Today, most of the farmers know that it takes more than just three nutrients (Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus) for the nourishment of plants. However not everyone is familiar with all the other elements needed for plants to reach their full potential.
Essential nutrients required for plants can be divided into three categories:
- Atmospheric Elements
- Macronutrients
- Micronutrients
Each of the nutrients plays a vital role in the growth and development of plants. So, now let’s look at the benefits of these nutrients and get a better understanding of what farmers and gardeners might be looking for.
- Atmospheric Elements
Atmospheric elements are absorbed by the plants from air and water. These are as follows:
- Oxygen: Oxygen intake is necessary for plants for normal respiration. Generally, plants take in oxygen at night and release it at daylight during photosynthesis.
- Carbon: It is a major component of photosynthesis, the process where the plants convert the energy from the sun into a carbohydrate molecule. Plants use carbon to grow.
- Hydrogen: It plays an important role in the process of photosynthesis, growth, and energy production.
As plants get atmospheric nutrients from water and air, there is very little that gardeners and farmers can do to control how much of these nutrients a plant can use.
2. Macronutrients
Macronutrients are found in most of the starter fertilizers in soil. These are as follows:
- Nitrogen: It is an essential component of photosynthesis. It acts as a building block of RNA, DNA, and proteins needed for plants. It is crucial during the time of rapid growth.
- Phosphorus: It is a core element of nucleic acids and helps in regulating protein synthesis. It is vital for energy transformation, the division of cells, and tissue production.
- Potassium: It regulates carbon dioxide via opening and closing of stomata during the process of photosynthesis. It also helps in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is an essential component for the development of plants.
- Calcium: It is needed for the cell wall production of plants. It also stimulates microbial activity.
- Magnesium: It aids in seed formation and is a key element of chlorophyll production. It also increases iron utilization in plants.
- Sulfur: It produces chlorophyll and is an integral part of amino acids. It also helps to develop vitamins and enzymes.
- 3. Micronutrients
Micronutrients are as important as macronutrients but are only needed in smaller quantity. These are as follows:
- Cobalt is essential for the correct biologic assimilation of symbiotic fixers of atmospheric nitrogen. It intervenes in the metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins and their participation in diverse enzymatic systems and formation of roots.
- Nickel — required to complete the life cycle of the plant and the viable seed. Stimulates the germination and growth of diverse crops, as well as being essential for the growth of a great number of bacteria, in ruction of the urea enzime, catalyst of hydrolysis in the urea and required by plants and legumes.
- Iron: It acts as an oxygen carrier and promotes the formation of chlorophyll. It reduces nitrate, and sulfate, and thus helps in energy production.
- Manganese: It functions as a part of some enzyme systems and produces chlorophyll. It also promotes cell growth and pathogen resistance in the root zone.
- Zinc: It is one of the most important components needed for chlorophyll production. Zinc boosts enzyme system and plant growth hormones.
- Boron: It regulates plants metabolism and is essential for sugar translocation, seed, and cell wall formation.
- Copper: It helps in metabolism of carbohydrates, nitrogen, and proteins. Copper also intensifies the color of plants and plays a major role in the process of photosynthesis.
- Molybdenum: It is needed for enzyme formation ‘nitrate reductase’ which reduces nitrates in plant.
- Chlorine: It plays a key role in the opening and closing of the stomata. It also enhances maturity of small grains on some soils.
- Selenium: It participates in the protein synthesis.
- Silicon: A quasi-essential element that participates improving the resistance to sickness in plants that can be accumulated in the cellular wall, making it harder for the penetration of pathogen agents.
- Essential sodium in grasses that perform the photosynthesis via C4 in halophytes plants, as well as some crops with abilities of substitution by K and Na in production.
In addition to the above-mentioned nutrients, you can also use ‘Fulvic Acid’ which is an incredible natural compound that helps in advanced nutrient absorption, cellular metabolism, and nutrient transportation with a synergistic effect in the fertilizers you already use.
For more information
Get the best fulvic acid to boost soil fertility and plant health at Fitochem. We provide high-quality of fulvic acid that enhances and transports nutrients, making them an ideal choice for fertilization under all kinds of pH media.