1. Functions of Nutrients in Plants

2. Sixteen plant food nutrients
Essential for proper crop development
Each is equally important to the plant
Required in vastly different amounts.
Three categories
Primary (macro) nutrients
Secondary nutrients
Micronutrients.

3. PRIMARY (MACRO) NUTRIENTS
nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
They are the most frequently required in a crop fertilization program.
Also, they are need in the greatest total quantity by plants as fertilizer.

4. NITROGEN Necessary for formation of amino acids
the building blocks of protein
Essential for plant cell division
Vital for plant growth
Directly involved in photosynthesis
Necessary component of vitamins
Aids in production and use of carbohydrates
Affects energy reactions in the plant

5. PHOSPHORUS Involved in photosynthesis Respiration
Energy storage and transfer
Cell division, and enlargement
Promotes early root formation and growth
Improves quality of fruits, vegetables, and grains
Vital to seed formation
Helps plants survive harsh winter conditions
Increases water-use efficiency
Hastens maturity

6. POTASSIUM
Carbohydrate metabolism and the break down and translocation of starches
Increases photosynthesis
Increases water-use efficiency
Essential to protein synthesis
Important in fruit formation
Activates enzymes and controls their reaction rates
Improves quality of seeds and fruit
Improves winter hardiness
Increases disease resistance

7. SECONDARY NUTRIENTS The secondary nutrients are calcium magnesium
sulphur
For most crops, these three are needed in lesser amounts that the primary nutrients.
They are growing in importance in crop fertilization programs due to more stringent clean air standards and efforts to improve the environment.

8. CALCIUM Utilized for Continuous cell division and formation
Involved in nitrogen metabolism
Reduces plant respiration
Aids translocation of photosynthesis from leaves to fruiting organs
Increases fruit set
Essential for nut development in peanuts
Stimulates microbial activity

9. MAGNESIUM Key element of chlorophyll production
Improves utilization and mobility of phosphorus
Activator and component of many plant enzymes
Directly related to grass tetany
Increases iron utilization in plants
Influences earliness and uniformity of maturity

10. SULPHUR
· Integral part of amino acids · Helps develop enzymes and vitamins · Promotes nodule formation on legumes · Aids in seed production · Necessary in chlorophyll formation (though it isn’t one of the constituents)

11. MICRONUTRIENTS
The micronutrients are boron, chlorine, cooper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. These plant food elements are used in very small amounts, but they are just as important to plant development and profitable crop production as the major nutrients. Especially, they work "behind the scene" as activators of many plant functions.

12. BORON
Essential of germination of pollon grains and growth of pollen tubes
Essential for seed and cell wall formation
Promotes maturity
Necessary for sugar translocation
Affects nitrogen and carbohydrate

13. CHLORINE Not much information about its functions
Interferes with P uptake
Enhances maturity of small grains on some soils

14. COPPER Catalyzes several plant processes
Major function in photosynthesis
Major function in reproductive stages
Indirect role in chlorophyll production
Increases sugar content
Intensifies color
Improves flavor of fruits and vegetables

15. IRON Promotes formation of chlorophyll Acts as an oxygen carrier
Reactions involving cell division and growth

16. MAGANESE Functions as a part of certain enzyme systems
Aids in chlorophyll synthesis
Increases the availability of P and CA

17. MOLYBDENUM
Required to form the enzyme "nitrate reductas" which reduces nitrates to ammonium in plant
Aids in the formation of legume nodules
Needed to convert inorganic phosphates to organic forms in the plant

18. ZINC Aids plant growth hormones and enzyme system
Necessary for chlorophyll production
Necessary for carbohydrate formation
Necessary for starch formation
Aids in seed formation

19. 3 Additional Nutrients
In addition to the 13 nutrients listed above, plants require
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
extracted from air and water to make up the bulk of plant weight.

20. Symptoms of Deficiencies

21. Nutrient Deficiency
When essential elements are present in the plant in amounts smaller than minimum levels required for plant growth, the plant exhibits various external and internal symptoms.
1. These symptoms may appear on any or all organs of the plant
including leaves, stems, roots, flowers fruit and seeds.
A knowledge of these symptoms will help the student determine their cause and aid in finding the cure

22. Nitrogen Deficiency 1. slow growth, stunted plants,
2. plants are light green to yellow in color (chlorotic), and
3. "firing" of tips and center position of leaves beginning with the older leaves.

23. Phosphorus Deficiency
1. slow and stunted growth,
purplish coloration on foliage of some plants
(this may be associated or confused with cool or cold temperatures),
3. dark green coloration with tips of leaves dying,
4. delayed maturity, and
5. poor grain, fruit or seed development.

24. Potassium Deficiency
tip and marginal leaf chlorosis and then death starting on more mature (most recently eveloped fully mature) leaves,
weak stalks, plants "lodge" easily,
small fruit or shriveled seeds, and
4. plants have thin shoots and in severe cases show dieback.

25. Iron Deficiency
interveinal chlorosis of young leaves. Veins remain green except in
severe cases,
2. twig dieback,
3. part of or entire leaf may dry,
4. leaves may be shed, and
5. in severe cases, death of entire limbs or plants.

26. Sulfur Deficiency 1. young leaves light green to yellowish in color,
2. symptoms resemble those of nitrogen deficiency,
3. small and spindly plants, and
4. retarded growth rate and delayed maturity.

27. Magnesium Deficiency
1. interveinal chlorosis (yellowing) in older leaves,
2. sometimes necrotic spots appear,
3. curling of leaves upward along margins,
4. leaves may drop off, and
5. "Christmas tree" area along midrib of leaf in the case of citrus.

28. Boron Deficiency
1. death of terminal growth, causing lateral buds to develop and produce a "witches broom" effect,
2. thickened, curled, wilted and chloritic leaves,
3. fruit or tubers may crack on surface and rot in the center, and
4. reduced flowering or improper pollination.

29. Zinc Deficiency
1. decrease in stem length and rosetting of terminal leaves,
leaves may be mottled or show interveinal chlorosis,
reduced fruit bud formation,
leaves are shed progressively from base to tip, and
causes "little leaf" of apples, stone fruits, grapes and walnuts.