Essential Mineral Elements: Definition, Functions, Absorption, Deficiency & Solved Questions

Essential mineral elements refer to a group of nutrients that include both micronutrients and macronutrients which are consumed by plants and animals for their growth and development. The minerals are found in soil, water or food that humans or plants consume. Essentially, the source of minerals for plants is soil and water and for humans and animals, the plants act as the source. Various minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, carbon, etc. contribute immensely to the overall survival and further development of plants as well as animals. The plant tissues such as the xylem and the human cells and tissues perform this very significant function of absorbing the nutrients from their sources and transporting them across the plant and the human body. 

Key Takeaways: Mineral Elements, Absorption, Magnesium, Micro Minerals, Macro Minerals, Iron, Xylem, Phloem, Deficiency, Macronutrients, Micronutrients, Growth, Development

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What are Mineral Elements?

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Mineral elements are the inorganic elements that serve to be an essential part of our balanced diet. There are almost 105 mineral elements that are present across the globe, some minerals are a part of micronutrients and others are included within the category of macronutrients. All kinds of mineral elements are important for the overall growth and development of the living species. Plants are known to absorb approx. 60 to 65 minerals on the daily basis, as these minerals are the major part of their diet. One of the most significant techniques associated with this concept of mineral intake is Hydroponics. Under this technique, the plants are grown in a liquid medium that is also enriched in nutrients. However, scientists have found that different minerals have different functions to perform, some minerals are less important due to their less efficient behaviour, whereas, some minerals are more important.

Essential Mineral Elements

Also Check: Difference Between Hydroponics and Aeroponics

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Criteria For Determining Essential Mineral Elements

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Some of the criteria for determining essential mineral elements are mentioned below:

• Phosphorus and Magnesium come in the category of essential minerals as they perform the significant functions of reproduction, growth and development.
• The life cycle of plants and trees is mainly supported by the transfer of minerals from the soil to the tissues of the plants. The mineral ions absorbed in the soil are mainly transported across.
• Problems like stunted growth, cell senescence, insufficient chlorophyll, etc. mainly result from the deficiency of minerals like iron, copper, nitrogen, sulphur, etc.
• Minerals like Potassium, Sodium and Magnesium play a significant role in the metabolism of plants.
• The quality of the plants, fruits, vegetables and flowers essentially depends upon the minerals like Potassium and so on.

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Essential Mineral Elements in Plants

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Minerals are classified into the categories of Macro minerals and Micro minerals. This categorization is based on the efficiency of the minerals as well as their relative requirements.

• Macro Minerals: These are the minerals that are required in large amounts. Some of the macro minerals are Phosphorous, hydrogen, sodium, nitrogen, potassium, silicon, magnesium, calcium, oxygen, selenium, carbon and sulphur.
• Micro Minerals: These are the minerals that are required in small amounts and are also known as trace elements. Some of the micro minerals are Iron, boron, nickel, manganese, copper, zinc, cobalt, chlorine, molybdenum.

Also Check: Potassium, Nitrogen, Calcium and Magnesium

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Absorption of Mineral Elements in Plants

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The mineral elements are absorbed by the plants from the soil and the water by the following two mechanisms.

• Passive Mineral Absorption – The absorption of minerals through the process of simple diffusion comes under this category. It mainly occurs along the concentration gradient and does not demand much energy.
• Active Mineral Absorption – Under this mechanism, a significant amount of energy is required for absorption that too against the concentration gradient.

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Functions of Mineral Elements in Plants

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Mineral Elements perform various functions in plants, such as

• The Formation of the Body of a Plant – The cell of the plants along with the protoplasm contains multiple elements in it which are very significant for the formation of plant’s body. For instance, nitrogen and sulphur are the minerals that are found in proteins, phosphorus is found in nucleic acids, magnesium is found in chlorophyll and iron is present in cytochromes.
• Osmotic Potential of Cells – The osmotic potential of plant cells is mainly determined by the presence of mineral elements in the cell sap.
• Acidity and the Buffer Action – The Ph levels of the cell sap is determined by the absorbed minerals by the plants.
• Catalytic Effects – The mineral elements like zinc, copper, etc, are responsible for influencing the catalytic effect in the plants.
• Balancing effect – The ionic balance has to be maintained within the plant’s body by neutralizing the effects of other minerals, this is mainly done by calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc.
• Phloem Transport – The translocation of the organic substances in the phloem is mainly regulated by minerals like boron and potassium, making them essentially important.

Minerals Required for Growth of Plants

Also Check: Difference Between Diffusion and Osmosis

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Deficiency Symptoms of Essential Elements

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The essential mineral elements are directly responsible for the growth and the development of the plants. Any deficiency in those terms leads to multiple disabilities for the plants, such as critical concentration that occurs due to the concentration of essential elements below which the growth of the plant is retarded.

There are various types of morphological changes as well which are seen in plants due to the deficiency of certain minerals. The prolonged changes might also lead to the death of the plant. Cell senescence is another important deficiency disease that is seen in plants due to inadequate amounts of minerals.

Simultaneously, it is also seen that the deficiency of certain minerals like nitrogen, potassium, etc. is firstly seen in the comparatively older leaves than the newer ones. However, over the period of time, this spreads to the other parts of the plants as well. Some of the deficiency symptoms and associated diseases are mentioned below.

• Chlorosis (loss of chlorophyll) occurs due to the lack of N, K, S, Fe, Mg, Mo, Mn and Zn.
• Necrosis (tissue death, particularly leaf tissue) occurs due to the lack of Ca, Mg, K and Cu.
• Inhibition of cell division occurs due to the lack of N, K, S, and Mo.
• Delayed flowering occurs due to the low levels of N, S, Mo.

Also Check: Difference Between Apoptosis and Necrosis

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Things to Remember

• The minerals, whether, macro or micro, are very significant for the formation, development and growth of the plants.
• Mainly, the minerals are absorbed by the xylem from the soil and transported by the phloem across different plant organs.
• The essential mineral elements are known to have cations and anions which are responsible for affecting the permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane in the plants.
• The deficiency of any kind of minerals in the plants causes serious problems such as plant retardation, cell senescence, or maybe the death of the plants.
• Over a period of time, this deficiency can be overcome on its own with the efficient transfer of minerals like magnesium, iron, etc. from the soil and the water.

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