Upload Now
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Here is a list of essential soil nutrients.
1. Nitrogen:
a. N is an essential constituent of proteins and many other compounds.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
b. It involves in plant metabolic activities.
c. N is an integral part of chlorophyll, which is required for photosynthesis.
d. N imparts vigorous vegetative growth and dark green colour to plants.
e. It governs the utilization of K, P and other elements.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Deficiency of N:
a. Stunted growth of plants.
b. Yellowing or chlorosis of older leaves, the upper leaves remain green.
c. Under severe N deficiency, lower leaves will turn brown and die.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
d. Necrosis begins at the tip of leaf and progress along the midrib until the leaf is dead.
e. Young leaves turn pale yellow and old leaves become orange (cauliflower).
d. Veins become yellow and new leaves are very small (coffee).
e. Stem becomes purple and hard. Flower buds become yellow (tomato).
2. Phosphorus:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Functions of P:
a. Phosphorus plays a vital role in energy storage and transfer.
b. It is a constituent of nucleic acid, phytin and phospholipids.
c. It is essential for cell division and development.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
d. Stimulates early root growth and development.
e. Decreases lodging.
f. Essential for seed formation.
g. Improves the activity of Rhizobia thus increasing the formation of root nodules in legumes.
Deficiency of P:
a. P is mobile in plants. Translocation occurs from older tissues to the active meristematic regions under P deficiency.
b. Reduction in total N of plants as it arrests metabolic activities of plants.
c. Reduced sugar content of plants.
d. Premature falling of leaves.
e. Bluish green colour leaves.
f. Necrotic area on leaf petiole and fruit.
3. Potassium:
Functions of K:
a. Essential for photosynthesis.
b. It is required for the plants to with stand adverse climatic conditions.
c. Reduces lodging in cereals.
d. Regulates opening and closing of stomata.
e. Regulates movement of ions within the plants.
f. Involves in activation of enzymes and enzyme synthesis.
g. Regulates water balance within the plants.
Deficiency of K:
a. Stunted growth of plants.
b. Shortening of internodes leading to bushy appearance of plants.
c. Yellowing of leaves (chlorosis).
d. Marginal scorching of leaves.
e. Dark brown leaf tip and bluish green leaf blades (rice).
f. Deficiency occurs in the margin and bottom of leaves (banana).
g. Leaves are yellow with brown spots, uneven ripening of fruits (grapes).
4. Calcium:
Functions of Ca:
a. It is a constituent of cell wall.
b. Promotes root elongation and development.
c. Involves in translocation of sugar.
d. Involves in stability of chromosome.
e. Encourages seed production.
f. Involves in activation of enzymes (phosphate and kinase).
g. Binds DNA to protein molecules.
Deficiency of Ca:
a. Deficiency is observed in younger leaves as it is immobile in plants.
b. Cell may become rigid and brittle.
c. Folding of young leaves (cereals).
d. Young leaves of terminal buds dieback at the tip and margins.
e. Short, stubby and brown roots.
f. Deficiency causes acidity of soil leading to P fixation.
5. Magnesium:
Functions of Mg:
a. Constituent of chlorophyll and structural component in ribosomes.
b. Helps in stabilizing ribosome configuration for protein synthesis.
c. Activates phosphorylating enzymes in carbohydrate metabolism.
d. Acts as a cofactor for certain enzymes other than Po4 transfer enzyme.
e. Imparts dark green colour in leaves.
f. Helps to increase oil content of oil seed crops.
g. Helps in regulating the uptake of other nutrients.
Deficiency of Mg:
a. Interveinal chlorosis of leaf.
b. Brittle, wrinkled and distortion of leaves.
c. Reddening of leaves in cotton (lower leaves).
d. Chlorosis with interveinal mottling in older leaves while the other vascular tissues remain green (puckering in brassica).
6. Sulphur:
a. Essential for synthesis of amino acids (cystine, cysteine and methionine) and other metabolites including Co-enzyme A., Biotin, Thiamin and Glutothione.
b. Essential for synthesis of chlorophyll.
c. It is a vital part of ferredoxins i.e., Fe – S – protein occurring in the chloroplasts.
d. Responsible for the characteristic odour and taste of mustard, onion and Garlic.
e. Improves oil content in oilseed crops.
f. Promote root growth and seed formation.
g. Promote nodule formation in legumes.
Deficiency of Sulphur:
a. Stunted growth.
b. Deficiency commences first at younger leaves.
c. Poor seed setting in rapeseed.
d. Yellowing in tea.
7. Iron:
Functions of Iron:
a. Synthesis of chlorophyll.
b. Structural component of cytochromes, hematin, hemes, ferrichrome and hemoglobin which are involved in oxidation-reduction process in respiration and photosynthesis.
c. Component of flavoproteins like FMN (Flavin mono nucleotides) and FAD (Flavin Adinosine Dinucleotide).
d. Structural component of ferredoxins.
e. Constituent of cytochrome oxidase, catalase, nitrogenase enzymes.
