Plant Mineral Nutrition
The Essential Elements
Roles or Functions
Deficiency symptoms
Assimilation of nutrients
Criteria for
Essentiality of Element
Needed for the completion of plant’s
life cycle
Directly involved in plant metabolism
Function not replaceable by another
mineral element
Deficiency symptoms appear in its absence
The Current Essential Elements
Year Element Number
1800’s C, H, O, P, K, N, S, Ca, Mg 9
Fe 1
1922 Mn, B 2
1939 Zn, Cu, Mo 3
1954 Cl 1
1987 Ni 1
Total 17
Classification of Essential Elements
Based on growth requirement
Macronutrients: H, C, O, N, K, Ca, Mg, P, S
Micronutrients: Fe, Cl, B, Mn, Zn, Cu, Mo, Ni
Based on physical properties
Metals: K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Mo, Ni
Non-metals: N, S, P, B, Cl
Based on biochemical function
Group 1 (form organic compounds): C, H, O, N, S
Group 2 (energy storage or structural integrity) P, B, Si
Group 3 (remain in ionic form) K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cl
Group 4 (involve in electron transfers) Fe, Cu, Zn, Mo, Ni
Based on appearance of deficiency symptoms
Mobile: N, K, Mg, P, Cl, Zn, Mo
Immobile: Ca, S, Fe, B, Cu
Techniques for growing plants in
nutritional studies
Hydroponic technique
– minerals are supplied to the roots as aqueous
solution of salts
Nutrient film technique
– Minerals supplied to the roots as a thin film
Aeroponic technique
– Minerals supplied to the roots in spray form
Hydroponic technique
Lettuce Rice
Pechay Tomato
Nutrient film technique
Aeroponic technique
Modified Hoagland’s Culture Solution
Macronutrients --- required at 1,000 mg/kg of dry matter or above
Carbon In organic molecules
Oxygen In organic molecules, turgor
Hydrogen In organic molecule, turgor
Nitrogen In proteins, chlorophyll, nucleic acids and membranes
Phosphorus In RNA, DNA, ATP, sugar phosphates, phospholipids
Stomatal opening, enzyme activator
Functions Potassium
Calcium In cell wall, acts as second messenger
of In chlorophyll, enzyme activator
Magnesium
Essential Sulfur In proteins and coenyzme A
Elements Micronutrients --- required at less than 100 mg/kg of dry matter
Iron In cytochromes, ferredoxin
Chlorine Water splitting in photosynthesis
Manganese Water splitting in photosynthesis, enzyme activator
Zinc Enzyme activator, auxin synthesis
Boron Carbohydrate metabolism, pollen tube growth
Copper In plastocyanin, enzyme activator
Molybdenum Nitrate reduction
In urease enzyme
Beneficial Elements and their
Functions
Element Form Function
absorbed
Silicon Si(OH)4 Stiffens cell walls. Essential for horsetails and
some grasses. Present naturally in virtually all
plants where it often is beneficial
Sodium Na+ Essential for C4 and CAM plants and some
halophytes or salt accumulators. Present in
large amounts in many plants where it is often
beneficial
Cobalt Co2+ Required by nitrogen-fixing bacteria so
essential for legumes dependent on symbiotic
nitrogen fixation
Selenium SeO42- A few species accumulate large amounts which
prevents phosphorus toxicity
Aluminum Al3+ Needed to make hydrangea flowers blue rather
than pink. Accumulated by tea, heathers and
mosses
Critical Nutrient Concentration
(minimal nutrient concentration that will give 90% of the maximum yield)
Critical Nutrient Concentration
Species variable
Season variable
Stage of plant development
Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms
Leaf Signs of
Nutrient
Deficiency
Some Nutritional Adaptations of
Plants
Carnivorous Plants
– fortify themselves by killing and digesting insects
Trigger hairs and Cilia
Some Nutritional Adaptations of
Plants
Parasitic Plants
– supplement their photosynthetic nutrition by
tapping into the host’s vascular tissues
Rafflesia
Dodder Mistletoe
http://
www.yourdailymedia.com/post
plants-youve-never-seen-
before/
Flower bud, in a later stage of
opening
Flower bud, with scales still
unexpanded
http://livingsta.hubpages.com/hub/Rafflesia-Queen-
http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/RaffPhil/ of-Parasites-and-the-Biggest-Flower-on-
Some Nutritional Adaptations of
Plants
Mycorrhiza
– association between plant roots and fungi
– helps the plant by enhancing mineral nutrition
(phosphorus and trace metals), water absorption and
pathogen resistance
Some Nutritional Adaptations of
Plants
Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation
– association between the roots of legumes and
nitrogen-fixing bacteria having nitrogenase
Nitrogen Cycle
Biological Nitrogen Fixation
nitrogenase
N2 + 8H+ + 8e- + 16 ATP → 2 NH3 + H2 + 16 ADP + 16 Pi
Free-living (non-symbiotic) N2 fixers
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
– e.g., Anabaena, Nostoc, Calothrix
Other bacteria
– e.g. Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus
Symbiotic N2 fixers
Legume – Rhizobium
Azolla - Anabaena
Leghemoglobin
– protects
nitrogenase
from oxygen
inhibition
Some examples of specificity in
rhizobia-legume symbiosis
Bacterium Host
Azorhizobium Sesbania
Bradyrhizobium japonicum Glycine (soybean)
Rhizobium meliloti Medicago (alfalfa)
Rhizobium leguminosarum
biovar viciae Lathyrus (sweet pea), Lens (lentil),
Pisum (garden pea), Vicia (broad bean)
biovar trifolii Trifolium (clover)
biovar phaseoli Phaseolus (bean)
Rhizobium loti Lotus
Root Nodule Formation
Nitrate Reduction
NO3- + H+ + e- → NO2- + H+ + e- → NH4+
nitrate reductase nitrite reductase
(plastid) (cytosol)
Assimilation of NH3-N
NH3 + glutamate → glutamine → glutamate
glutamine synthetase glutamate synthase
(GS) (GOGAT)
glutamate + oxaloacetate → aspartate + α-ketoglutarate
aminotransferase
(cytosol, plastid, microbodies)
Assimilation of Sulfur
SO42- + ATP → APS (activated sullfate)
APS + 8 e- + 5 H+ → S2-
S2- + O-acetylserine → cysteine
Assimilation of Phosphorus
HPO42- + ADP → ATP
ATP synthase
(phosphorylation)
