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MINERAL NUTRITION
INTRODUCTION
The basic needs of all living organisms are essentially the same They
Methods to Study the
require macro-molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and
Mineral Requirements of Plants
water and minerals for their growth and development. This chapter
focuses mainly on inorganic plant nutrition and the mechanism of In 1860, Juliu von Sachs a prominent German botanist demonstrated,
biological nitrogen fixation. for the first time, that plants could be grown to maturity In a
defined nutrient solution in complete absence of soil This technique
of growing plants in a nutrient solution is known as hydroponics.
By this method, essential elements were Identified and their
deficiency symptoms were discovered

S I C S
Criteria for essentiality

The element must be absolutely necessary

P H Y H
The requirement must be specific and not The element must be directly involved in

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for supporting normal growth and reproduction replaceable by another element the metabolism of the plant

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Based upon the above criteria only a few elements have been found to be absolutely essential for plant growth and metabolism. These elements are further divided into two
broad categories based on their quantitative requirements, macronutrients and micronutrients

• They are generally present in plant tissues • Also called trace elements, are needed in

in large amounts (in excess of 10 m mole/kg very small amount (less than 10 m mole kg–1

Macronutrients of dry matter) These include C, H, O. Micronutrients of dry matter)

• N, P, S, K, Ca, Mg • These include Fe, Mn, Cu, Mo, Zn, B, Cl Ni

Essential elements can also be grouped into four broad categories on the basis of their functions These categories are:
(i) Components of biomolecules and structural elements of cells (C. H, O and N)
(ii) Components of energy related chemical compounds in plants (Mg in chlorophyll and P in ATP)
(iii) Activate or inhibit certain enzymes (Mg2+ activates RUBISCO and PEPcase, Zn2+ activate alcohol dehydrogenase and Mo activate nitrogenase)
(iv) Essential elements which alter osmotic potential (K).

Apart from 17 essential elements there are 4 beneficial elements - Na. Si, Co. Se required by higher plants

Role of Macro and Micronutrients

Essential elements perform several functions. They participate in various metabolic processes in the plant cells.
Various forms and functions of essential nutrient elements are given below.

S. No Mineral element Absorbed as Required in Functions

1 Nitrogen All parts of the plants,

NO3-, NO2- or NH4+ particularly meristems Major constituents of proteins, nucleic acids, vitamins and hormones

2 Phosphorus H2PO4- or HPO42- Developing fruits, seeds storage Constituent of cell membrane, certain proteins, all nucleic acids
organs, young meristems
Meristems, buds leaves & root Maintain turgidity of cells, required for opening and dosing of stomata
3 Potassium K+ tips

Meristems and differentiating Required for middle lamella, mitotic spindle and for certain enzymes
4 Calcium Ca2+ Accumulates in older leaves
tissues
Seeds leaves, growing areas of Constituent of ring structure of chlorophyll and helps to maintain ribosome
5 Magnesium Mg2+ root and stem structure

6 Sulphur SO42- Young leaves and meristems Constituent of two amino acids cysteine and methionine and main
constituents of several coenzymes and vitamins
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7 Iron Alt parts of plants Main constituents of ferredoxin and cytochromes. It activates catalase
Fe3+
enzyme and is essential for the formation of chlorophyll

8 Manganese Mn2+ Leaves and seeds The best defined function of manganese is in the splitting of water to liberate
oxygen during photosynthesis

Activates various enzymes especially carboxylase, also needed for auxin

9 Zinc Zn2+ All parts of the plants synthesis

10 Copper Cu2+ All parts of the plants Associated with certain enzymes involved in redox reactions

Required for uptake and utilisation of Ca2+ , membrane functioning, pollen

11 Boron BO32-or B4O72- Leaves and seeds
germination, cell elongation and carbohydrate translocation

12 Molybdenum M0O2+ All parts of plants and Component of nitrogenase and nitrate reductase
commonly in roots

13 Chlorine Cl- All parts of the plants Essentai for water splitting reaction in photosynthesis and for anion and
cation balance m cells

Deficiency Symptoms of Essential Elements

The concentration of the essential element below which plant growth is retarded is termed as critical concentration. The element is said to be deficient when present below the
critical concentration. Due to deficiency of critical elements plants show deficiency |symptoms. The parts of the plants that show the deficiency symptoms also depend on the
mobility of the element m the plant.

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Deficiency symptoms in plants include

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(a) Chlorosis : Due to deficiency of N, K, Mg. S, Fe. Mn. Zn and Mo. (b) Necrosis: Due to deficiency of Ca, Mg. Cu, K

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(c) Inhibition of cell division: Due to deficiency of N, K, S, Mo (d) Delay in flowering: Due to deficiency of N, S, Mo

H
(e) Stunted plant growth

P A H
Mobile Elements

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Immobile Elements

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• Transported from older • Not transported out of the
leaves to younger leaves mature leaves.

