Approximate content of

Nutrient (chemical symbol)

plant (% dry weight)
Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O) 90+%
Nitrogen (N) 2–4%
Sulfur (S) 0.50%
Phosphorus (P) 0.40%
Potassium (K) 2.00%
Calcium (Ca) 1.50%
Magnesium (Mg) 0.40%
Manganese (Mn) 0.02%
Iron (Fe) 0.02%
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.00%
Copper (Cu) 0.00%
Zinc (Zn) 0.00%
Boron (Bo) 0.01%
Chlorine (Cl) 0.1–2.0%
Nickel (Ni) 0.00%
 Source of nutrient available to
Roles in plant
plant
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water
Components of organic compounds
Component of amino acids, proteins, (H 2O) (NO3-) and ammonium
Nitrate
coenzymes, of
Component nucleic
sulfuracids
amino acids, (NH4+)
Sulfate (SO4-)
proteins,
ATP, NADPcoenzyme A
intermediates of metabolism, Dihydrogen phosphate (H2PO4-),
membrane
Enzyme phospholipids,
activation, turgor,nucleic
osmoticacids Hydrogen phosphate (HPO42-)
Potassium (K+)
regulation
Enzyme activation, signal transduction,
Calcium (Ca2+)
cell structure
Enzyme activation, component of
Magnesium (Mg2+)
chlorophyll
Enzyme activation, essential for water
Manganese (Mn2+)
splittingchanges, photosynthesis,
Redox
Iron (Fe2+)
respiration
Redox changes, nitrate reduction Molybdate (MoO42-)
Redox changes, photosynthesis,
Copper (Cu2+)
respiration
Enzyme cofactor-activator Zinc (Zn2+)
Membrane activity, cell division Borate (BO3-)
Charge balance, water splitting Chlorine (Cl-)
Component of some enzymes, biological
Nickel (Ni2+)
nitrogen fixation