Soil nutrients
Soil nutrients are divided up into major or minor elements according to the relative quantities used by plants.
| Nitrogen | N | Major constituent of plant cell proteins, nucleic acids, chlorophyll, & hormones. Second only to water in controlling plant growth |
| Phosphorus | P | Key element in energy fixation. Encourages root growth and the ripening process. |
| Potassium | K | Regulates flow of water and sugar in the plant, regulates internal acidity, enzyme activator. Encourages ripening. |
| Calcium | Ca | Regulates cell acidity, component of cell walls. |
| Sulphur | S | Essential constituent of some amino acids and enzymes. |
| Magnesium | Mg | Essential component of chlorophyll, regulates internal acidity, sugar metabolism. Encourages ripening |
The minor or trace elements include Boron, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Molybdenum, Zinc, Cobalt, Chlorine & Silicon.
A deficiency of any of these elements will lead to serious crop reduction, and in some cases will lead to leaf or shoot symptoms. Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O) are also essential for plant growth, but these are taken from the air or as water and so are not considered as soil nutrients.
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