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ROLES OF THE 16
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS IN
CROP DEVELOPMENT
Sixteen plant food nutrients
are essential for proper crop development.
Each is equally important to the plant,
yet each is required in vastly different
amounts. These differences have led to the
grouping of these essential elements into
three categories; primary (macro) nutrients,
secondary nutrients, and micronutrients.
PRIMARY (MACRO)
NUTRIENTS
Primary (macro) nutrients
are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
They are the most frequently required in
a crop fertilization program. Also, they
are need in the greatest total quantity
by plants as fertilizer.
NITROGEN
- Necessary for formation of amino
acids, the building blocks of protein
- Essential for plant cell division,
vital for plant growth
- Directly involved in photosynthesis
- Necessary component of vitamins
- Aids in production and use of carbohydrates
- Affects energy reactions in the plant
PHOSPHORUS
- Involved in photosynthesis, respiration,
energy storage and transfer, cell division,
and enlargement
- Promotes early root formation and
growth
- Improves quality of fruits, vegetables,
and grains
- Vital to seed formation
- Helps plants survive harsh winter
conditions
- Increases water-use efficiency
- Hastens maturity
POTASSIUM
- Carbohydrate metabolism and the break
down and translocation of starches
- Increases photosynthesis
- Increases water-use efficiency
- Essential to protein synthesis
- Important in fruit formation
- Activates enzymes and controls their
reaction rates
- Improves quality of seeds and fruit
- Improves winter hardiness
- Increases disease resistance
SECONDARY NUTRIENTS
The secondary nutrients
are calcium, magnesium, and sulphur. For
most crops, these three are needed in lesser
amounts that the primary nutrients. They
are growing in importance in crop fertilization
programs due to more stringent clean air
standards and efforts to improve the environment.
CALCIUM
- Utilized for Continuous cell division
and formation
- Involved in nitrogen metabolism
- Reduces plant respiration
- Aids translocation of photosynthesis
from leaves to fruiting organs
- Increases fruit set
- Essential for nut development in
peanuts
- Stimulates microbial activity
MAGNESIUM
- Key element of chlorophyll production
- Improves utilization and mobility
of phosphorus
- Activator and component of many plant
enzymes
- Directly related to grass tetany
- Increases iron utilization in plants
- Influences earliness and uniformity
of maturity
SULPHUR
- Integral part of amino acids
- Helps develop enzymes and vitamins
- Promotes nodule formation on legumes
- Aids in seed production
- Necessary in chlorophyll formation
(though it isn’t one of the constituents)
MICRONUTRIENTS
The micronutrients are
boron, chlorine, cooper, iron, manganese,
molybdenum, and zinc. These plant food elements
are used in very small amounts, but they
are just as important to plant development
and profitable crop production as the major
nutrients. Especially, they work "behind
the scene" as activators of many plant
functions.
BORON
- Essential of germination of pollen
grains and growth of pollen tubes
- Essential for seed and cell wall
formation
- Promotes maturity
- Necessary for sugar translocation
- Affects nitrogen and carbohydrate
CHLORINE
- Not much information about its functions
- Interferes with P uptake
- Enhances maturity of small grains
on some soils
COPPER
- Catalyzes several plant processes
- Major function in photosynthesis
- Major function in reproductive stages
- Indirect role in chlorophyll production
- Increases sugar content
- Intensifies color
- Improves flavor of fruits and vegetables
IRON
- Promotes formation of chlorophyll
- Acts as an oxygen carrier
- Reactions involving cell division
and growth
MAGANESE
- Functions as a part of certain enzyme
systems
- Aids in chlorophyll synthesis
- Increases the availability of P and
CA
MOLYBDENUM
- Required to form the enzyme "nitrate
reductase" which reduces nitrates
to ammonium in plant
- Aids in the formation of legume nodules
- Needed to convert inorganic phosphates
to organic forms in the plant
ZINC
- Aids plant growth hormones and enzyme
system
- Necessary for chlorophyll production
- Necessary for carbohydrate formation
- Necessary for starch formation
- Aids in seed formation
In addition to the 13 nutrients
listed above, plants require carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen, which are extracted from air
and water to make up the bulk of plant weight.
Target crops :
All cultivated crops
Dosage and method
of application:-
| Name Of crop |
Dosage |
| All cereals |
3 gms/lit of water ,start 1st foliar
spray after 35 days of planting. Repeat
after 20 days if required. |
| All fruit crops |
3.5 gms/lit of water ,start 1st
foliar spray after 35 days of planting.
Repeat after 20 days if required.
|
| All vegetable crops |
2 gms/lit of water ,start 1st foliar
spray after 35 days of planting. Repeat
after 20 days if required.
|
| All oilseed crops |
3 gms/lit of water ,start 1st foliar
spray after 35 days of planting. Repeat
after 20 days if required. |
| All Pulses |
3 gms/lit of water ,start 1st foliar
spray after 35 days of planting. Repeat
after 20 days if required. |
| All plantation crops, like Tea coffee, |
4 gms/lit of water ,start 1st foliar
|
| sugarcane |
spray after 35 days of planting.
Repeat after 20 days if required. |
| Flowers |
1gm/lit of water ,start 1st foliar
spray after 35 days of planting. Repeat
after 20 days if required. |
Packing Details:
| Quantum in Container
|
Nature of Packing |
| 4 Kg |
Plastic Jar |
| 1Kg |
Plastic Bottle |
| 500ml/gm |
n/a |
| 250ml/gm |
n/a |
| 100ml/gm |
n/a |
| 50ml/gm |
n/a |
| others |
n/a |
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