PCP 508 LECTURE

INTRODUCTION TO COURSE,
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE &
CRITERIA FOR ESSENTIALITY
 INTRODUCTION
 Plant nutrition is a sub science of Plant Physiology
and it deals with how plants obtain and use mineral
nutrients.

The key points of PMN include:

 Absorption of nutrients
 Plant Grow & Development
 Deficiency symptoms
 How to address deficiency symptoms problems in a
plant
 Functions of nutrient elements in plants
 Mineral Nutrition in plants
• The study of how plants obtain, distribute,
metabolize, and utilize mineral nutrients.

• “Mineral”: An inorganic element

– Acquired mostly in the form of inorganic ions from the
soil

• “Nutrient”: A substance needed to survive or

necessary for the synthesis of organic compounds
SCOPE OF MINERAL NUTRITION

(i) Acquisition of mineral nutrient.

(ii) Functions of those minerals in the

plant.

Translocation & Heredity and

Environment
 THREE KEY ASPECTS OF PMN
1. Materials and conditions that must be
provided by the environment if plants
are to grow normally.
2. Movement into and distribution of the
elements through the plants.
3. Involvement of the organs of the
plants in their metabolism for growth
and structure.
 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF
PMN
 Early theories were speculative
 Absence of basic sciences: chemistry, physics,
experimental techniques
 Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) – Theory on
composition of all matter:
- Earth
- Water
- Fire
- Air
 RATIONALIZATION OF
ARISTOTLE‘S THEORY
• Plants have no digestive tract for
modifying food from the
environment.
• Plants obtained from the soil food
that was preformed (already
established or made suitable for
plant growth and development).
• Plants play passive role in nutrition.
2000 years
 TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

• Water theory – plants derive most if not

all of their substances from water:
aquatic plants

• Humus theory - plants feed only on

decaying animals or vegetative matter:
saprophytic plants
 NICHOLAS DE CUSA (1450BC)

• Plants take up ash constituents in

small amount from the soil and
these are conveyed in the water,
which forms the bulk of the plant.
 JOB VAN HELMONT (1577-
1644BC)
Hypothesis: That all vegetable matter immediately and materially arise from
elements of water alone.
• He took a pot
• He put 200 pounds (lbs) (90 kg) of oven-dried soil.
• He soaked the soil with water
• He planted a willow shoot of 5lbs (2.27kg)
After five years, the willow shoot had grown to about 169lbs
3oz (76.85kg). After five years, he dried the soil and
found that the weight was still 200lbs(90 kg) but short
of 2oz (56.7g). so he concluded that, the 164 lbs
(74.39 kg) of wood had arisen from the water alone.
Award of being the 1st person to conduct a qualitative
experiment in PMN
 APPRAISAL OF HELMONT‘S
WORK
• This was one of the first controlled
experiments.
• It was a well planned, carefully executed and
accurately described experiment.
• It was the first qualitative attempt to gain
insight into the origin of increase in fresh
weight of a plant.
• However, He overlooked the importance of
atmosphere in plant growth. The 2oz (56.7 g)
difference in the weight of the soil was
overlooked.
 JOHN WOODWARD (1656-
1728BC)
• The importance of mineral matter to plant
growth. His experiment was the earliest
recorded experiment. He grew plant in
water from four different sources:
I. Rain water
II. Water from river Thames
III. Water from Hyde Park conduit
IV. Water from Hyde Park and mould.
 RESULTS
• The amount of growth increased with the
impurity of water.
• Vegetables are not formed from water alone but
from certain peculiar terrestrial matter.
• A great part of terrestrial matter mixed with the
water passes on into the plant along with water.
• He therefore concluded that the earth (soil) and
not water constitutes vegetable.
 Nutritional needs of plants

Plant tissues contain > 60 kinds of elements

• are all of these elements essential for

growth ?
• why they are essential ?
• how the plant absorb them ?
• how they are utilized ?
• what effects if it is lacking ?
The proportional weights of various element in
plants

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen Others

Macronutrients (3,5%) Micronutrients (0.5%)

N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S Fe, Cl, Mn, B, Zn, Cu, Mo

 Macronutrients : minerals found in >1000 ppm concentration

 Micronutrients : minerals found in <100 ppm concentration
 MACRONUTRIENTS/MAJOR
ELEMENTS
• Macro elements N, P, K, C, Mg, S and Fe.

• The elements are referred to as

macronutrients because they are required
in large quantities ≥ 100 mg/g dry matter.
 MICRO/MINOR/TRACE
NUTRIENTS
• Fe + six other elements have been
identified to be taken up by plants in
relatively small amounts.
• They are Mn, Cu, Zn, Bo, Mo and Cl.
They are needed in quantities ≤ 100 µg/g
dry matter.
 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR
MOST HIGHER PLANTS
• Mo – MoO4=
• Cu - Cu+; Cu+2
• Zn - Zn+2
• Mn - Mn+2
• B - H3BO-3
• Fe - Fe+2; Fe+3
• Cl - Cl-
• S - SO4=
CRITERIA FOR ESSENTIALITY
1. Deficiency of the element makes it impossible for the plant to
complete the vegetative and reproductive phases of its life cycle
(i.e. form viable seeds) e.g. N for vegetative growth
2. The deficiency symptoms must be specific for the element in
question and must be prevented and corrected by only supplying
that element i.e. it cannot be replaced by any other element e.g. P
for flowering, rooting and fruiting.
3. The element must be directly involved in metabolism or it must
be part of the molecule of an essential plant constituent e.g. Mg –
Chlorophyll, N in proteins
4 The deficiency symptoms described for the element must be
observed in a representative number of plant families N deficiency
in several plant families
 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR
MOST HIGHER PLANTS
• P - H2PO4- & HPO4=
• Mg - Mg+2
• Ca - Ca+2
• K - K+
• N - NO3- & NH4+
• O - O2 & H2O
• C - CO2
• H - H 2O
GROWTH AND NUTRIENT CNCENTRATION IN
PLANT TISSUE

• DEFICIENT ZONE – application results in

dramatic response
• CRITICAL CONC. – little or no effect on
growth
• ADEQUATE ZONE – luxury consumption
• TOXIC ZONE – death of plants
Nutrient deficiency v. sufficiency
 ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MN
• Green house and growth chamber conditions
are different from field conditions because there
no competition between plants in the controlled
environment
• Under field conditions, plants compete for
growth resources such as water, air, nutrients,
light, heat e.t.c.
• Plants develop special features in order to
survive under filed conditions
Hence the need for an area in Plant Mineral
Nutrition called Nutritional Ecology i.e. PMN that
is ecology specific
 FACTORS AFFECTING VARIATION IN
NUTRITIONAL ENVIRONMENT

• There are diverse nutritional environments

ranging from well drained hill tops to the
poorly aerated peat soils.
• Factors include
- Soil pH
- Total salt concentration
- Toxic concentration of heavy metals
- General fertility differences
 SOIL pH
• Plants grow in a range of 3.8 – 10.5
• Agricultural crops 5.5 – 7.5
• At lower pH conditions are acidic soil
• At much higher pH soil conditions are
saline/alkaline e.g. desert soils
 The soil affects nutrient
absorption
• pH affects the growth of plant roots
and soil microbes
• Root growth favors a pH of 5.5 to
6.5
• Acidic conditions weathers rock
and releases potassium,
magnesium, calcium, and
manganese.
• The decomposition of organic
material lowers soil pH.
• Rainfall leaches ions through soil
to form alkaline conditions
TOTAL SALT CONCENTRATION
• Salt conc. is very high in some areas such
that very few plants can grow there.

