TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Certification –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Dedication   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Acknowledgments –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

Table of Contents   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         v

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction – –         –         –         –         –         –         –         1

CHAPTER TWO

2.1     Plant Nutrition       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         3

2.2     Processes of Nutrient Uptake in Plant  –         –         –         –         5

2.3     Mobility of Plant Nutrient         –         –         –         –         –         8

2.4     Nutrient Deficiency in Plant      –         –         –         –         –         9

2.4.1  Macronutrients       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         10

2.4.2  Micronutrients       –         –         –         –         –         –         –         13

2.5     Toxicity of Plant Nutrient          –         –         –         –         –         14

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     Roles of Potassium, Sodium and Iron in plant Nutrition –  16

3.1     Role of Potassium  –         –         –         –         –         –         16

3.2     Role of Sodium     –         –         –         –         –         –         17

3.3     Role of Iron –         –         –         –         –         –         –         19

CHAPTER FOUR: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

4.1     Summary     –         –         –         –         –         –         –         21

4.2     Conclusion  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         22

References

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     Introduction

Plants, like all other living things, need food for their growth and development. Plants require 16 essential elements. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are derived from the atmosphere and soil water. The remaining 13 essential elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, molybdenum, and chlorine) are supplied either from soil minerals and soil organic matter or by organic or inorganic fertilizers. For plants to utilize these nutrients efficiently, light, heat, and water must be adequately supplied. Cultural practices and control of diseases and insects also play important roles in crop production. Each type of plant is unique and has an optimum nutrient range as well as a minimum requirement level. Below this minimum level, plants start to show nutrient deficiency symptoms. Excessive nutrient uptake can also cause poor growth because of toxicity. Therefore, the proper amount of application and the placement of nutrients is important. Soil and plant tissue tests have been developed to assess the nutrient content of both the soil and plants. By analyzing this information, plant scientists can determine the nutrient need of a given plant in a given soil. In addition to the levels of plant-available nutrients in soils, the soil pH plays an important role in nutrient availability and elemental toxicity (Silva and Uchida, 2000).