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Md. Noor-E-Alam Siddique

Senior Scientific Officer
Ministry of Agriculture
Bangladesh

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ESSENTIAL PLANT NUTRIENTS
THEIR FUNCTIONS
AND
THEIR SYMTOMPS
 Plant Nutrients
 Plants contain more than 90 elements, but only
16 elements are recognized as essential.

Macronutrients Micronutrients
(Required above 0.1 % ) (Required below 100 ppm)
C H O Fe Mn Zn
N P K Cu B Mo
Ca Mg S Cl

 another four elements viz. silicon, sodium, cobalt

and vanadium might be essential or beneficial for
a group of plants.
 Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen constitute
about 90-95% of plant dry matter.
 Macro-nutrients play a major role in plant
structure while micro-nutrients are principally
involved in enzymatic process.
 MACRO-NUTRIENTS

Element Normal content

N 1-5%
P 0.1-0.4%
K 1-4%
Ca 0.2-1.0%
Mg 0.1-0.4%
S 0.1-0.4%
 MICRO-NUTRIENTS

Element Content
Fe 50-250 ppm
Mn 20-500 ppm
Cu 5-20 ppm
Zn 25-100 ppm
Mo <1.0 ppm
B 10-30 ppm
Cl 0.2-2.0%
 CRITERIA FOR ESSENTIALITY

 In absence of the element plants can not

complete its life cycle (Seed to Seed)
 Element is a constituent of compounds
essential for plants
 Element is directly involved on metabolism
of plants
 Available Forms of Plant Nutrients
Nutrient Available Forms Sources
Carbon CO2 Atmosphere
Hydrogen H2O, H+ Soil, Water
Oxygen H2O, O2 Soil, Water
Nitrogen NO3−, NH4+ Soil organic matter (SOM),
Fertilizers
Phosphorus H2PO4−, HPO4−2, Soil organic matter, Fertilizers,
PO4−3 Minerals
Potassium K+ SOM, K-bearing Minerals, Fertilizers
Sulphur SO4−2 SOM, Minerals, Fertilizers
Calcium Ca+ Minerals, Fertilizers, Lime
Magnesium Mg+ Minerals, Fertilizers, Lime
 Available Forms of Plant Nutrients

Nutrient Available Sources

Forms
Iron Fe+2, Fe+3 Minerals, Fertilizers
Manganese Mn+2, Mn+4 Minerals, Fertilizers
Copper Cu+, Cu+2 Minerals, Fertilizers
Zinc Zn+ Minerals, Fertilizers
Boron BO3-2, HBO3−1 Minerals, Fertilizers
Molybdenum MoO4−3 Minerals, Fertilizers
Chlorine Cl− Minerals, Fertilizers
 Soil conditions inducing nutrient deficiency

Nutrient Conditions inducing deficiency

N Low organic matter content, submerged
soils, burning of crop residues
P Acidic, organic, leached and calcareous
soils
K Sandy, organic, leached and eroded soils
Ca Acidic, alkali or sodic soils
Mg Acidic, alkali or sodic soils
S Low organic matter content, submerged
soils, burning of crop residues
Contd. ……
 Soil conditions inducing nutrient deficiency

Nutrient Conditions inducing deficiency

Fe Calcareous soils, high soil P, Mn, Cu or Zn content, free
CaCO3, high HCO3- content
Mn Sandy soils, calcareous soils, high organic matter content,
high soil Fe, Cu or Zn content
Zn Calcareous soils, saline soils, submerged soils, low organic
matter content, high P, Ca, Mg, or Cu content
Cu High N, P, or Zn content
B Sandy soils, high pH soils, acidic leached soils, dry soils
Mo Well drained calcareous soils, acid soils with high free Fe
content
Factors affecting nutrient availability in soils

• Soil pH
• Soil OM
• Soil texture
• Soil temperature
• Submergence
• Nutrient interactions
• Rhizosphere
 FUNCTIONS OF PLANT NUTRIENTS

Nitrogen (Building blocks of proteins)

 Constituents of proteins, chlorophyll, nucleic acids
 Imparts vigorous growth of plants
 Aids and promotes seed and fruit formation
 Increases vegetative growth and hence delay maturity
 Makes the plant succulent
 Functions of Plant Nutrients

Phosphorus (Energy transfer)

