- Seventeen elements are essential for plant growth, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium as macronutrients and iron, boron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, chloride, and nickel as micronutrients. - Deficiency of these essential elements can limit plant growth and yield, with symptoms including chlorosis, stunting, and necrosis varying based on the specific deficient element. - The essential elements are taken up in different ionic forms including nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, sulfate, and various metal cations that play important roles in plant biochemical and metabolic processes.

1. SOIL SCIENCE
FPT 2093
Lecture Week 13:
Plant Nutrition
En Mohd Fauzie Jusoh
Lecturer
Agrotechnology Programme
Faculty of Agro-Based Industry
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (Jeli Campus)
Locked Bag No.100, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan.
014-2903025/fauzie.j@umk.edu.my/

2. Elements in Plant Nutrition
• Terms used to describe nutrient levels in plants:
– Deficient: when an element is low enough to limit
yield and deficiency symptoms are visible.
– Critical range: the nutrient concentration below which
a yield response to added nutrient occurs.
– Sufficient: nutrient concentration range in which
added nutrient will not increase yield but can increase
nutrient concentration.
– Excessive or toxic: when the concentration of essential
or other elements is high enough to reduce plant
growth or yield.

3. Elements in Plant Nutrition
• Seventeen elements are essential to plant
growth.
– The three most abundant are not mineral nutrients.
• carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
– Six of the remaining 14 are macronutrients.
• nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, and
magnesium
– The other eight are micronutrients.
• iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, chloride,
molybdenum, and nickel

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Essential Nutrient Criteria:
• The element is directly involved in plant nutrition
• A deficiency of an element makes it difficult or impossible for
the plant to complete a vegetative or reproductive stage of
development
• Thus, a shortage of an element can only be prevented or
corrected by supplying the element
• Essential meaning absence or deficiency of one of these
elements plants will show symptoms of deficiency
Essential Elements

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PLANT NUTRIENTS
- These elements are of the same importance to plants but the amount needed
by plants varies, thus, these elements are termed as macronutrients and
micronutrients
- These 18 elements and their sources are as follows:

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Element and symbol Portion of plants
(%)
Ion or molecule
Carbon ( C )
Oxygen ( O )
Hydrogen ( H )
Nitrogen ( N )
Calcium ( Ca )
Magnesium ( Mg )
Potassium ( K )
Phosphorus ( P )
Sulphur ( S )
Chlorine ( Cl )
Iron ( Fe )
Boron ( B )
Manganese ( Mn )
Zinc ( Zn )
Copper ( Cu )
Molybdenum ( Mo)
Cobalt ( Co )
Nickel ( Ni )
Silica ( Si )
Sodium ( Na )
Vanadium ( Va )
41.2
46.3
5.4
3.3
2.1
0.42
0.80
0.30
0.085
0.011
0.0066
0.0045
0.0036
0.0009
0.0007
0.000005
-
-
-
-
-
CO2 mostly through leaves
CO2, H2O, O2
HOH, H+
NH4
+ , NO3
-
Ca2+
Mg2+
K-
H2PO4
- , HPO4
2-
SO4
2-
Cl-
Fe2+ , Fe3+
BO3
2-
Mn2+
Zn2+
Cu2+
MoO4
2-
Co2+
Ni2+
Si(OH)4
Na+
VO3-
Plant nutrients, concentrations in plants and forms taken up

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Forms of nutrients taken up by plants
Essential Element Symbol Ionic Form
Carbon C CO2
Hydrogen H H+
Oxygen O CO2 , H20, O2
Nitrogen N NO3
-, NH4
+
Phosphorus P H2PO4
-, HPO4
2-
Potassium K K+
Calcium Ca Ca2+
Magnesium Mg Mg2+
Sulfur S SO4
-

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Forms of nutrients taken up by plants
Essential Element Symbol Ionic Form
Boron B H3BO3, B(OH4)-
Iron Fe Fe3+, Fe2+
Manganese Mn Mn4+
Copper Cu Cu2+
Zinc Zn Zn2+
Molydbenum Mo MoO4
-
Chlorine Cl Cl-
Nickel Ni Ni2+
Cobalt Co Co2+
Beneficial Elements
Sodium Na Na+
Silicon Si Si4+

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Functions of major nutrients
Carbon - Primary constituent of organic compounds,
carbohydraes, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.
- Reduction and oxidation of C serves as the basis for
photosynthesis and respiration.
-Reduced C compound serves as energy sources for
most organisms.
Oxygen -Constituent of most organic compounds.
-Primary role in plants as an electron acceptor.
- It is oxidized in photosynthesis and reduced in
respiration.
O2 + 4e- + 4 H+  2H2O
Hydrogen All organic compounds contain hydrogen ions.
Important for ionic balance. They are involved in a
variety of biochemical and chemical reactions.
Reduced forms of hydrogen, NADH, and NADPH are
important reducing agents in oxidation-reduction
reactions.

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Functions ......
Nitrogen component of proteins, nucleic acids, important in
protein and chlorophyll synthesis.
Phosphorus Component of activated carbohydrates. Central role of
phosphorus is in energy transfer. Important for root
growth
Potassium Occurs primarily as free ion in cell solution. Primary role
is in osmotic and ionic regulation
Calcium Involved in cell division. Important in cell walls and
maintenance of cell membranes
Magnesium Component of chlorophyll and cofactor for many
enzymatic reactions.
Sulphur Component of amino acids and proteins. Maintain
protein structure through disulfide bonds, involved in
cellenergetics

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PLANT NUTRIENTS

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PLANT NUTRIENTS

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Element Deficiency Symptoms
N Chlorosis, yellowing of lower leaves first, stunting
P Low photosynthesis rate, leaves & stems turn purple,
stunting, low yield
K Leaves turn light green, burning of leave margins & tips,
less roots development, weak stems, susceptible to disease
Ca Young leaves crinkled, twisted & short
Mg Chlorosis of lower leaves
S Yellowing of young leaves & stunting
Fe Interveinal chlorosis of young leaves
Zn Chlorosis of veins especially of young leaves
Cu Chlorosis of young leaves
Mn Interveinal chlorosis & stunting
B General stunting, white young leaves
Mo Similar to N deficiency
Cl Chlorosis & necrosis of leaves
PLANT NUTRIENTS

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Reed Palm – N Def on left

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Severe N deficiency

16. 25-May-15 10:25 AM 16P deficient tomato

17. 25-May-15 10:25 AM 17P deficiency – stunted growth

18. 25-May-15 10:25 AM 18K deficient corn

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Potassium deficiency in oil palm

20. 25-May-15 10:25 AM 20Severe K deficiency

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Deficiency Symptoms

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Deficiency Symptoms

23. Questions…
Thank You