Secondary plant nutrients their detailed information, deficiency symptoms.

1. SUBMITTED TO
College of Forestry
Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology
Secondary Plant Nutrients

2. Ca, Mg & S are essential plant nutrients. They are
called “secondary” nutrients because plants
require them in smaller quantities than N,P & K.
On the other hand, plants require these nutrients
in larger quantities than the
“micronutrients” such as B & Mo.
Calcium discovered by Humphry Davy in 1808.
Magnesium discovered by Joseph black in 1755.
Sulphur was first noticed by chinese people in sixth
Century B. C.

3. CALCIU
M

4. Constituent of cell wall.
Promotes early root development & growth.
Provides base for neutralization of organic acid
Essential to activate growing points i.e root tips
Influence water economy in plant
Influence protein carbohydrate ratio in fat metabolism and
other physiological activity
It is antagonistic to potassium
Improves intake of specially N & Fe, Zn, B, Cu, Mn
Corrects soil PH & encourage seed production.

5. DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
 necrosis leading to stunted plant growth
Poor growth and little branching
 necrotic leaf margins on young leaves or
 curling of the leaves
eventual death of terminal buds and root tips. Affects the
new growth and rapidly growing tissues
 The mature leaves are rarely affected because calcium
accumulates to high concentrations in older leaves.
Ca is highly immobile. So it does not freely move from
older to the younger part of the plant. So Ca deficiency
symptoms first manifested in the tips of root and shoots.

6. SOME EXAMPLES.................
Eucalyptus globulus- poor growth and little branching
'Bitter pit' disease in apple – fruit skins develop pits,
brown in colour and bitter in taste. Bramley apples are
particularly susceptible. Related to boron deficiency
Cabbage - Internal browning and "tip burn“
Carrot -cavity spot
Celery -Stunted growth, central leaves stunted.
Tomatoes and peppers -'Blossom end rot‘ disease –
Symptoms starts in dry decaying areas at the blossom
end of the fruit, furthest away from the stem.

7. “BITTER PIT” IN APPLE

8. “TIP BURN” IN CABBAGE

9. “CAVITY SPOT” IN CARROT

10. “BLOSSOM END ROT” IN TOMATO

11. “POP POD” IN GROUND NUT

12. TREATMENT
Addition of agricultural lime to acid soils, aiming at
a pH of 6.5.
Organic matter should be added to the soil to improve its
moisture-retaining capacity. addition of calcium to the
roots.
prophylactic spraying with calcium chloride of tissues at
risk.
supplemental applications of calcium nitrate
Soil pH should be tested, and corrected if needed, because
calcium deficiency is often associated with low pH.

14. FUNCTION
Costituent of chlorophyll
Maintains the dark green colour in leaf
Plays an important role in production of carbohydrate, protien, fat and
in certain catalytic reactions in the enzyme system
Acts as carrier of ‘P’ particularly in connection with formation of seed
of high oil content
Promotes the formation of oil & fat
Helps in translocation of starch
Regulates the uptake of other nutrient

15. DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
Interveinal chlorosis in Quercus
borealis
Necrosis
marginal bronzing of foliage in
Quercus imbricaria ( resembling fire
scorch)
Chlorosis and restricted shoot growth
in Eucalyptus globulus
Chlorosis of older needles in spruce

16. INTERVEINAL CHLOROSIS

17. BRONZING DISEASE

18. CHLOROSIS IN
EUCALYPTUS
MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY IN
TOMATO

19. Mg DEFICIENCY IN POTATO

20. • 20g Epsom salts per liter of water and
spray it over the plants. Any excess of
the solution can be fed to the root
system of the plant.
• use dolomite lime that contains 8%
• Use magnesium sulphate through soil.
• do not over feed dolomite lime to the
plant or it will lead to potassium
deficiency.
• Organic options include use of compost

21. SULPHUR

22. Not a constituent of chlorophyll
Still helps in chlorophyll formation
Encourage vegetative plant growth
Essential constituent of protein,
enzyme & certain volatile compound
Increases root growth
Stimulate seed growth & formation
Promotes nodule formation in roots of
legumes
FUNCTION
OF
SULPHUR

23. DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
• Slight chlorosis in older
leaves of Eucalyptus
globulus
• Stunted growth
• Less branching & reduce
leaf size
• Purple or red brown
pigmentation in both young

24. CHLOROSIS IN EUCALYPTUS

25. SULPHUR DEFICIENCY IN MAIZE

26. “S” deficiency in tomato

27. PURPLE OR RED BROWN
PIGMENTATION IN LEAF

28. TREATMENT
Addition of a sulfur-containing fertiliser such as
• gypsum or elemental sulfur
• ammonium sulfate (24% S)
• single superphosphate (16% S)
• triple superphosphate,
• monoammonium phosphate,
• diammonium phosphate
The maintenance of a high organic matter content in the soil
will also increase the availability of sulfur to the roots, and
decrease the rate of nutrient leaching.

29. TOXICITY SYMPTOMS
CALCIUM-
• causes deficiency of potassium or magnesium.
MAGNESIUM-
• causes imbalance between Ca & K.
• Reduces tree yield and growth.
SULPHUR-
• Premature dropping of leaves.

30. CALCIUM FERTILIZER
FERTILIZER % OF CALCIUM RECOMMENDED
RATES OF
PRODUCT(lb/A)
GYPSUM 22 500-1500
CALCIUM CHLORIDE 36 5-8
CALCIUM NITRATE 19 10-15
Ca-chelates 3-5 0.25-3

31. MAGNESIUM FERTILIZER
FERTILIZER FORMULA % OF MAGNESIUM
Langbeinite 2MgSO₄.K₂SO₄ 11
Magnesium
chloride
MgCl₂ 25
Magnesium nitrate Mg(NO₃)₂.6H₂O 9
Magnesium
sulphate
MgSO₄.7H₂0 9
dolomite MgCO₃.CaCO₃ 6-20

32. SULPHUR FERTILIZER
Ammonium Sulfate
Elemental sulfur
Calcium Sulfate
Polysulfides
Thiosulfates

33. CONCLUSION
Although secondary nutrients are
required in small quantity in comparison
to the primary nutrients, but they affect
the growth and development of plant to
a larger extent as the three i.e Ca, Mg & S
holds the “law of minimum”.

34. REFERENCE
Apps.rhs.org.uk
Customers.hbci.com
Hort.ifas.ufl.edu
Hort.uwex.edu
Agropedia.iitk.ac.in
Tomatoheadquarter.com
Soil & fertilizer magnesiumby ROBERT
MIKKELSEN
Mathuis F.J.M2009(physiological function of
mineral micronutrient)
Mississippi state university ,extension service
www.agndsu.edu