1. fertiliser magnesium mineral nitrogen phosphorus potassium
Minerals in Plants
Lesson Objectives
State that fertilisers contain minerals such as nitrates, phosphate, potassium and magnesium compounds.
State what plants require these for.
State that the production of many important compounds by plants requires elements that are obtained from soil.
Keywords
fertiliser magnesium mineral nitrogen phosphorus potassium

2. Starter:
Farmers who do not use artificial fertilisers or pesticides are called organic farmers. Why are their foods more expensive to buy?

3. What do you think NPK fertiliser is?
What are minerals for?
Plants use minerals from the soil to build the complex molecules they need to survive and grow.
Poor plant growth may be due to a deficiency of one or more minerals. Tests can be done to establish which mineral is deficient or a general purpose NPK fertiliser added..
What do you think NPK fertiliser is?

4. What are minerals for?
Plants need to build the complex molecules they need from minerals (elements and simple compounds), which they get from the soil.
Animals on the other hand get their complex molecules ready made from their food – they need very few minerals to supplement their diet.

5. Uses of different minerals
Some examples
Uses of different minerals
Open the OCR textbook to page p77 to 79
Read the information and then construct a table which details the minerals in a plant and the uses within the plant.
For the higher tier you will need to be able to explain what the minerals are used for within the plant.

6. Uses of different minerals
Some examples
Uses of different minerals
Feedback to the group
For the higher tier you will need to be able to explain what the minerals are used for within the plant.

7. Minerals in Plants Lesson Objectives Keywords
Recall that minerals are usually present in soil in quite low concentrations
Explain that active transport can move substances from low concentrations to high concentrations (against the concentration gradient)
Explain that active transport uses energy from respiration
Keywords
fertiliser magnesium mineral
nitrogen phosphorus potassium
Active transport

8. Mineral
Use
Deficiency symptoms
Explanation
Nitrate ions (NO3)
Building proteins and growth
Poor growth and yellow leaves
All amino acids contain nitrogen. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.
Phosphate ions (PO4)
Respiration and growth
Poor root growth and discoloured leaves
A component of DNA molecules and cell membranes
Potassium ions (K+)
Respiration and photosynthesis
Poor flower and fruit growth, discoloured leaves
Must be present for photosynthesis and respiration enzymes to work
Magnesium ions (Mg2+)
Photosynthesis
Yellow leaves
Chlorophyll molecules contain magnesium ions. It's the magnesium that makes chlorophyll green.

9. How minerals are absorbed
The concentration of minerals in the soil is very low. They dissolve in water and move around the soil in solution.
How are root hair cells adapted to absorb water?

10. How minerals are absorbed
Root hair cells are adapted to absorb the water out of soil by osmosis – they have a large surface area, thin walls and are close to the xylem cells used for transporting water up the plant. 
Phloem – uses ‘Translocation’
Moves food substances from leaves to rest of plant through columns of living cells

11. How minerals are absorbed
Minerals cannot be absorbed by osmosis (which is the movement of water only) or diffusion (because the minerals are in very low concentration).
The root hair cells have carrier molecules on their surface that pick up the minerals and move them into the cell against the concentration gradient. This requires energy, and is called active transport.

12. Active transport: In brief
Active transport allows the plant to absorb minerals against the concentration gradient. This is essential to its growth.
Active transport needs energy from respiration to make it work

13. Quick Quiz Which element is needed to make chlorophyll green? _______
What is the symbol for a potassium ion?_______________
Which biological molecules contain nitrogen?_____________
Which mineral is part of a DNA molecule? ____________
One benefit of using NPK fertiliser in preference to farmyard manure is __________________________________

15. Plant mineral deficiency
This is a plant suffering from potassium deficiency
How can you tell?

16. Can you identify what is wrong with these plants?
Lack of nitrogen
Lack of magnesium

17. Can you identify what is wrong with this plant?
Lack of phosphorus