• Only very few bacteria

 TOXIC CONC. OF HEAVY
METALS
• Heavy metals such as Al, Mn, Pb form the main
elemental features of some soil.
• At high conc. become injurious to crop plants
• Solubility of Al & Mn increases as pH decreases
thereby lowering the pH and this results in the
binding tie up of essential elements such as Cu,
Zn, Mn and Fe
• Plants growing on such soils become
impoverished because of the unavailability of
these essential elements
 GENERAL SOIL FERTILITY
DIFFERENCES
This is a function of the
• Relative level of organic matter in soil, pH
level and availability of nutrients
• Activity of soil microorganisms that aid in
the decomposition and release of nutrients
in the soil
 Importance of organic matter
So don‘t rake
• Topsoil your lawn or
– most important to plant growth bag your leaves

– rich in organic matter

• humus
– decomposing organic material
» breakdown of dead organisms, feces, fallen leaves
& other organic refuse by bacteria & fungi
– improves soil texture
– reservoir of minerals
– organisms
• 1 tsp. of topsoil has ~5 billion bacteria
living with fungi, algae, protists, insects,
earthworms, nematodes
 The soil affects nutrient
absorption
• Negatively charged soil particles
affect the absorption of mineral
nutrients
• Cation exchange occurs on the
surface of the soil particle
• Cations (+ve charged ions) bind
to soil as it is –ve charded
• If potassium binds to the soil it
can displace calcium from the soil
particle and make it available for
uptake by the root
4. Roots and mineral nutrient acquisition

Fine roots and root hairs

―mine‖ the soil for
nutrients.
Mycorrhizal hyphae do
this even better.
IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITIONAL
ECOLOGY
1. It offers explanation why plants grow in specific
areas
2. Evolution of plants involves physiological and
morphological differences which taxonomists
emphasize
3. Caution in translating green house results or
growth chamber results to actual field conditions
4. Soils from which selections of plant species are
made should be similar in fertility, acidity and
texture to soils where they are eventually grown
 ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF
MINERAL ELEMENTS
• Constituents of metabolites or complexes
• Activators, cofactors, or regulators of
enzymes.
• Elements involved in physiological
processes.
A: CONSTITUENTS OF
METABOLITES OR
COMPLEXES
 How to classify all of these macro and
micro nutrients?
By biochemical function
 NITROGEN - N
• N- 16 – 18% in protein
• N is a constituent of amino acids,
nucleotides and co-enzymes.
• About 70% of the total leaf N is found
in the chloroplast.
• N is also found in peptide bonds,
nicotine, morphine, caffeine.
 PHOSPHORUS
• PO43- plays a key role in element
metabolism incorporated into ATP.
• PO43- occurs in phospholipids including
those of membranes.
• sugar phosphate
• nucleotides as co-enzymes
• Seeds - PO43- is stored as phytic acid or
as phytin.
 SULPHUR
• It is a constituent of Sulphur containing amino
acids (methionine, cystine and cysteine).
• S is a constituent of protein containing these
amino acids.
• Vitamins and co-enzymes.
• Pyridoxines which are non-heme proteins
involved in photosynthesis and other element
transfer processes contain S.
• Volatile compounds containing S contribute to
the characteristic odour given off by onions,
mustard and other plants.
 MAGNESIUM
• Chlorophyll contains an atom of Mg as a
fixed constituent (constant).
• Mg-porphyrins Mg represents 2.75% of
molecular weight of chlorophyll.
• Mg is present in the chloroplast, these
plastids therefore contain more Mg in
addition to that which is part of chlorophyll.
 IRON - Fe
• Fe is an integral part of protein
• Component of cytochromes (needed for
photosynthesis)
• Fe is part of Fe-porphyrins called heme

