1. Chapter 5 Mineral Nutrition of Plants 1- Water 2- Mineral

2. Learning objectives
Know the essential and beneficial plant mineral nutrients and their functions in plants

3. Classifying mineral nutrients
Amount necesserity or presence in plant tissue
Biochemical function(s) and Metabolic needs
Mobility within the plant

4. Essentiality of mineral nutrients
Essential nutrients:
Absence prevents completion of life cycle
Absence leads to deficiency
Required for some aspect of mineral nutrition
Beneficial nutrients:
Stimulates growth and development
May be required in some species
Examples: Na, Si,

5. According to Biochemical functions and Physiological Purposes Mengel-Kirkby (1987)
Group; Plant assimilate these nutrients via biochemical reactions involving oxidation & reduction to form covalent bonds with carbon and create organic compounds;
2. Group; Important for energy storage reactions or in maintaining structural integrity. Found as phosphate, borate, and silica esters- sugar-phosphate
3. Group; Present in plant tissues as either free ions dissolved in plant water or bounded electro-statically to substances as pectic acids in cell wall. Enzyme cofactors and in the regulation of osmotic potentials
4. Group; Has important roles in reactions involving electron transfer (redox)
Out of these many elements, there are many more naturally occurring in soil such as Al, Se and Co involving special functions for certain plants

6. Biochemical functions of mineral nutrients-1

7. Biochemical functions of mineral nutrients-2

8. Biochemical functions of mineral nutrients-3

9. Nutrient solution can sustain rapid plant growth
Hoagland solutions;
contains all of the known mineral elements needed for rapid plant growth. The concentrations are set at the highest possible levels without producing toxic symptoms or any stress as salinity, alkalinity.
Phosphorus found in soil as 0.06 ppm
Hoagland solution ppm
Buffering the solution by ammonia (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-). pH maintenance.

10. Special techniques are used in nutritional studies
Hydrophonic growth system
Nutrient film growth system
Aeroponic growth system
Ebb and flow system

11. Figure 5.2 Various types of solution culture systems (A,B)
PP5e-Fig jpg

12. Figure 5.2 Various types of solution culture systems (C,D)
PP5e-Fig jpg

18. Mobility in Deficiency
The location where a deficiency develops reflects the mobility of a nutrient from older leaves to younger.
Nutrients are redistributed in the phloem
Means that early symptoms of deficiency seen in older leaves

19. Uptake through the leaves Effective only for phloem-mobile nutrients
Foliar application
Uptake through the leaves
Effective only for phloem-mobile nutrients
May be more effective than soil application for elements.
Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn