This document discusses 17 essential plant nutrients and their functions, as well as deficiencies that can occur from insufficient nutrients in soil. It covers primary, secondary, and micro nutrients - carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, and nickel. The document also notes that imbalanced fertilizer use has depleted soil fertility and reduced agricultural productivity and production, posing a threat to national food security.

1. Seventeen Essential Plant Nutrients
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulphur
Iron,Manganese,Zinc,Copper,
Boron,Molybdenum,Chlorine, Nickel
Primary Secondary
Micro - nutrients

2. Fertilisers with out sufficient manures have
resulted in:
Soil Acidity
Soil Hardness
Multinutrient Deficiency
Reduced Efficiency of (Fert. , Biofert.,Irrigation, Tillage
Implements etc.)
Reduced Resistance against Pests
Reduced Biological Health
Poor Soil Productivity
Poor Quality Produce
Unsustainability
Harmful effect on Environment

3. Appearance of Deficiency Symptoms

4. Nitrogen deficiency on corn

5. Nitrogen Deficiency in Maize

6. Phosphorus Deficiency

7. Potassium Deficiency

8. Potassium Deficiency causes unfilled
diseased seeds

9. Potassium Deficiency causes diseases
in rice

10. CALCIUM
FUNCTIONS:
Promotes Growth hormones , early root development,
nutrient assimilation and helps in Seed Maturation
Conditions for Soils to be Deficient :
Heavily leached light textured acid soils (Exch-Ca <120ppm)

11. CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

12. MAGNESIUM
Functions:
Constituent of Chlorophyll, Helps in carbohydrate, protein and fat
synthesis and regulates uptake of other nutrients
Conditions for Soil To be deficient:
1. Highly leached acid sandy soils with low CEC
( <24ppm Soil Solution Conc)
1. High levels of K Fertilisation(>5: 1 for field crops,3:1 for
vegetables and 2:1 for fruits)

13. Mg deficiency in tomato

14. Mg deficiency

15. SULPHUR
Functions:
Constituent of amino acids, forms essential components of oils,
stimulates seed formation, promotes nodule formation in legumes
Conditions for S oils to be Deficient:
1. Leached Light textured soils
2. Intensive cropping with high S requiring crops,
3. Use of S free fertilisers
4. Infrequent application of FYM

16. Sulphur Deficiency in Tomato

17. Sulphur Deficiency in
Cabbage

18. A bumper crop of Hybrid Rice with Fertilizer(RD) and
Gypsum (150kg/ha) on a Farmer’s Field In Govinda pur,
Dhenkanal

19. Response of hybrid rice to Sulphur in
Dhenkanal

20. Response of Groundnut to Gypsum in a Farmer’s Field. Dhenkanal

21. Response of Groundnut to Gypsum in a farmer’s field

22. Micro and Secondary nutrient status
of Orissa soils
Nutrient Deficiency status
S Most of light soils covered with pulses
& oilseeds
Zn Almost all black soils, 40% red
laterites, 20% alluvial
B 66% black soils, 50% red laterites
Mo 91% red, most of red & yellow, mixed
red & black

23. ZINC
Functions:
Formation of IAA, Role in controlling many metabolic reactions
Associated with water relations
Decreases susceptibilty to many insect pests(Leaf folder and wBPH in
rice)
Conditions for the Soil to be Deficient:
1. Calcareous, high pH Soil
2. Paddy soils(Flooded situation)
3. Well drained acid soils
4. Overliming of acid soils
5. P induced deficiency(P/Zn > 20-60:1 at 6weeks after
Transplanting))
6. Low soil temperature

24. Zinc Deficiency in Rice

25. Zn deficiency in rice

26. Zinc Deficiency in Maize

27. BORON
Functions:
1. Role in IAA and nucleic acid synthesis
2. Cell division and development
3. Fertilisation for seed formation
4. Ca metabolism
Conditions for soils to be Deficient:
1. Light acid soils of high rainfall areas(pH <5.5 )
2. Calacareous arid soils of high pH(>7.5)
3. Limed acid soils
4. Low organic matter soils
5. Dry spell /drought induced B deficiency
6. Application of higher rates of K application

28. BORON DEFICIENCY
1. Affects growing points( buds, flowers,
fruits)
2. Thickened, wilted, curled leaves
3. Cracked petioles, stems, mis shapen fruits
4. Sterility and severly impaired seed set
5. Browning of curds in cauliflower
6. Black heart in sugarbeet
7. Hollow heart in ground nut kernel
8. Increases susceptibility to blossom end rot
in tomato
Mis shapen fruits

29. B deficiency in
Cauliflower
Browning of curds in cauliflower
Hollow heart in Cauliflower

30. B sufficiency in Cauliflower

31. Boron Deficiency in Groundnut

32. Boron deficiency Boron sufficiency

36. COPPER

37. Copper Deficiency in Lemon

38. Copper Deficiency in Groundnut

39. IRON

40. Iron Deficiency in Potato

41. Iron Deficiency in Maize

42. Iron Toxicity in Rice

43. MOLYBDENUM
Functions:
1. Part of Nitrogenase and nitrrate reductase
2. Helps in N fixation and N assimilation
Conditions for Soils to be Deficient:
1. Acid well drained soils(pH ,5.5)
2. Dry condition accentuates the casualty

44. Molybdenum Deficiency
1. Upward cupping and
curling of leaf
margins in Tomato
2. Whiptail in
Cauliflower
3. Delayed and reduced
fruit setting

45. 1. The increase in consumption of fertilizers during the 10th plan
period has not led to a corresponding increase in agricultural
productivity and production.
1. The stagnation in production and productivity of food grains
for the past few years has become a cause of concern and is
posing a serious threat to our national food security.
2. The depletion in soil fertility due to imbalanced and
unscientific use of fertilizer is one of the major constraints in
improving crop productivity.
Some Facts about fertiliser Use