• Fe-porphyrin enzymes include

peredoxases and dehyrogenases. They
are non-heme Fe proteins
 MANGANESE - Mn
• Constituent of many enzymes but only one
enzyme has been isolated called
mangaloprotein (manganin).
 ZINC - Zn
• Metal component of a number of metallo-
enzymes such as:
• alcoholdehydrogenase
• lactic dehydrogenase.
 COPPER - Cu
• Component of different enzymes including
- ascorbic acid oxidase
- phenolases and others.
- It is also a constituent of cytochrome
auxins.
 CALCIUM - Ca
• Metal component of metallo-enzymes
called amylase in animal tissues and
microbial tissues.
• Ca is the major cation of the middle
lamella of cell wall.
 MOLYBDENUM - Mo
• Metal of several enzymes involved in N
fixation and N reduction.
 COBALT - Co
• Constituent of Vit. B12 (Cyano-cobalamine
enzyme).
• All N fixing systems require Co.
B: Activators, cofactors, or
regulators of enzymes
 NITROGEN - N
• NO3- induces NO3- reductase enzyme

• NH4+ can activate some enzymes that K+ is

there main activator
 PHOSPHORUS - P
• Phosphorylation of ADP to ATP depends
on the presence and concentration of
PO43-.
 MAGNESIUM - Mg
• Co-factor of nearly all enzymes acting on
phosphorylated substrate.
• It is therefore of great importance in
energy metabolism.
• Mn can frequently substitute for Mg.
 MANGANESE - Mn
• Mn is often substituted for Mg as an
activator of PO43- transferring enzymes
e.g. Agenase.
• Mn is prominent as an activator of
enzymes involved in reactions of Krebs
cycle.
 MOLYBDENUM - Mo
• Functions mainly as a component of
metalloenzymes rather than activator of
enzymes.
• It plays a major role in the induction of
nitrate reductase (NR).
 CHLORINE - Cl
• Acts in conjunction with other enzymes in
photosystem II (photolysis of water).
 BORON - B
• Plays a regulatory role in carbohydrate
metabolism.
 Macronutrients
• Plants require these nutrients in
relatively large amounts
– C, O, H, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S
 Mineral
absorption
• Proton pumps
– active transport of H+ ions out of cell
• chemiosmosis
• H+ gradient
– creates membrane
potential
• difference in charge
• drives cation uptake
– creates gradient
• cotransport of other
solutes against their
gradient
 Micronutrients
• Plants require in very small amounts
– Cl, Fe, Mn, Bo, Zi, Ni, Mb
– primarily cofactors for enzyme function
 SELECTING A NUTRIENT
SOURCE
• On site nutrient sources
i. Manures & composts
ii. Wastewaters
iii. Legumes
Commercial fertilizers
i. Cost & transportation
ii. Single or multi-nutrient
iii. Crop sensitivity
 SELECTING A NUTRIENT
SOURCE
• Other off-site nutrient sources
i. Municipal sludges
ii. Composts
iii. Industrial by-products
 FERTILIZER APPLICATION
METHODS
• Pre-planting
i. Broadcast and incorporate
ii. Surface broadcast
iii. Banding: surface or subsurface
At planting
Banding – surface or subsurface
 APPLICATION METHODS
• After planting
i. Side dressing or top dressing
ii. Foliar sprays
Timing of application
i. Consider plant nutrients uptake patters
ii. Assess potential for nutrient loss via
leaching, erosion, run off or volatilization
C: ROLE OF ELEMENTS IN
PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES
 Inadequate supply - Mineral element
deficiencies produce visible symptoms

• When minerals are deficient the growth of

the plant is stunted or the plant shows other
symptoms.
• The combination of symptoms can be
traced to the roles that mineral plays in
metabolism or physiology.
 Nutrient deficiencies
• Lack of essential nutrients
– exhibit specific symptoms
• dependent on
function of nutrient
• dependent on
solubility of nutrient
 Take 2
fertilizer pellets
Magnesium deficiency & call me in
the morning

• Symptoms
– chlorosis = yellowing of leaves
– Why? What is magnesium’s function?
 Chlorophyll

Why does magnesium

deficiency cause chlorosis?

