Plant nutrition

Plant nutrition comprises the processes by which plants obtain, absorb, transport, and use mineral nutrients and other substances needed for growth and metabolism.

Root hair: A tubular extension of a root epidermal cell that increases the surface area available for water and mineral uptake. Root hairs provide much of the absorptive surface through which soil minerals enter plants.
Essential plant nutrients: Chemical elements required for a plant to complete its life cycle and perform normal growth and reproduction. Plant nutrition centers on supplying the elements classified as essential.
Fertilizer: A material added to soil or plants to supply nutrients and support growth. Fertilizers replenish nutrients removed by harvest or unavailable in the soil.
Biological nitrogen fixation: The enzymatic conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia by certain microorganisms. Plants cannot fix atmospheric nitrogen themselves, but symbioses with nitrogen-fixing microbes can supply usable nitrogen.
Mycorrhiza: A symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant root, often expanding the plant's access to soil nutrients. Fungal hyphae extend beyond roots and can improve phosphorus and other mineral uptake.
Macronutrient: An essential nutrient required by an organism in relatively large amounts. Plants need large quantities of elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Plant nutrient deficiency: A condition in which inadequate supply of an essential nutrient impairs plant growth or function. Recognizing deficiency symptoms helps identify which nutrient limits a crop.
Carnivorous plant: A plant that captures and digests animals, gaining mineral nutrients from its prey. Carnivorous plants supplement nutrient-poor soils by obtaining minerals from captured organisms.
Xylem: Vascular tissue that transports water and dissolved minerals from roots to the rest of a plant. Xylem carries many absorbed mineral nutrients upward with the transpiration stream.
Micronutrient: An essential nutrient required by an organism in relatively small amounts. Elements such as iron and zinc are needed in small quantities but remain indispensable.

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