Hort 1 – Objective 24.01
Nutrients
B. Functions of nutrients &
symptoms of deficiencies
1.Primary nutrients
a. Nitrogen
1.Functions:
a)Promotes growth of leaves &
stems
b) Gives dark green color &
improves quality of foliage
c) Necessary to develop cell
proteins & chlorophyll
2) Deficiency symptoms:
a) sick, yellow-green color
b) Short stems, small leaves,
pale colored leaves & flowers
c) Slow & dwarfed plant
growth
b. Phosphorus
1) functions:
a) Stimulates early formation &
growth of roots
b) Provides for fast & vigorous
growth & speeds maturity
c) Stimulates flowering & seed
development
d) Necessary for the enzyme
action of many plant processes
2) Deficiency symptoms:
a)Decrease in growth
b) slow maturity
c) older leaves are
purplish color
c. Potassium
1)functions:
a) used to form carbohydrates
& proteins
b) Formation & transfer of
starches, sugars, & oils
c) Increases disease
resistance, vigor, &
hardiness
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) mottled, spotted,
streaked or curled
leaves
b) scorched, burned, dead
leaf tips & margins
2. Secondary nutrients
a. Calcium
1)functions:
a) improves vigor
b) Influences intake &
synthesis of other plant
nutrients
c) Important part of cell walls
2) Deficiency
symptoms
a) Small developing
leaves, wrinkled older
leaves
b) Dead stem tips
b. Magnesium
1) functions:
a) Influence the intake of
other essential nutrients
b) Helps make fats
c) Assists in translocation of
phosphorus & fats
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) Interveinal chlorosis –
yellowing of leaves between
green veins
b) Leaf tips curl or cup
upward
c) slender, weak stems
c. Sulfur
1)functions:
a) Promotes root growth
& vigorous vegetative
growth
b) Essential to protein
formation
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) Young leaves are light
green with lighter color
veins
b) Yellow leaves and
stunted growth
3. Micro nutrients
a. Iron
1) functions
a) Essential for
chlorophyll production
b) Helps carry electrons to
mix oxygen with other
elements
2. Deficiency symptoms
a) Mottled & interveinal
chlorosis in young
leaves
b) Stunted growth &
slender, short stems
b. Copper
1) Functions
a) helps in the use
of iron
b) helps regulate
respiration
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) Young leaves are
small & permanently
wilt
b) Multiple buds at
stem tips
c. Zinc
1)Functions
a) plant metabolism
b) Helps form growth
hormones
c) reproduction
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) Retarded growth
between nodes
(rosetted)
b) New leaves are thick &
small
c) Spotted between
veins, discolored veins
d. Boron
1) functions
a) Affects water
absorption by roots
b) Translocation of
sugars
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) short, thick stem tips
b) Young leaves of
terminal buds are light
green at base
c) Leaves become
twisted & die
e. Manganese
1)Functions
a) plant metabolism
b) nitrogen
transformation
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) Interveinal
chlorosis
b) young leaves
die
f. Molybdenum
1)Functions
a) plant development
b) reproduction
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) stunted growth
b) yellow leaves, upward
curling leaves, leaf margins burn
g. Chlorine
1)Functions
a) essential to some plant
processes
b) acts in enzyme system
2) Deficiency symptoms
a) Usually more problems
with too much chlorine or
toxicity than with deficiency