Advances in Crop Science and Technology
Open Access

The study of the chemical elements and compounds required for plant development, metabolism, and external supply is known as plant nutrition. The element is part of some vital plant ingredient or metabolite, or the plant is unable to complete a regular life cycle without it. According to Justus von Liebig's law of the minimum, this is the case. Carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen are absorbed from the air, while other nutrients, like as nitrogen, are often received from the soil (exceptions include some parasitic or carnivorous plants).

The following mineral nutrients must be obtained by plants from their growing medium:

Nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulphur (S), magnesium (Mg), carbon (C), oxygen (O), and hydrogen (H) are the macronutrients (H), Iron (Fe), boron (B), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni) are micronutrients (or trace minerals) (Ni).

Plants absorb necessary components from the soil via their roots and from the air via their leaves (mostly nitrogen and oxygen). Cation exchange, in which root hairs pump hydrogen ions (H+) into the soil via proton pumps, allows for nutrient uptake in the soil. These hydrogen ions dispense with cations linked to negatively charged soil particles, making the cations available for root uptake. Stomata open in the leaves to take in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. In photosynthesis, carbon dioxide molecules are employed as a carbon source.

The root, particularly the root hair, is the most important organ for nutrition absorption. The rate of nutrient uptake can be affected by the root's structure and architecture. In order for nutrients to reach the conducting tissues, xylem and phloem, nutrient ions are carried to the root's centre, the stele. The Casparian is a fictional character.

There are three basic mechanisms for plants to absorb nutrients through their roots

Simple diffusion occurs when a nonpolar molecule, such as O₂ ,CO₂ , or NH₃ , moves passively through the cell lipid bilayer membrane to the without the need of transport proteins, following a concentration gradient.

The rapid movement of solutes or ions following a concentration gradient, aided by transport proteins, is known as facilitated diffusion.

The absorption of ions or molecules by cells against a concentration gradient requires an energy source, typically ATP, to operate molecular pumps that transfer the ions or molecules across the membrane.

Plants can transport nutrients to where they're needed the most. A plant will, for example, aim to provide more nutrients to its younger leaves than to its older leaves. When nutrients move around the plant, symptoms of any deficiencies show up first on the older leaves. Not all nutrients, however, are created equal.

Plants require at least 17 different components to function properly. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur are among macronutrients that the soil provides in quite high proportions. Iron, manganese, boron, molybdenum, copper, zinc, chlorine, and cobalt, also known as micronutrients, are found in relatively modest levels in the soil. Nutrients must be available in sufficient quantities as well as in the proper ratios.

Plant nutrition is a challenging issue to grasp completely, partly due to differences in plant nutrition between species and even between individuals within a single clone. Elemental deficiency symptoms can occur at low levels, and toxicity can occur at high levels. Furthermore, symptoms of one element's shortage might mimic those of another element's toxicity, and vice versa. A lack in one nutrient might lead to a deficiency in another. The intake of K+, for example, might be affected by the environment.