AGR701 – SOIL FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT

NUTRIENT UPTAKE BY PLANT ROOTS

Siti Zuwairiah binti Abdullah (2020296442)
6 November 2020
CONTENTS

Nutrient Uptake by Plant Root

 Introduction
 Major and minor nutrient
 Concept of nutrient availability
 Factors affecting nutrient availability
 Fertilizer and fertilizer use
 Conclusions
WHAT ARE PLANT NUTRIENTS?

Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical, element and

compounds necessary for plant growth, plant metabolism
and their external supply.
In its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life
cycle, affect plant growth, leading stunted growth, slow
growth, chlorosis, or cell death.
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
3 criteria:
• A plant cannot complete
its life cycle without the
element;
• No other element can
perform the function of
the element; and
• The element is directly
involved in plant nutrition.
The essential elements
can be divided into
macronutrients and
micronutrients
 MACRONUTRIENTS
Nutrient that plant required • Macro nutrients (derived from air
in larger amounts. and water)
• Carbon
• Hydrogen
• Oxygen
• Macro nutrients (primary)
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Macro nutrients (secondary)
• Sulfur
• Calcium
• Magnesium
 Nitrogen (N)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Promotes growth 1. Sick, yellow green colour
2. Short stems, small leaves
of leaves and stems and flowers
2. Gives dark green 3. Slow and dwarfed plant
colour and growth.
improves quality of
foliage
3. Necessary to
develop cell
proteins and
chlorophyll.
 Phosphorus (P)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Stimulates early
formation and
growth of roots.
2. Provides for fast and
vigorous growth and
speeds maturity.
3. Stimulates flowering
and seed
development.
4. Necessary for
enzyme action of
many plant process.
 Potassium (K)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Used to form
carbohydrates and
protein.
2. Formation and
transfer of starches,
sugar and oils.
3. Increase disease
resistance, vigor
and hardiness.
 Calcium (Ca)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Improves plant
vigor.
2. Influence intake
and synthesis of
other plant
nutrients.
3. Important part of
cell walls.
 Magnesium (Mg)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Influence the intake
of other essential
nutrients.
2. Helps make fats.
3. Assists in
translocation of
phosphorus and
fats.
 Sulfur (S)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Promotes root
growth and
vigorous vegetative
growth.
2. Essential to protein
formation.
 MICRONUTRIENTS
Nutrient that plant required • Iron • Sodium
in small amount. • Copper • Nickel
• Zinc • Cobalt
• Boron • Aluminum
• Molybdenum • Silicon
• Manganese • Vanadium
• Chlorine • Selenium
 Iron (Fe)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Essential for
chlorophyll
production.
2. Helps carry
electrons to mix
oxygen with other
elements.
 Copper (Cu)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Helps in the use of
iron.
2. Helps respiration.
 Zinc (Zn)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Plant metabolism.
2. Helps form growth
hormones.
3. Reproduction.
 Boron (B)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Affects water
absorption by roots
2. Translocation of
sugars.
 Molybdenum (Mo)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Plant development.
2. Reproduction.
 Manganese (Mn)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Plant metabolism.
2. Nitrogen
transformation.
 Chlorine (Cl)
Function Excess/ Deficiency Symptoms
1. Essential to some
plant processes.
2. Acts in enzyme
systems.
NUTRIENT UPTAKE
The nutrient uptake
refers to the process of
nutrient movement
from an external
environment into
a plant for growth,
development and
reproduction.
Occurs at both the
roots and the leaves.
HOW PLANT ROOTS WORK?

• Prior to absorption, nutrient reach the roots by 3

mechanisms:
• Mass flow – movement with water flow. Most
prominent.
• Diffusion – movement in respond to a concentration
gradient. Slow.
• Root interception – Root explore new soil area
containing unused soil nutrients. Very important to find
new nutrients source.
• All three in constant operation.
• Root hairs primarily responsible for the uptake.
NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY

• Nutrient availability, is the available source of

nutrients for plant growth. This is evaluated on the
basis of the number of elements in the soil that can
be easily absorbed through the roots of the plants
that can also serve as essential nutrients to growing
plants.
• Nutrient availability is often one of the many factors
that are considered by the modern agriculture
industry in determining the growth rate of a plant.
CONCEPT OF NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY

Maximum Yield explains nutrient availability

• Nutrient availability is an integral component in determining
the growth rate of plants. Agricultural studies have shown
that the growth rate of plants is directly proportional to the
availability of nutrients.
• So, when the growth rate of plants increases the indicators
of nutrient availability also increases. As a result,
understanding the soil nutrient availability also helps predict
the yield of plants.
CONCEPT OF NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY

Soil productivity explains nutrient availability.