The chlorosis shows up in older

leaves first, because plant moves
Mg+ to newer leaves. Why?
Mobility and retranslocate
 Mobility of Mineral Elements in Phloem

• Mobile Nutrients – deficiencies typically appear on

older growth first. Nutrient has moved to the younger
parts of the plants
• Immobile nutrients – deficiencies typically appear on
newer growth and shoot tips first. Initially sequestered in
younger leaves which are now the oldest ones. When
the soil is exhausted of mineral the younger zones
suffer the symptoms because the minerals are held by
the older leaves
 Some common symptoms
Stunted growth :
stem ~ N deficiency
root ~ P deficiency

Chlorosis
(Mg, N, and Fe deficiencies) :
chlorophyll synthesis 
chlorophyll degradation 

Necrosis :
dead spots or zones (Mg, K or Mn
deficiency)

Color changes :
ex. excessive anthocyanin
production in stems ~ P deficiency
K deficiency P deficiency

Zn deficiency Mg deficiency N deficiency

The absence of essential elements causes
deficiency symptoms

• Essential because of their metabolic

functions
• Characteristic deficiency symptoms
shown because of these roles
• Typical deficiency responses are
– Chlorosis: yellowing; precursor to
– Necrosis: tissue death
• Expressed when a supply of an
essential metabolite becomes limiting
in the environment
• Element concentrations are limiting
for growth when they are below the
critical concentraion
– This is the concentration of nutrient in
the tissue just below the level giving
maximum growth
Limiting nutrient levels negatively affect growth

• Plant responses to limiting nutrients usually very visible: affects yield/growth!

• Again, chlorosis and necrosis of leaves is typical
• Sometimes straightforward relationship
– e.g., in chlorosis (lack of green color),
• N: chlorophyll component
• Mg: cofactor in chlorophyll synthesis

Ctrl -P -N - Fe
- Ca
Analysis of plant tissues reveals mineral deficiencies
Analysis of nutrient levels

Soil analysis: Plant tissue analysis

Determination of nutrient content in
soil sample from the root zone
 Minerals found in >1000 ppm
concentration are macronutrients
Uses Symptom
P nucleic acid, stunted, dark leaves, necrotic spots, anthocyanin in
phospholipid, ATP stem and leaves, thin weak stem
K ion balance, respiration marginal chlorosis, necrosis at tips and edges,
enzymes curled/crinkled leaves, old leaves first, short weak
stems, susceptible to diseases
N amino acids, nucleic stunted, chlorosis of older leaves, abscission, thin
acids stems with lignin or anthocyanin as "sink" for
photosynthate
S cysteine, methionine, chlorosis of young leaves first
CoA, etc.
Ca enzyme cofactor, hooked leaves, necrosis of young meristems, severe
cyclosis, pectins stunting as meristems die
Fe cytochromes in resp and chlorosis between veins on young leaves first
photosynth, enzymes
Mg chlorophyll element, chlorosis between veins on older leaves first, early
enzyme cofactor abscission
 Minerals found in <100 ppm
concentration are micronutrients (1)

µmol g-1 Uses Symptoms

Co enzyme cofactor controversial?
Mn 1 resp/photolysis enzyme chlorosis and small necrotic spots
cofactor throughout plant

Cu 0.1 enzymes, plastocyanin, dark green leaves with necrotic

cytochrome oxidase spots at tips of young leaves, early
abscission
Zn 0.3 enzyme cofactor, decrease internode length (rosette
chlorophyll synthesis, IAA look), puckered leaf margins,
synthesis chlorosis of older leaves with
white necrotic spots
B 2 pollen tube growth and black necrosis at base of young
orientation, nucleic acid leaves and buds, stiff/brittle
synthesis, membrane stems, meristem death followed by
synthesis excessive branching
 Minerals found in <100 ppm
concentration are micronutrients (2)

