Nutrients important for plant growth

Plant nutrition is the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth, plant metabolism and their external supply

Plants must obtain the following mineral nutrients from the growing media:

• the primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K)
• the three secondary macronutrients: calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg)
• the micronutrients/trace minerals: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni)

There are three fundamental ways plants uptake nutrients through the root:

1. simple diffusion, occurs when a nonpolar molecule, such as O₂, CO₂, and NH₃ follows a concentration gradient, moving passively through the cell lipid bilayer membrane without the use of transport proteins.
2. facilitated diffusion, is the rapid movement of solutes or ions following a concentration gradient, facilitated by transport proteins.
3. Active transport, is the uptake by cells of ions or molecules against a concentration gradient; this requires an energy source, usually ATP, to power molecular pumps that move the ions or molecules through the membrane