Adriane B.

Tobias                                                                                                    August 19, 2013

Group 1 AB-1L                                                                                 Ma’am Marilyn S. Combalicer
Exercise 5
Mineral Elements Essential for Plant Growth
Results and Discussions

Figure 1: Narra seedlings planted in the beer bottles.

In this exercise, we have done an experiment to determine the mineral elements essential
for plant growth. There are two types of mineral elements, the macronutrients and
micronutrients. These mineral nutrients are very crucial to every plants specifically to their
growth.
The experiment was conducted by the use of cleaned Narra seedlings planted in the beer
bottles with different treatments placed on the cement bench. The treatments were obtained
through Hoagland’s No.2 solution. After the Narra seedlings were planted for about 5 days, we
transferred them into the greenhouse and from that we started to add FeCl solution 3 times a 3

week. FeCl solution is needed in order to maintain the original level of the solution. The duration
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of the experiment was 1 month. 

Treatments Root Length Shoot Length Number of OBSERVATIONS
used  (cm) (cm) leaves
Initial Final Initial Final Initial Final
Complete 10 15 15.5 19 8 11
-Nitrogen 14 16 13.2 18 8 12 No change in length; detached
roots; yellow leaves.

-Phosphorus 11.8 12.5 18 19 5 8 Detached roots; constant no. of 

leaves; some dark green
colored leaf
-Potassium 14 17.5 12.8 16.5 7 13 Tips and margins of leaf are
dry; additional no. of leaves.
-Calcium 9 11 14.6 17.5 9 15 Inc. in length in shoot and roots
and no. of leaf.
 -Magnesium 11 15 11.3 15 4 9 Yellowish strips on leaf blade;
detached roots; constant no. of
leaves
Table 1: The initial and final measurements of Narra seedlings with different treatments used.
In the table 1, it shows the data that we acquired before and after 1 month. This table
shows the different effect of particular nutrients in the root and shoot growth and the number of
leaves. The mineral nutrients are responsible for many important roles. As you observed in the
table, the nutrients used were all belong to the macronutrients which can be broken down into
two groups; primary nutrients and secondary nutrients. The primary nutrients include nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium while the secondary nutrients are calcium and magnesium. Primary
nutrients usually are lacking from the soil first because plants use large amount of it for their
growth and survival. Contrariwise, the secondary nutrients are usually enough in the soil. Other
than macronutrients are micronutrients. Micronutrients are those elements essential for plant
growth which are needed in only very small quantities.

Figure 2 Narra seedlings after 1 month.

The mineral nutrients used for different treatment have its own specific use:
 Nitrogen (N) - responsible for growth, and is the essential element in protein production
and the green colored chlorophyll. 
 Phosphorus (P) - builds roots and is very important for transplanting success, flowering,
ripening of fruits, photosynthesis, breathing of plant and general growth. 
 Potassium (K) - Travels in whole plant. Transports the sugars, fiber for strength,
resistance to diseases and insects and also contributes to starting the flowering.
 Calcium (Ca) - is the major ingredient in cell walls and binds the cells together. It is
found on the apexes of roots and is important for flowering.
 Magnesium (Mg) - Central element of chlorophyll production. Contributes to maturation
and sprouting of seeds. Helps plant absorb Phosphorous, Sulfur and Nitrogen. Mg also
helps builds the cell wall.
 Generally, the mineral elements affected the growth of the Narra seedlings. Sufficient
supply of mineral nutrients helps the plants grow easily. This is the reason why mineral element
are very essential to plants. If the mineral nutrients are not abundant in the soil, it will causes
nutrient deficiency in plants.
Answers to Questions
1. Are all elements absorbed by the plant essential for its growth?
No. Only 16 or so elements are truly essential for plant growth. The rest of the
elements present in plant tissue are largely taken up in small quantities incidentally as
plants take up the nutrient elements that they need for growth and reproduction. (Barak,
1995)
2. What criteria can you follow in determining whether an element is essential or not?

a. Must require for the completion of the life cycle of the plant. 
b. Must not be replaceable by another element. 
c. Must be directly involved in plant metabolism, that is, it must be required for a specific
physiological function. 
d. The element must require by a substantial number of plant species, not just a single
species or two.

3. Why dark colored containers are preferably used in culture solution studies?

Dark colored containers are preferable because it keeps the light out, reduce the
growth of algae that would compete with the plants for nutrients and prevent reactions of
chemical that can be induced by light.

4. What is the law of minimum?

Justus von Liebig's Law of the Minimum states that yield is proportional to the
amount of the most limiting nutrient, whichever nutrient it may be. From this, it may be
inferred that if the deficient nutrient is supplied, yields may be improved to the point that
some other nutrient is needed in greater quantity than the soil can provide, and the Law of
the Minimum would apply in turn to that nutrient. (Barak P. , 1995)
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of predicting nutrient deficiencies from
visual symptoms?

Advantages
 Some nutrient deficiencies of the plants are quite distinctive visually from each
other.
 Visual Nutrient deficiencies can also be easily to use than other methods.
 The great advantages of the method are its speed and the fact that where the
symptoms do not require confirmation no apparatus of any kind is necessary.
Disadvantages
  Like other methods it has its disadvantages. For instance, symptoms of certain
deficiencies on cereal crops are not very distinctive and, in fact, cereals, on the
whole, are poor subjects on which to use the method.
 A further disadvantage of the method is that the symptoms of the deficiencies must
develop before they can be recognized, and this may be too late to apply remedial
measures to save annual crops, though if an early diagnosis is made, effective action
can usually be taken.

6. Aside from solution culture techniques, what other method can be used in the study
of mineral nutrient of plants? Describe them.

Aside from solution culture techniques, deep water culture can be used in the
study of mineral nutrient of plants. The hydroponic method of plant production by means
of suspending the plant roots in a solution of nutrient-rich, oxygenated water. Traditional
methods favor the use of plastic buckets and large containers with the plant contained in a
net pot suspended from the center of the lid and the roots suspended in the nutrient
solution. The solution is oxygen saturated from an air pump combined with porous
stones. With this method, the plants grow much faster because of the high amount of
oxygen that the roots receive.
7. Why is it necessary to add FeCl periodically?
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Ferric chloride (FeCl ) is the most common iron salt used to achieve coagulation.
3

Its reactions in the coagulation process are similar to those of alum, but its relative
solubility and pH range differ significantly from those of alum. FeCl , as a coagulant,
3

prevents the turbidity of the plants which maintains the water clear.

References

Barak, P. (1995, June 1). Essential Elements for Plant Growth. Retrieved from
http://www.soils.wisc.edu/~barak/soilscience326/essentl.htm
Barak, P. (1995, June 1). Law of Minimum. Retrieved from Essential Elements for Plant Growth:
http://www.soils.wisc.edu/~barak/soilscience326/lawofmin.htm
Essential Elements for Plants. (2013). Retrieved from OrganicSoilTechnology:
http://organicsoiltechnology.com/essential-elements-for-plant-growth