µmol g-1 Uses Symptoms

Mo 0.001 nitrate reductase enzyme converts nitrate into nitrite so
cofactor symptoms are like N deficiency
Si (30) cell wall rigidity in soft stems that lodge (fall over)
Equisetum and grasses

Ni 0.002 urease cofactor urea accumulates in leaf tips causing

necrosis, unlikely in field

Al enzyme cofactor difficult to have too little-toxicity more

likely

Cl 3 ion balance, photolysis, wilting leaf tips, bronze leaves, rare to

cell division be deficient in field

Na 0.4 C-4 regeneration of PEP chlorosis, necrosis, flowering failure in

step C-4 plants only
 Nutritional needs
• Autotrophic does not
mean autonomous
– plants need…
• sun as an energy source
• inorganic compounds
as raw materials
– water (H2O)
– CO2
– minerals
 Macronutrients
• Plants require these nutrients in
relatively large amounts
– C, O, H, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S
 Mineral
• absorption
Proton pumps
– active transport of H+ ions out of cell
• chemiosmosis
• H+ gradient
– creates membrane
potential
• difference in charge
• drives cation uptake
– creates gradient
• cotransport of other
solutes against their
gradient
 Micronutrients
• Plants require in very small amounts
– Cl, Fe, Mn, Bo, Zi, Ni, Mb
– primarily cofactors for enzyme function
 Nutrient deficiencies
• Lack of essential nutrients
– exhibit specific symptoms
• dependent on
function of nutrient
• dependent on
solubility of nutrient
 Magnesium deficiency
• Symptoms
– chlorosis = yellowing of leaves
– Why? What is magnesium’s function?
 Chlorophyll

Why does magnesium

deficiency cause chlorosis?

The chlorosis shows up in older

leaves first, because plant moves
Mg+ to newer leaves. Why?
 The role of soils
• Plants are dependent on soil quality
– texture / structure
• relative amounts of various sizes of soil particles
– composition
• organic & inorganic chemical components
• fertility
 Importance of organic matter
• Topsoil
– most important to plant growth
– rich in organic matter
• humus
– decomposing organic material
» breakdown of dead organisms, feces, fallen leaves
& other organic refuse by bacteria & fungi
– improves soil texture
– reservoir of minerals
– organisms
• 1 tsp. of topsoil has ~5 billion bacteria
living with fungi, algae, protists, insects,
earthworms, nematodes
 Soil health as a global issue
Not taking care of soil health has
far-reaching, damaging
consequences
– 1920’s Dust Bowl
– lack of soil conservation
• growing the same crop
year after year (wheat)
• grazing by cattle
• bare ground exposed to
wind erosion in winter
• drought
 Soil health as a global issue
• Soil conservation & sustainable agriculture
– maintaining healthy environment
– sustainable production of food supply
– economically viable farming industry

―A sustainable agriculture does not deplete soils or people.‖

– Wendell Berry

contour plowing cover crops crop rotation

 Global issues
• soil fertility
• erosion
• irrigation
• forestry destruction
 Fertilizers
• “Organic” fertilizers
– manure, compost, fishmeal
• “Chemical” fertilizers
– commercially manufactured
– N-P-K (ex. 15-10-5)
• 15% nitrogen
• 10% phosphorus
• 5% potassium
What are the
political, economic,
environmental
issues?
Nitrogen uptake
• Nitrates
– plants can only take up nitrate (NO3-)
• Nitrogen cycle by bacteria
– trace path of nitrogen fixation!
root

What will the plant use N for?

