Biology - Mineral Nutrition: Importance, Types, Symptoms

Mineral nutrition refers to inorganic nutrients found naturally in the soil and deep underground, as well as food required for the normal functioning of animal and plant bodies. Nutrients serve a variety of purposes in plant cells and participate in a variety of metabolic processes. Minerals are stored in the soil. Soil, in addition to minerals, contains water and air, as well as useful microbes such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

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Key Takeaways

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Minerals, Nutrition, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Essentials, Deficiency, Soil, Plant cell, microbes

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Importance of Nutrients

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Following are some important points

• Some salts or minerals counterbalance the negative effects of other nutrients, allowing their activities to be balanced.
• To regulate the organic pressure of the cell, there are many mineral cell saps that are present in either organic or inorganic form.
• The pH of the cell sap is influenced by various anions and cations from various nutrients.
• Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen are components that enter protoplasm and contribute to the formation of the plant body's wall.
• In various metabolic reactions, nutrients including zinc, magnesium, calcium, and copper act as metallic catalysts.
• In some situations, minerals such as arsenic and copper can be harmful to protoplasm.

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The following are the factors for determining whether or not a nutrient is essential:

• That element's role should be critical to the plant's growth and development. The plant should not be able to finish its life cycle or set seeds without that ingredient.
• The element's function should be directly involved in the plant's metabolism.
• The need for that specific element should be unique and irreplaceable by any other. In other words, the deficit of one element cannot be compensated by the addition of another element.

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Macronutrients and Micronutrients

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There are a total of 17 fundamental elements that meet the above-mentioned conditions. On the basis of the plant's requirements, they are separated into two categories: macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients

1. Macronutrients are found in large (macro) quantities in plant tissues (more than 10mmole/kg dry matter).
2. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphate, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are examples of macronutrients. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are taken up from CO2 and H2O, while the rest is taken up from the soil.

Examples of macronutrients

• Nitrogen - Nitrogen is found in nucleic acids, proteins, and hormones, as well as several coenzymes and ATP. All plant parts, particularly meristematic tissues and active cells, require this element.
• Magnesium - Mg2+ is how plants get it. Photosynthesis, respiration, and RNA and DNA synthesis are all aided by this element. With the help of this ingredient, the ribosome structure is maintained.
• Sulfur - Sulfur is obtained in the form of SO43+ in plant tissues. Sulfur is a major component of vitamins, coenzymes, and proteins, and it can be found in two amino acids.
• Calcium - Plants take calcium in the form of Ca2+ ions. In the middle lamella, the element is used to make calcium pectate, which is then used to make the cell wall. It's also involved in cell membrane function and metabolic activity regulation.

Micronutrients

1. Micronutrients are required in very small (micro) quantities (less than 10mmole/kg dry matter). As a result, they're also known as trace elements.
2.  Iron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, chlorine, nickel, zinc, and boron are all micronutrients.

Examples of micronutrients

• Copper - Copper is absorbed as Cu2+ ions by plant tissue. Plants require this component for general metabolic processes. Furthermore, the element aids in the management of glucose and nitrogen.
• Zinc - Zn2+ ions are absorbed by plants as the element zinc. Zinc is required for the synthesis of tryptophan, phosphorus metabolism, and carbohydrates.
• Manganese - This element is required for photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, and respiration. Chlorophyll production and nitrogen metabolism activation are both dependent on this mineral.
• Boron - Boron is obtained by the plants as BO33- or B4O72-. Boron is used in membrane functioning, cell differentiation, pollen germination, glucose transfer, and many other processes.
• Chlorine - Chlorine is absorbed by plants as Cl– ions. The element is important for water splitting in the photosynthetic reaction and aids in determining solute concentration.

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Symptoms of Essential Elements Deficiency

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A plant's growth is slowed when it receives insufficient amounts of an important mineral. The 'critical concentration' of an essential element is the level below which a plant's growth is slowed. The plant is deemed to be deficient in that element if it falls below this concentration.

Plant morphological alterations indicate deficiencies. These are referred to as 'deficiency symptoms.' These symptoms vary by mineral and go away after adequate levels are delivered. However, if the deficit persists, the plant will die.

The part of the plant that reveals the effect of the deficit is determined by the mineral's mobility. For example, nitrogen, potassium, and magnesium deficiencies first show in older leaves before being mobilised to younger leaves. Deficiency symptoms can be seen in plants in the following ways:

• Lack of N, K, S, Fe, Mg, Mo, Mn, and Zn causes chlorosis (the loss of chlorophyll).
• Lack of Ca, Mg, K, and Cu causes necrosis (tissue death, notably in leaf tissue).
• Lack of N, K, S, and Mo causes cell division to be inhibited.
• Low amounts of N, S, and Mo cause flowering to be delayed.

 Lack of one element can produce several symptoms, or a deficiency in multiple elements can induce the same symptoms. Fertilisers are used to address mineral shortages that impact crop output. Fertilisers must contain both macro and micronutrients.

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Things to Remember

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Following are some important points:

• A nutrient is a material that the body needs to thrive and develop. Furthermore, essential nutrients are nutrients that are required for life.
• Living creatures do not produce mineral nutrients.
• Mineral nutrients are obtained by plants from the soil, and by humans and animals from food sources and external food sources derived from plants and animals.
• Macronutrients are nutrients that need to be consumed in significant quantities, such as 10mmole Kg–1 or more.
• Micronutrients must be consumed in amounts less than 10mmole Kg–1. Iron, nickel, manganese, copper, molybdenum, boron, zinc, and chlorine are among the eight components that make up this compound.