Foreword
The publication of the first and second editions of Horst
Marschner’s Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants estab-
lished this book internationally as the leading and most
widely cited textbook for graduate students and research-
ers in plant nutrition. The book demonstrated Horst
Marschner’s comprehensive understanding of the subject
and ability to present this knowledge in a clear, logical
form to his readers. In view of this great success it was a
devastating blow to all that, soon after the appearance of
the second edition, Horst Marschner died tragically from
cerebral malaria contracted during a visit to Niger to see
at first hand the results of field experiments. With his pass-
ing in 1996 plant nutrition lost one of its most remarkably
gifted scientists of the twentieth century.
Horst Marschner is mostly remembered for his long
association with the Institute of Plant Nutrition at the
University of Hohenheim, where he found refuge in 1960
after fleeing from communist East Germany. Other than
the period during which he was Professor at the Technical
University of Berlin (1970–76), the greater part of his
working life was spent at Hohenheim and it was there too
that his most important contributions to research were
achieved. Under his direction from 1976 to 1996, the insti-
tute flourished. Charismatic enthusiasm, devotion to work,
and thoughtful leadership assured him of the support and
affection of staff and students. Together with eminent col-
leagues and in particular Dr Volker Römheld with whom
he worked closely for many years, he developed a highly
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imaginative research programme covering a wide range of
interests in plant nutrition from the plant cell to the field
which attracted visiting research scientists from all over
the world. During those years it was always a pleasure to
visit my old friend Horst Marschner in Hohenheim. A visit
there was to the hub of research in plant nutrition, and a
discussion with Horst was always greatly invigorating,
providing many ideas for my own research.
Those who had the privilege of working with Horst
Marschner will remember with admiration his critical dis-
cussion and attention to detail together with his unfailing
encouraging support. Undoubtedly he was a great mentor
to his students, encouraging them to express their thoughts
and stressing the importance of being open to new ideas.
Fifteen years on from his death, the enormity of the
Marschner legacy to plant nutrition is still very evident.
Many of Horst Marschner’s former post-graduate students
are now directing their own teaching and research depart-
ments across the world, their number including the current
President of the International Council on Plant Nutrition
and his three immediate predecessors.
The need for a new edition of Mineral Nutrition of
Higher Plants has been obvious for some time because of
the burgeoning flow of new literature and major develop-
ments in various aspects of the subject. In discussing the
way forward to produce a new edition, Horst Marschner’s
former colleagues and co-workers concluded that in order
Foreword
to maintain the quality of the second edition, individual
chapters should be written by eminent selected authors.
As a testament to Horst Marschner’s outstanding work as
teacher, communicator and research scientist in plant nutri-
tion, a new title for the book was chosen, Marschner’s
Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Changes in the devel-
opment of the subject are reflected in the format of the
new edition. Part I includes a new chapter on nutrition
and quality and Part II divides and extends rhizosphere
into two chapters, rhizosphere chemistry and rhizosphere
biology. Additionally, a new chapter on nutrient cycling is
included. The aim of this third edition is the same as the
two previous editions: to provide a comprehensive text
on plant nutrition for both graduate students and research
workers.
Fortunately, Horst Marschner’s daughter, Dr Petra
Marschner, now at the University of Adelaide, Australia, has
willingly taken on the onerous task of senior editor of the
book. Without her dedication, determination and ability to
persuade, cajole as well as control the contributing authors,
this masterpiece would not have seen the light of day.
Ernest A. Kirkby
Faculty of Biological Sciences
University of Leeds, UK

Mineral nutrients are essential for plant growth and devel-
opment. Mineral nutrition of plants is thus an area of fun-
damental importance for both basic and applied science.
Impressive progress has been made during the last decades
in our understanding of the mechanisms of nutrient uptake
and their functions in plant metabolism; at the same time,
there have also been advances in increasing crop yields by
the supply of mineral nutrients through fertilizer application.
It is the main aim of this textbook to present the principles of
the mineral nutrition of plants, based on our current knowl-
edge. Although emphasis is placed on crop plants, exam-
ples are also presented from noncultivated plants including
lower plants in cases where these examples are considered
more suitable for demonstrating certain principles of mineral
nutrition, either at a cellular level or as particular mecha-
nisms of adaptation to adverse chemical soil conditions.
Plant nutrition as a subject is closely related to other
disciplines such as soil science, plant physiology and
biochemistry. In this book, mineral nutrients in soils are
treated only to the extent considered necessary for an
understanding of how plant roots acquire mineral nutrients
from soils, or how roots modify the chemical soil proper-
ties at the soil-root interface. Fundamental processes of
plant physiology and biochemistry, such as photosynthesis
and respiration, are treated mainly from the viewpoint of
how, and to what extent, they are affected or regulated by
mineral nutrients. Crop physiology is included as an area of
fundamental practical importance for agriculture and hor-
ticulture, with particular reference to source-sink relation-
ships as affected by mineral nutrients and phytohormones.
