Plant Nutrition
Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements that are necessary for plant growth. There are several principles that apply to plant nutrition. Some elements are directly involved in plant metabolism. However, this principle does not account for the so-called beneficial elements, whose presence, while not required, has clear positive effects on plant growth.
A nutrient that is able to limit plant growth according to Liebig's law of the minimum, is considered an essential plant nutrient if the plant cannot complete its full life cycle without it. There are 17 essential plant nutrients.
Macronutrients:
- N = Nitrogen
- P = Phosphorus
- K = Potassium
- Ca = Calcium
- Mg = Magnesium
- S = Sulfur
- Si = Silicon
Micronutrients (trace levels) include:
- Cl = Chlorine
- Fe = Iron
- B = Boron
- Mn = Manganese
- Na = Sodium
- Zn = Zinc
- Cu = Copper
- Ni= Nickel
- Mo = Molybdenum
Read more about this topic: Nutrition
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