Plant Nutrition Introduction

The plants upon which we depend for the food we eat, and for the oxygen we breathe, depend in turn upon the soil. A good soil supplies the plants with the mineral elements they use. Vigorous, highly productive plants can be grown in solutions of fertilizer minerals in the absence of soil.

Mineral nutrition thus comprises the study of low plants obtain mineral elements (either through water, air or soil) and utilize them for their growth and development.

It is through the roots that the components of the soil are made available and useful to plants. Root-soil relations are intricate and poorly understood and we need to know more about roots and their relations with soil. Since the elements are necessary to growth and reproduction, they are termed as 'essential elements'. By 'water culture', it is possible to determine which elements are essential and which are non-essential. This method also indicates the symptoms that arise from deficiency of the element. The essential elements most commonly used and added to the soil in the form of fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These are the major nutrients.

This chapter has a significant value for agricultural scientist. The precise mineral composition of plants is of great importance, in the sense, particularly when a plant is considered as a food source. Plant's composition indicates the fertility of soil in which it is grown. This is of significant value for the agricultural scientist. If we know the source, functions and deficiency symptoms of any element we can restore the fertility of soil and produce high yield of crops. This can eradicate starvation on earth.