There are three main mechanisms by which nutrients reach the surface of plant root hairs: root interception, mass flow, and diffusion. Root interception occurs when nutrients come into direct physical contact with root surfaces, and increases with greater root surface area. Mass flow transports nutrients to roots through water movement in soil, decreasing with less soil water. Diffusion is the slower process of nutrients moving from areas of higher to lower concentration until evenly distributed in available space.

1. Mechanisms of
nutrient transport
to plants
SSAC - 311

2. There are three mechanisms by which nutrient
reach the surface of the root hairs .
• Root interception
• Mass flow
• diffusion

3. 1. Root
interception
 Root interception occurs
when a nutrient comes into
physical contact to the root
surface.
 Occurrence of root
interception increase as the
root surface area
 Root interception is
responsible for an
appreciable amount of ca
and p uptake and some
amount of mg , zn

4. 2. Mass flow
 Mass flow occurs when nutrients are
transported to the surface of roots by
movement of water in the soil.
 Mass flow decreases as soil water
decreases.
 The rate of water flow governs the
amount of nutrients that are
transported to the root surface .
 N, CA , S , B Mn , Mo, Cu etc.

5. 3. diffusion
 When there is a difference in concentration
of a particular nutrient within the soil
solution , the nutrient will move from an
area of higher concentration to an area of
lower concentration until the molecules are
evenly distributed throughout the available
space is known as diffusion.
 Diffusion is a relatively slow process
compared to the mass flow of nutrients with
water movement towards the root .

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