the pots is converted into longer wavelength heat energy and radiates from the interior materials. Most of this radiant energy, because it is of a longer wavelength, cannot pass back out through the glass and is therefore trapped within the enclosed space.

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Glass covers function to trap the heta radiations inside the box. Heat radiations once inside the box, will be absorbed by the content inside the box. The same radiations are reradiated in longer wavelengths, which fail to get refracted out of the glass cover. Subsqeuently, the heat radiations get trapped inside the box hence the temperature rise inside the box.
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