Deficiency of Iron:
a. It occurs in calcareous or alkaline soils and water logged soils.
b. Deficiency occurs in younger leaves as Fe is immobile in plants.
c. Interveinal chlorosis in younger leaves.
d. Entire leaf turns yellow colour in severe cases.
8. Manganese:
a. Essential for chlorophyll formation.
b. Involves in photosynthesis.
c. It is a substitute for Mg2+ in many of the phosphorylating and group transfer reactions.
d. Involves in oxidation – reduction process in decarboxylation and hydrolysis reactions.
e. Involves in enzyme systems and various enzymatic reactions in citric acid cycle.
Deficiency of Mn:
a. Deficiency occurs in younger leaves as it is immobile in plants.
b. Interveinal chlorosis in-
i. Oats – Grey specks
ii. Peas – Marshy spot
iii. Sugarbeet – Speckled yellow
iv. Sugar cane – Pahala blight (midrib pale green and white)
c. Deficiency increases aspartic acid and decreases glutamine content
d. Increases respiration.
9. Zinc:
Functions of Zn:
a. Helps in reproduction of certain plants.
b. Stabilize ribosomal fractions.
c. Influence the activity of dehydrogenase enzymes.
d. Involves in auxin metabolism (tryptophan synthetase).
e. Essential for the formation of growth hormones.
Deficiency of Zn:
a. Light yellow or white areas between the veins of leaves (older leaves).
b. Influence the production of growth hormones in plants.
c. Mal formation of fruits.
d. Paddy- Khaira.
e. Cotton – White bud (or) little leaf.
f. Citrus- Mottle leaf.
g. Potato- Fern leaf.
h. Fruit trees- Rosette.
10. Copper:
Functions of Copper:
a. Constituent of chlorophyll.
b. Essential for the synthesis of vitamin A.
c. Acts as an electron carrier in oxidation – reduction reactions.
d. Acts as a catalyst in respiration.
Deficiency of Copper:
a. Chlorosis, withering and distortion of terminal buds.
b. Dead tissue appears along the tips and edges of leaves.
c. Multiple bud formation in the leaf axil and mal formation of leaves.
d. Cracking of fruits and terminal bud die back in Guava.
11. Boron:
Functions of Boron:
a. Essential for synthesis of proteins and amino acids.
b. Essential for nodule formation in legumes.
c. Plays a vital role in new cell development (meristematic tissue).
d. Involves in translocation of sugars, starches, N and P.
e. Role in pollination, fruit/seed setting.
f. Plays a role in regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.
Deficiency of Boron:
a. Deficiency occurs in terminal bud growth as it is immobile.
b. Thickened and curled leaves.
c. Sterility and mal formation of reproductive organs.
d. Discoloration, cracking or rotting of fruit, tubers or roots (Apple).
e. Brown heart/black heart (weeping disease) in cotton.
f. Empty pods in ground nut.
12. Molybdenum:
Functions of Mo:
a. Structural component of nitrogenase enzyme.
b. Essential component of nitrate reductase.
c. Essential for absorption and translocation of Fe in plants.
d. Influences the activity of various amino acids in plants.
Deficiency of Mo:
a. Inhibition of flower formation.
b. Reduction in the process of symbiotic and non-symbiotic N fixation.
c. Cauliflower – Whip tail.
13. Chlorine:
a. Plays a role in disease resistance by increasing osmotic pressure in cell sap.
b. Essential for biochemical reactions.
c. Act as a counter ion during rapid K fluxes.
Deficiency of CI:
a. Loss of turgidity.
b. Partial wilting of plants.
c. Necrosis.
d. Bronzing of leaf.
e. Reduction in growth of plants.
14. Cobalt:
a. Deficiency occurs in calcareous and peaty soils.
b. Involves in leg hemoglobin metabolism.
c. It helps in the formation of vitamin B12.
d. Improves growth, transpiration and photosynthesis.
15. Vanadium:
a. Vanadium is beneficial for growth of microorganisms in low concentration.
b. Involves in oxidation reduction reactions.
c. It substitutes for Mo in N fixation by Rhizobium.
16. Nickel:
a. Essential for N metabolism.
b. Metal component of urease which catalyze the reaction for producing NH3.
c. High concentration of Ni may induce Zn or Fe deficiency.
d. Improves weight of nodules and yield of crops.
17. Sodium:
a. Helps in opening of stomata.
b. Influences nitrate reductase activity.
c. Essential for maintaining turgor and growth of plants.
d. Helps in accumulation of oxalic acid in plants.
18. Silica:
a. Contributes structure of cell wall.
b. Helps in inducing drought tolerance and disease resistance in crops.
c. Regulates photosynthesis.
d. Helps to achieve higher sucrose production in sugarcane through deactivation of invertase enzyme activity.
Comments are closed.