A
• Deficiency symptoms first • Deficiency symptoms tend to

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appear in older/senescent appear first in the young
leaves. Example N. K. Mg leaves Example Ca

Toxicity of micronutrients
The requirements of micronutrients is always in low Mechanism of absorption of elements
amounts while their moderate decrease causes the
deficiency symptoms and a moderate increase
cause toxicity. Any mineral ion concentration in In the second
In the first, the
Process of phase the ions
tissues that reduces the dry weight of tissues by rapid uptake of
absorption can be move into
ions is into
about 10 percent is considered toxic. Many times, demarcated into
apoplast. It is
symplast. It
two phases. require energy;
excess of an element may inhibit the uptake of passive
so it I active
another element.
For example, manganese competes with iron and
Mg for uptake and with Mg for binding with enzymes.
The movement of ions is called flux, the inward movement is influx
Mn also inhibits calcium translocation in shoot apex. and the outward movement is efflux

Translocation of solutes Soil as Reservoir of Essential Elements

Mineral salts are translocated through xylem along with the Soil consists of a wide variety of substances Soil not only
ascending stream of water, which is pulled up through supplies minerals but also harbours nitrogen fixing bacteria
plant by transpiration pull
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METABOLISM OF NITROGEN: Nitrogen Cycle

Atmospheric N2

Biological N2 fixation Industrial N2 fixation Electrical N2 fixation Denitrification (Pseudomonas)

Nitrification
Nitrosococcus
NH3 NO2- NO3-
Soil ‘N’ Pool

Nitrosococcus Nitrobacter
Ammonification Uptake

C S
Decaying biomass Plant biomass

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The nitrifying bacteria

S
Animal biomass are chemoautotrophs

P H Y H
BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION

L A
Only certain prokaryotic species are capable of fixing nitrogen Reduction of nitrogen to ammonia by living organisms is called

L
biological nitrogen fixation Enzyme nitrogenase is exclusively present in prokaryotes
N = N Nitrogenae NH3

Bacteria

Azotobacter

Beijerinckia

Bacillus
Nitrogen fixation

Free living

Free living

Free living W A
Aerobic/ anaerobic

Aerobic

Aerobic

Anaerobic
NODULE FORMATION
Nodule formation involves a sequence of multiple interactions between Rhizobium and roots of
host plant. Principal steps in the nodule formation are as follows

• Rhizobia multiply, colonise the surroundings of the roots and get attached to epidermal and root
hair cells Root hair curls and bacteria invade the root hair.
• An infection thread is produced carrying the bacteria into the cortex of the root where they initiate
Clostridium Free living Anaerobic nodule formation in the cortex.
• The nodule thus formed establishes a direct vascular connection with the host for exchange of
Rhodospirillum Free living Anaerobic nutrients.

Anabaena Symbiotic or free ----

Nostoc Symbiotic or free ----

Rhizobium Symbiotic ----

Frankia Symbiotic ----

Rhizobium fixes nitrogen in legumes whereas Frankia in non-leguminous plants

such a Alnus.

Nodule contains nitrogenase Nitrogenase is Mo-Fe protein and highly

To protect nitrogenase nodule contains
sensitive to the molecular oxygen, thus
and leghaemoglobin an oxygen scavenger called laghaemoglobin
requires anaerobic conditions

Rhizobium are Frankia live as aerobes under free living condition but as symbionts during nitrogen fixing events they become anaerobic.

SUBSTRATE [NITROGEN GAS (N2)]

The ammonia synthesis by nitrogenase requires a very high input of
energy 8 ATP for each NH produced. The energy required thus,
is obtained from the respiration of the host cells. Substrate [nitrogen gas(N2)]
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FATE OF AMMONIA
At physiological pH. the ammonia is protonated to form NH+4 ions while most of the
plants can assimilate nitrate as well as ammonia ions, the latter is quite toxic to plants and
hence cannot accumulate in them

REDUCTIVE AMINATION TRANSAMINATION

In this process, ammonia reacts with

It involves transfer of amino group from one
α-ketoglutaric acid and forms glutamic acid
amino acid to the keto group of a koto acid.
n-ketoglutaric acid + + NADPH Glutamate
Glutamic acid is the main amino acid from
which the transfer of amino group takes place

S
α-ketoglutaric acid+NH4+ + NADPH
and other amino acids are formed through

C
glutamate

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Glutamate + H2O + NADP transamination. The enzyme transaminase
Dehydrogenae

S
catalyses this reaction

P H Y H
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The two most important amides Asparagine and glutamine found in plants are a structural part of proteins.

L L
They are formed from two amino acids namely aspartic and glutamic acid respectively

W A
Amides contain more nitrogen than amino acids, they are transported to other parts of the
plant via xylem vessels. Nodules of some plants like soyabean export fixed nitrogen as ureides
(High N : C ratio)