Transcript File

Soil Nutrients and
Fertilizers
Essential Standard 6.00- Explain the role
of nutrients and fertilizers.
Objective 6.01
• Discuss macro and micro nutrients and
the role they play in plant deficiencies.
Plant Nutrients
• Nutrients are elements needed by a plant
to promote healthy tissue, processes, and
growth
• When plants are lacking in nutrients,
deficiencies occur and may exhibit a
number of symptoms
– Stunted appearance
– Pale green or yellow (chlorosis) may develop
initially, but coloring can be related to the
nutrient that is lacking
– General unhealthy appearance
Macro vs Micro Nutrients
• Macro nutrients are required by the
plant in relatively large amounts
• Micro nutrients are required only in
small amounts
– minor or trace elements
Macro nutrients
• Non-mineral
elements
– carbon (C)
– hydrogen (H)
– oxygen (O)
• Primary Nutrients
– Nitrogen (N)
– Phosphorus (P)
– Potassium (K)
• Secondary Nutrients
– calcium (Ca)
– magnesium (Mg)
– sulfur (S)
Micro nutrients
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Iron (Fe)
Copper (Cu)
Zinc (Zn)
Boron (B)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Manganese (Mn)
Chlorine (Cl)
Functions of Nitrogen
• Promotes growth of leaves and stems
• Gives dark green color and improves
quality of foliage
• Necessary to develop cell proteins and
chlorophyll
Nitrogen
• Deficiency symptoms
– sick, yellow-green color
– short stems, small leaves, pale colored
leaves and flowers
– slow and dwarfed plant growth
Nitrogen deficiency
Functions of Phosphorus
• Stimulates early formation and growth
of roots
• Provides for fast and vigorous growth
and speeds maturity
• Stimulates flowering and seed
development
• Necessary for the enzyme action of
many plant processes
Phosphorus
• Deficiency symptoms
– decrease in growth
– slow maturity
– older leaves are purplish color
Phosphorus Deficiency
Functions of Potassium
• Used to form carbohydrates and
proteins
• Formation and transfer of starches,
sugars and oils
• Increases disease resistance, vigor and
hardiness
Potassium
• Deficiency symptoms
– mottled, spotted, streaked or curled leaves
– scorched, burned, dead leaf tips and
margins
Potassium Deficiency
Secondary Nutrients
• Calcium (Ca)
• Magnesium (Mg)
• Sulfur (S)
Functions of Calcium
• Improves plant vigor
• Influences intake and synthesis of other
plant nutrients or elements
• Important part of cell walls
Calcium
• Deficiency symptoms
– small developing leaves
– wrinkled older leaves
– dead stem tips
Calcium Deficiency
Functions of Magnesium
• Influences the intake of other essential
nutrients
• Helps make fats
• Assists in translocation of phosphorus
and fats
Magnesium
• Deficiency symptoms
– Interveinal chlorosis-yellowing of leaves
between green veins
– leaf tips curl or cup upward
– slender, weak stalks
Magnesium Deficiency
Functions of Sulfur
• Promotes root growth and vigorous
vegetative growth
• Essential to protein formation
Sulfur
• Deficiency symptoms
– young leaves are light green with lighter
color veins
– yellow leaves and stunted growth
Sulfur Deficiency
Micro Nutrients
• Also called “trace” elements
• Needed by plants in small amounts
Iron (Fe)
• Functions of Iron
– Essential for chlorophyll production
– Helps carry electrons to mix oxygen with
other elements
• Deficiency symptoms
– mottled and interveinal chlorosis in young
leaves
– stunted growth and slender, short stems
Iron Deficiency
Copper (Cu)
• Functions
– Helps in the use of Iron
– Helps respiration
• Deficiency symptoms
– young leaves are small and permanently
wilt
– multiple buds at stem tip
Copper Deficiency
Zinc (Z)
• Functions
– plant metabolism
– helps form growth hormones
– reproduction
• Deficiency symptoms
– slowed growth between nodes (rosetted)
– new leaves are thick and small
– spotted between veins, discolored veins
Zinc Deficiency
Boron (B)
• Functions
– affects water absorption by roots
– translocation of sugars
• Deficiency Symptoms
– short, thick stem tips
– young leaves of terminal buds are light
green at base
– leaves become twisted and die
Boron Deficiency
Manganese (Mn)
• Functions
– plant metabolism
– nitrogen transformation
• Deficiency symptoms
– interveinal chlorosis
– young leaves die
Manganese Deficiency
Molybdenum (Mo)
• Functions
– plant development
– reproduction
• Deficiency symptoms
– stunted growth
– yellow leaves, upward curling leaves, leaf
margins burn
Molybdenum Deficiency
Chlorine (Cl)
• Functions
– essential to some plant processes
– acts in enzyme systems
• Deficiency symptoms
– usually more problems with too much
chlorine or toxicity than with deficiency
– Chlorine is found in the soil
Chlorine Deficiency