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Principal nutrientsNitrogen (N)Phosphorus (P)Potassium (K)
Secondary nutrientsCalcium (Ca)Magnesium (Mg)Sulfur (S)
Soil Chemistry and Plant Nutrients
Image: Jon Davis, author of this presentation (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Plants use soil nutrients to construct
• DNA and RNA: nitrogen, phosphorus)• Proteins: nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) • Many other metabolites (lots of elements) – i.e. chlorophyll, anti-herbivorous chemicals
Note: Plants use K (potassium) to regulate numerous metabolic processes and membrane permeability
Micronutrients in organic moleculesMagnesium in Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is the green pigment, within chloroplasts, within cells, within a leaf
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/76944491@N00/2590848826/ by Melvin Pao. License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chlorophyll_a.svg by David Richfield. License: Public Domain
• The principal nutrients N: Nitrogen P: Phosphorus K: Potassium• Provided together in fertilizers• e.g., 15-15-15: the proportions of the element N and the
proportions of the oxides of P and Q
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iita-media-library/8144240712/ by IITA image Library (CC BY-NC 2.0)