Essential Plant Nutrients

A vital nutrient must be reduced to its simplest form before it can be utilized by a plant. Either a positively charged ion (cation) or a negatively charged ion must be present in the form of the nutrition (anion). Organic substances, such as those found in manure or dead leaves, must first be converted into their elemental or ionic forms before a plant may utilize them.

Additionally, even if an element is present in large concentrations in the soil, plants cannot utilize it if it is not in the right form (a certain ion). For instance, the presence of iron (Fe) in the soil does not guarantee that the plant will have access to sufficient amounts of the right iron ions, Fe2+ or Fe3+.

Almost all of the necessary nutrients are absorbed by plants through their roots. The stomata, or leaf pores, through which carbon is absorbed, are the exception. The following two kinds of soil-dwelling organisms enhance the roots’ uptake of nutrients

• Mineralization is the process by which microorganisms, sometimes known as microbes, convert organic substances into inorganic compounds.
• By enlarging the roots and boosting soil-to-root contact, fungi help some plants absorb phosphorus.

The naturally inorganic nutrients found in food and soil that are necessary for the healthy operation of an animal or plant’s body are known as minerals.
Minerals are essential to human survival. Micronutrients, such as boron, copper, and others, are needed by plants in tiny amounts, whereas macronutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are needed in larger quantities.