 Soybean root nodules
• N fixation by Rhizobium bacteria
– symbiotic relationship with bean family
(legumes)
Iron (Fe)
- Component of cytochromes (needed for
photosynthesis)
- Essential for N fixation (nitrate reductase) and
respiration
- Deficiency
Symptom: Interveinal chlorosis on new
growth
Fe is immobile
Iron chlorosis develops when soil pH is high

Remedy for iron chlorosis:

1) Use iron chelates
FeEDTA (Fe 330) – Stable at pH < 7.0
FeEDDHA (Fe 138) – Stable even when
pH > 7.0
2) Lower soil pH
Iron is in more useful form (Fe2+)
Manganese (Mn)
- Required for chlorophyll synthesis, O2 evolution
during photoshynthesis
- Activates some enzyme systems
- Deficiency: Mottled chlorsis between main
veins of new leaves
(Mn is immobile), similar to Fe chlorosis
- Toxicity: Chlorosis on new growth with small,
numerous dark spots
Deficiency occurs at high pH
Toxicity occurs at low pH
- Fertilizers: Manganese sulfate (MnSO4)
Mn EDTA (chelate) for high pH soils
C.
D. Zinc (Zn)
- Involved in protein synthesis, IAA synthesis
- Deficiency: (occurs in calcarious soil and high
pH)
Growth suppression, reduced internode
lengths, rosetting, interveinal
Boron (B)
- Involved in carbohydrate metabolism
- Essential for flowering, pollen
germination, N metabolism
- Deficiency: New growth distorted and
malformed, flowering and fruitset
depressed, roots tubers distorted
- Toxicity: Twig die back, fruit
splitting, leaf edge burns
- Fertilizers: Borax (Na2B4O710H2O),
calcium borate (NaB4O7 4H2O)
Zinc (Zn)
- Involved in protein synthesis, IAA
synthesis
- Deficiency: (occurs in calcarious
soil and high pH)
Growth suppression, reduced
internode lengths, rosetting,
interveinal chlorosis on young
leaves (Zn is immobile in tissues)
- Toxicity: (occurs at low pH) Growth
reduction, leaf chlorosis
Molybdenum (Mo)
- Required for nitrate reductase activity,
vitamin synthesis
Nitrate reductase
NO3- ————————————— NH2
Mo
Root-nodule bacteria also requires Mo
- Deficiency: Pale green, cupped young leaves
(Mo is immobile)
Strap leaf in broad leaf plants
Occurs at low pH
- Toxicity: Chlorosis with orange color
pigmentation
- Fertilizer: Sodium molybdate
Copper (Cu)
- Essential component of several enzymes of
chlorophyll synthesis, carbohydrate
metabolism
- Deficiency: Rosette or ‗witch‘s broom‘
- Toxicity: Chlorosis
- Fertilizers: Copper sulfate (CuSO4)

Chlorine (Cl)
- Involved for photosynthetic oxygen revolution
- Deficiency: Normally not existing (Only
experimentally induced)
- Toxicity: Leaf margin chlorosis, necrosis on all
leaves
- Fertilizer: Never applied
(Cl- is ubiquitous!)
MOLYBEDENUM DEFICIENCY
 CALCIUM DEFICIENCY IN
TOMATOES

Deficiency symptoms in young leaves and new shoots (Ca is

immobile) Stunted growth, leaf distortion, necrotic spots, shoot tip
death Blossom-end rot in tomato
- No Ca toxicity symptoms have been observed
MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY
K DEFICIENCY
N.P & K DEFICIENCY
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS OF
NPK IN LEGUMES
 Techniques used to study
plant nutrition
Hydroponic and Aeroponic systems for
growing plants in nutrient solutions
in which composition and pH can be
automatically controlled.
(A) In a hydroponic
system, the roots are immersed in the nutrient
solution, and air is bubbled
through the solution.
(B) An alternative hydroponic system, often
used in commercial
production, is the nutrient film growth system, in
which the nutrient solution is pumped as a thin
film down a shallow trough surrounding the plant
roots. In this system the composition and pH of
the nutrient solution can be controlled
automatically.
(C) In the aeroponic system, the roots are
suspended over the nutrient solution,
which is whipped into a mist by a motor-driven
rotor.