 Constituents of majority enzymes, nucleic acids,
ATP, NADPH, GTP
 Stimulates early root growth and helps to establish
seedlings quickly.
 Aids and promotes seed and fruit formation
 Enhances maturity counteracts the effects of
excessive N application
 Enhances nodulation and N fixation by legumes
 Functions of Plant Nutrients

Potassium (Catalytic in nature)

 More than 60 enzymes require K for their
activation
 Plays important role in photosynthesis and
translocation of photosynthates
 Helps in the formation of proteins and
chlorophyll
 Produces stiff straw and reduces lodging
 Functions of Plant Nutrients

Calcium (structure of cell wall)

 Essential part of cell wall and required for the
formation of new cells
 Aids in pollen development and helps plants to
retain their foliage
 Helps in carbohydrate translocation
 Functions of Plant Nutrients (cont.)

Magnesium (Component of chlorophyll)

 15-20% of Mg remains in chlorophyll
 Activates the action of many enzymes
 Aids in the formation of fats and oils
 Helps in carbon assimilation
 Functions of Plant Nutrients

Sulphur
 Sulphur is a component of vitamin B1 and several other
enzymes
 Essential for nodulation in legumes
 Aids in the formation of fats and oils
 Synthesis of chlorophyll and activity of nitrate reductase
depend on sulphur
 Functions of Plant Nutrients
Zinc
• Zinc influences the formation of some growth
hormones in the plant.
• It is involved in auxin metabolism like,
tryptophan synthetase.
• It influences the activity of different
dehydrogenase enzymes e.g. pyridine
nucleotide, glucose-6-phosphate and triose
phosphate etc.
• It stabilizes ribosomal fractions.
• It increases the disease resistance of plants.
 Functions of Plant Nutrients
Iron:
• Part of the make up of enzymes and aids in protein synthesis,
photosynthesis and the metabolic functions of plants.
• Required for chlorophyll synthesis.
• Structural component of porphyrin molecules like
cytochromes, hemes, hematin, ferrichrome and
leghemoglobin. These substances are involved in oxidation-
reduction in respiration and photosynthesis.
• Also a structural component of nonheme molecules like
ferredoxins (stable Fe-S proteins) involved in photosynthetic
electron transport chain.
• Constituent of enzyme systems and so it helps for carrying
out different enzymatic reactions in plants.
 Functions of Plant Nutrients
Manganese
• Part of the make up of enzymes and help in
photosynthesis and the metabolic functions of plants.
• Manganese helps in chlorophyll formation.
• Takes part in oxidation-reduction processes and
decarboxylation and hydrolysis reactions.
• Influences auxin levels in plants and high
concentrations of Mn favour the breakdown of indole
acetic acid.
• Takes part in enzyme systems like, chromatin-bound
RNA polymerase, synthesis of tRNA-primed oligo
adenylate, inactivation of indole acetic acid protectors,
NAD malic enzyme of aspartate type C4 plants.
 Functions of Plant Nutrients
Copper
• Contains amine oxidase, which has been suggested
to play a role in H2O2 production in plant cell walls
during cell development.
• Acts as a catalyst in photosynthesis and respiration.
It is a constituent of several enzyme systems
involved in building and converting amino acids to
proteins.
• Important in carbohydrate and protein metabolism;
and formation of lining in plant cell walls.
• Affects the flavor, the storage ability, and the sugar
content of fruits. It helps in the utilization of iron
during chlorophyll synthesis.
 Functions of Plant Nutrients
Boron
• Assists in the metabolic function of plant and aids
in cell division.
• Increases the mobility of calcium in the plant.
• Acts as a regulator of K/Ca ratio in the plant.
• Required for the development of new cells in
meristematic tissue.
• Necessary for proper pollination and fruit or seed
setting
 Functions of Plant Nutrients

Molybdenum
• Essential component of the major enzyme nitrate
reductase in plants.
• A structural component of nitrogenase, the enzyme
actively involved in nitrogen fixation by root-nodule
bacteria of leguminous crops, by some algae and
by free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria.
• Reported to have an essential role in iron
absorption and translocation in plants.
 Functions of Plant Nutrients

Chlorine
• has a role in the evolution of oxygen in
photosynthesis and role in osmoregulation.
 Plant Nutrients
Deficiency Symptoms