• Soil productivity and nutrient availability are also closely
interrelated but they have different functions in plant
growth. While a high quantity of nutrients in the soil is good
for the plant, the availability of these nutrients is not the
only factor contributing to plant growth.
• Several factors such as soil temperature, soil physical
conditions, moisture content etc. can alter plant growth and
yield. Thus, an abundance of nutrients in the soil does not
necessarily equal high soil productivity and a lack of it does
not necessarily alter growth.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
The factors which influence the availability of nutrients in the soil
include the following:
1) Soil PH
2) Concentration of Other Nutrients
3) Leaching
4) Crop Removal
5) Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Material
6) Burning
7) Soil Texture
8) Erosion
9) Soil Moisture Content
10) Level of Organic Matter/ Microorganisms in the soil
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
• 1. SOIL PH:

• The degree of acidity or alkalinity of the soil affects

the availability of nutrients, both in the soil and also to
plants.
• A low pH (high acidity) will encourage the disintegration of
clay like calcium, iron and aluminum, which are leached
away from the soil.
• A low pH also reduces the activities of soil living
organisms which aid the decomposition of organic matter.
• At high pH (high alkalinity), calcium and magnesium ions
accumulate in the soil, and this affects the growth of plants.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
2. CONCENTRATION OF OTHER NUTRIENTS

• The presence of certain element(s) in high

concentration may prevent the absorption or
utilization of other elements macro and micro
elements
• The concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in
the soil results in the non-availability of potassium.
• This condition results in retarded growth, low yield
or even death of the plant.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
3. LEACHING

• This is the removal of nutrients from the top soil to

the inner parts of the soil beyond the reach of
the roots of plant.
• It results in the loss of nutrients such as calcium,
magnesium, potassium from the top soil in solution.
• It also results in the accumulation of aluminum and
hydrogen ions which become acidic and toxic to
plants.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
4. CROP REMOVAL

• Nutrients are removed from the soil by crops for

growth, development and production (of crops).
• When the crops are harvested, the nutrients
contained in the plants are never returned to the
soil.
• The rapid removal of nutrients from the soil
by continuous cropping completely deprives the soil
of such nutrients.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
5. OXIDATION AND REDUCTION OF ORGANIC
MATERIAL

• Some compounds such as ammonium radicals are

oxidized to gaseous ammonia.
• Nitrates are also reduced to molecular nitrogen or
oxides of nitrogen by denitrifying bacteria.
• These products (i.e. ammonium radicals and
nitrates) which escape into the atmosphere in form
of gases make the soil become poorer in nutrients.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
6. BURNING
• It exposes the soil to erosion which can wash away
plant nutrients in the soil.
• It burns the organic matter content of the soil,
thereby reducing the amount of nutrients in the
soil.
• Kills or reduces the number of soil organisms
activities.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
7. SOIL TEXTURE

• Fine texture, such as clay and silt, ensures the availability of

nutrients in the soil.
• But coarse texture like sand prevents the availability of
nutrients in the soil.
• Coarse texture encourages the leaching of nutrients from
the soil.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
8. EROSION

• Heavy rainfall causes the washing or carrying away of top

soil which is rich in plant nutrients.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
9. SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT

• Soil moisture content determines the level of nutrients in

the soil.
• High level of soil moisture can lead to toxicity of nutrients in
the soil and soil erosion.
• Moderate moisture in the soil ensures adequate availability
of nutrients in the soil
• Very low soil moisture leads to dryness or non-availability of
nutrients for plants.
FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRIENT
AVAILABILITY
10. LEVEL OF ORGANIC MATTER/ MICROORGANISMS IN
THE SOIL
• High level of organic matter and micro-organisms lead to :
adequate availability of nutrients in the soil.
Ensures availability of water in the soil and vice versa.
Ensures good growth for crop plants
Helps to prevent soil erosion.
Improves the activities of microorganisms in the soil.
Improve the structure of the soil.
Reduces rapid soil temperature fluctuations.
FERTILIZER AND FERTILIZER USE

Fertilizer, natural or artificial substance containing the

chemical elements that improve growth and productiveness
of plants.
Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace
the chemical elements taken from the soil by previous
crops.
Fertilizers are integral part of current agricultural
production as they provide essential mineral elements for
positive crop growth and blossoming harvests. Even high
yielding varieties of crop plants possibly do not reach to
their full potential without getting a balanced dose of
fertilizers.
RISE IN FERTILIZER USE (MALAYSIA)

Source : Department of Statistic, Malaysia

Release date: February 2020
FACTOR AFFECTING FERTILIZER USE

• Crop Factor
• Crop differ in requirement of nutrients.
• Varieties of the same crop differ as well.
• Soil factor
• Ability of soil to supply nutrients is different for different
soils.
• Degradation problem may also be different.
FACTOR AFFECTING FERTILIZER USE

• Climatic factor
• Area of low rainfall limit fertilizer efficiency
• Economic factor
• Price determines how much fertilizer to afford
• Crop prize have the opposite effect
• Management factor
• Personal preferences for doing things in particular ways
• Biases for and against fertilizer use
TYPES OF FERTILIZER

• There are different of fertilizer based upon:

A. Origin
• Organic fertilizers
• Inorganic fertilizers
B. Solubility
• Soluble fertilizers
• Insoluble fertilizers
C. Composition
• Complete fertilizers
• Incomplete fertilizers
BASED ON ORIGIN
ORGANIC FERTILIZER

• Definition - What does Organic Fertilizer mean?

