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Module 1 Lesson 4 Essential Elements

The document discusses essential plant nutrients, defining them as elements that are required for plant growth and reproduction according to certain criteria. It lists the 17 elements considered essential, separating them into macro and micronutrients. The criteria for essentiality and the chemical forms of the nutrients absorbed by plant roots are also described.

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Jenevei A. Alejan
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25 views

Module 1 Lesson 4 Essential Elements

The document discusses essential plant nutrients, defining them as elements that are required for plant growth and reproduction according to certain criteria. It lists the 17 elements considered essential, separating them into macro and micronutrients. The criteria for essentiality and the chemical forms of the nutrients absorbed by plant roots are also described.

Uploaded by

Jenevei A. Alejan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Principles Module

of Soil
Science 1
Definition & Composition
of Soils

N P K
Lesson 4:
Essential Nutrients
Ca Mg S

Mn

Elements
Fe B

Zn Cu Mo Cl
Principles Module
of Soil
Science 1
Definition & Composition
of Soils

N P K
Lesson 4:
Essential Nutrients
Ca Mg S

Mn

Elements
Fe B

Zn Cu Mo Cl
Learning outcome

define and enumerate various essential elements

differentiate and enumerate macro and micro nutrients


list down three criteria of essentiality

familiar and learn the ionic form of each nutrient


Among the elements seen in a periodic table, how many
are essential? What does it mean as essential? What are
the reasons to consider?
Essential elements

Essential element is a term often used to identify a plant nutrient. The term
‘nutrient’ implies essentiality, so it is redundant to call these elements
essential nutrients.
Essential elements

Based on the criteria, 17 elements have been considered essential. This includes nine
macronutrients (C, H, O, N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S), which are taken by plants in relatively large
quantities (≥ 0.1% of the plant dry mass), and eight micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo,
B, Cl, Ni), which are taken in relatively smaller amounts (≤ 0.01% of the plant dry mass).

Sources:

C, H, O: incorporated into the plant during photosynthesis

P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mo, B, Cl, Ni: considered as mineral nutrients
since they are absorbed from the soil

N: incorporated into the plant during its biological fixation in the root nodules of
legumes
Criteria of essentiality

In 1939, Daniel Arnon and Perry Stout made an important contribution in the study of
mineral nutrition when they introduced the concept of essentiality of elements. According to
them, an element is considered essential if it satisfies all the criteria below:

1. There is a positive requirement of the element for normal growth or reproduction,


or to complete the plant’s life cycle.
2. The function of the element cannot be replaced by another (i.e. the deficiency
symptom attributed to a particular element cannot be corrected by the addition of
another element).
3. The element has direct or indirect function in plant metabolism.

There are some elements that stimulate growth but do not fulfill Arnon and Stout’s criteria
for essentiality, or which are essential only for certain plant species or group. These
elements are called beneficial nutrients among which include Co, Na, Si, Al, Se, and V.
Mineral elements and their respective year of acceptance as essential (adopted from Allen,
2007)
Chemical symbols and common forms of the essential elements absorbed by plant roots from
soil (Foth, 1990).

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