Mineral nutrition of plants covers a wide field. It is
therefore not possible to treat all aspects with the detail they
deserve. In this book, certain aspects are covered in more
detail, either because they have recently become particu-
larly important to our understanding of mineral nutrition, or
because many advances have been made in a particular area
in the last decade. Naturally, personal research interests and
evaluation are also factors which have influenced selection.
Particular emphasis is placed on short- and long-distance
transport of mineral elements, on source-sink relationships,
and on plant-soil relationships. It is also the intention of this
book to enable the reader to become better acquainted with
the mechanisms of adaptation of plants to adverse chemi-
cal soil conditions. The genetical basis of mineral nutrition
Preface to First Edition
is therefore stressed, as well as the possibilities and limita-
tions of “fitting crop plant to soils”, especially in the tropics
and subtropics.
I have written this textbook for graduate students and
researchers in the various fields of agricultural, biological
and environmental sciences, who already have a profound
knowledge of plant physiology, biochemistry and soil sci-
ence. Instead of extensive explanations of basic processes,
emphasis is placed on representative examples—tables,
figures, schematic presentations—illustrating the various
aspects of mineral nutrition. In a textbook of such wide
scope, generalizations cannot be avoided, but relevant lit-
erature is cited for further and more detailed studies. In the
literature, preference has been given to more recent pub-
lications. Nevertheless, representative examples of clas-
sical contributions are also cited in the various sections.
Although this book is written by one person, it is neverthe-
less the product of cooperation at various levels. My inter-
est in plant nutrition and my scientific career in this field are
due to the inspiration of Dr. G. Michael. The book as it is
presented here would not have been accomplished without
the excellent support of two colleagues. Dr. V. Roemheld and
Mr. Ernest A. Kirkby. I am very much indebted to both of
them. Dr. Roemheld not only prepared the drawings but also
gave highly valuable advice regarding the arrangement of the
tables and improvements to the text. My old friend Ernest
A. Kirkby corrected the English and improved the first
draft considerably by valuable suggestions and stimulat-
ing criticism. My colleagues in the institute, Dr. P. Martin,
Dr. W. J. Horst and Dr. B. Sattelmacher helped me greatly,
both by valuable discussions in various subject areas treated in
this book and by keeping me free for some time from teach-
ing and administrative responsibilities. Many colleagues were
kind enough to supply me with their original photographs, as
indicated in the legend of the corresponding figures.
The preparation of such a manuscript requires skil-
ful technical assistance. I would especially like to thank
Mrs. H. Hoderlein for typing the manuscript.
Last but not least, I have to thank my family for
encouraging me to write the book and for their assistance
and patience throughout this time-consuming process.
Stuttgart-Hohenheim Horst Marschner
August 1985
vii

As mentioned in the first edition the main aim of this text-
book is to present the principles of the mineral nutrition of
higher plants, based on current knowledge. This ambitious
aim requires that the content of the book has to be updated
regularly to take into account new developments in the sub-
ject as has been done in this second edition. The structure
of the textbook has not been altered and the subject mat-
ter and number of chapters remains the same. The contents
of the chapters, however, have been revised and on aver-
age about half the figures, tables and references replaced.
The introduction of these more recent findings was based
on the principle that newer examples and references are
given priority, provided the quality of the information is at
least similar to that which is being replaced. In Part I more
emphasis has been placed on root-shoot interactions, stress
physiology, water relations, and functions of micronutri-
ents. In view of the worldwide increasing interest in plant-
soil interactions, Part II has been considerably altered and
extended. This is particularly true for Chapter 14 on the
effects of external and internal factors on root growth, and
Preface to Second Edition
Chapter 15 on the root-soil interface (root exudates, rhizo-
sphere microorganisms, mycorrhizae).
The second edition would not have been accomplished
without the support of many colleagues, friends and co-
workers. Of these colleagues I am particularly grate-
ful to Dr. Ismail Cakmak, Dr. Albrecht Jungk, Dr. Volker
Roemheld and Dr. Alexander Hansen. And again my old
friend Ernest A. Kirkby took the most difficult task not only
of correcting the English but also of improving the presen-
tation by valuable suggestions and detailed, constructive
criticism. I am also highly indebted to Dr. Eckhard George
and his team for skilfully drawing the figures, to my daugh-
ter Petra and Dr. Ulrich Grauer for critically reading the
text and the proofs, and to Mrs. Helga Hoderlein for the
high quality of her technical assistance, especially in pre-
paring the manuscript.
Stuttgart-Hohenheim Horst Marschner
December 1993
ix