Plant Nutrition
Plant Nutrition
Plant Nutrition
Plant Nutrition
1. What is meant by “plant nutrition”
mutualistic relationships
between plants and fungi and
microrganisms
2. The chemical elements required by plants
The nutrient elements differ in the form they are absorbed by the
plant, by their functions in the plant, by their mobility in the
plant and by the plant deficiency or toxicity symptoms
characteristic of the nutrient.
Name Chemical Relative Function in plant
symbol % in plant
to N
Primary macronutrients
Nitrogen N 100 Proteins, amino acids
Phosphorus P 6 Nucleic acids, ATP
Potassium K 25 Catalyst, ion transport
Secondary macronutrients
Calcium Ca 12.5 Cell wall component
Magnesium Mg 8 Part of chlorophyll
Sulfur S 3 Amino acids
Iron Fe 0.2 Chlorophyll synthesis
Micronutrients
Copper Cu 0.01 Component of enzymes
Manganese Mn 0.1 Activates enzymes
Zinc Zn 0.03 Activates enzymes
Boron B 0.2 Cell wall component
Molybdenum Mo 0.0001 Involved in N fixation
Chlorine Cl 0.3 Photosynthesis reactions
3. How plants take up mineral elements from soil
Water flow
Summary of soil water chemistry
Apoplastic and Symplastic Transport
Plant growth depends on its ability to take up water and dissolved
minerals from the soil. The root system of every plant is equipped
with the necessary tissues to facilitate the entry of water and solutes.
The plant tissues involved in the transport of water and minerals
have two major compartments - the apoplast and the symplast.
The apoplast includes everything outside the plasma membrane
of living cells and consists of cell walls, extracellular spaces, xylem,
phloem, and tracheids.
The symplast, in contrast, consists of the entire cytosol of all living
plant cells and the plasmodesmata - which are the cytoplasmic
channels interconnecting the cells.
Cross section of endodermis
with the Casparian strip
Casparian
stained pink. The Casparian
strip
strip contains suberin and
lignin
Cross section of Smilax root Cross section of Zea mays root using
showing heavily thickened fluorescence microscopy showing
endodermis walls thickened cell walls on the inside of
endodermis
Uptake of water and nutrients by roots
The ions that have passed through
the endodermis are contained
within the vascular tissue.
Potassium Deficiency Older leaves turn yellow initially around margins and
die; irregular fruit development.
Excess Excess potassium may cause deficiencies in
magnesium
and possibly calcium.
5. Nitrogen and the effects of soil organic matter on
plant nutrition
A characteristic of non-agricultural
soils is accumulation of organic
material and acidification of the soil.
Such soils typically develop a very
distinct stratification, with organic
mater at the top.
Spodic
soil
Leaf Stem
Abscission layer