• An organic fertilizer is a plant fertilizer that is derived from
organic sources. Organic fertilizers can range from organic
compost to cow manure, but they must be derived from all-
organic sources.
• Chicken droppings from an organic farm would be
considered an organic fertilizer. Additional examples of
organic fertilizer sources include bone, blood meals,
molasses, and fish emulsions.
• Cow manure from a conventional farm that uses commercial
fertilizers and pesticides would not be considered organic.
ORGANIC FERTILIZER
Advantages
• Slow release of nutrients which means it doesn’t need to be reapplied often.
• Not easily leached from the soil
• Contains NPK plus other nutrients that help build up beneficial
microorganism in the soil.

Disadvantages
• Hard to get because made with natural ingredients.
• Low nutrient content compare inorganic fertilizer.
• Expensive. Organic fertilizers may be cheaper per kilogram but it’s become
expensive because more kilogram is need for the same nutrient levels.
• Must be applied earlier in the season to ensure plants get the nutrients at
the right times.
INORGANIC FERTILIZER

• Definition - What does Inorganic Fertilizer mean?

• Inorganic fertilizer is also known as mineral fertilizer.
It is mined from mineral deposits or manufactured
from synthetic compounds.
INORGANIC FERTILIZER
Advantages
• Can made desire ratio of nutrients because made artificially.
• Fast release of nutrients which means it providing an immediate and
concentrate burst of fertilizer to plant that stimulate quick growth but
deteriorates rapidly.
• Easy to get because made with synthetic material
• Lower cost.
• Can be applied at any time during the season because the nutrients are
available immediately.

Disadvantages
• No organic material (chemical products).
• Possible chemical building up in the growing media
BASED ON COMPOSITION
COMPLETE FERTILIZER

• Complete fertilizer contain all 3 primary nutrient i.e

nitrogen (n), phosphorous (p) and potassium (K).

• Example: 14-14-14
INCOMPLETE FERTELIZER

• Incomplete fertilizer does not contain all 3 primary

nutrient i.e nitrogen (n), phosphorous (p) and
potassium (K).

• Example: 10-0-10.
In this case, the fertilizer does
not contain nutrient phosphorus (p).
BASED ON SOLUBILITY
SOLUBLE FERTILIZER

• Soluble fertilizer dissolve in

water easily and are applied
as a liquid solution.

• The solubility of a fertilizer is

defined as the maximal
amount of the fertilizer that
can be completely dissolved
in a given amount of distilled
water at a given temperature.
INSOLUBLE FERTILIZER

• Insoluble fertilizers need a

while to dissolve before
plants have access to their
nutrients.

• Example: Granular fertilizer

METHOD OF APPLICATION OF
FERTILIZER MATERIAL
Solid materials may be applied in following ways:
o Broadcasting
o Top dressing
o Side dressing
liquid materials may be applied in following ways:
o Irrigation system
o Foliar spraying
o Aerial
Fertilizer recovery is greatly influenced by method of its
application. Method of application varies according to the
spacing of crop, type of fertilizer material, time of
application, etc.
RULES FOR APPLYING FERTILIZER

Method use should be practical, effective and cost efficient.

Method used affects nutrient availability for plant use.
Fertilizer must be dissolved and reach plants roots.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD
- BROADCASTING
• Spreading of dry solid
fertilizers by hand or
spreader over the entire
field before or after
sowing of the crop. 
FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD
- TOP DRESSING
• Spreading of fertilizer in
standing crops without
considering the crop
rows.
• We sow fertilizer while
the crop is growing.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD
- SIDE DRESSING
• The application of
fertilizers in a shallow
furrow or band along the
side of vegetable row
crops or in a circle around
individual plants.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD
- IRRIGATION SYSTEM
• The required quantity of
fertilizer material is
dissolved in irrigation
water and can be used in
surface, sprinkler or drip
irrigation systems.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD
- FOLIAR SPRAYING
• In this method of fertilizer
application urea, micro
nutrients and other
required materials are
dissolved in water,
filtered and sprayed over
the crop foliage by the
help of a suitable sprayer.
FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD
- AERIAL
The plants or trees are
never touched by
equipment, which helps
to avoid soil compaction
and damage to crops that
have already grown in.
CONCLUSIONS

Essential nutrients are required for growing healthy, productive

and nutritious crops.
More efficient nutrient use, through adoption of nutrient best
management practices, optimizes benefits and reduces risks
associated with human interference on agricultural nutrient
cycles.
 A range of fertilizer best management practices is available to
farmers.
These practices should address the four areas of nutrient
management (source, rate, time and place) and provide options
that meet the diversity of site- and crop-specific conditions, to
improve overall sustainability of cropping systems considering
economic, social and environmental perspectives (‘nutrient
stewardship’ approach).