Plant Nutrition and Minerals
Plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
About this topic
Plants make carbohydrates by photosynthesis but need mineral ions from the soil: nitrates (for amino acids and protein; deficiency gives stunted growth and yellow leaves), phosphates (for DNA, ATP and roots; deficiency gives purple leaves) and potassium (for enzymes and flowering; deficiency yellows leaf edges), plus magnesium for chlorophyll.
Roots absorb them by active transport. Farmers use fertilisers, but excess pollutes water. Hydroponics grows plants in nutrient solution. Carnivorous plants supplement nitrogen from insects in poor soils.
Farmers add fertilisers with NPK, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, to replace what crops remove. Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll, so a shortage causes pale leaves, and potassium helps enzymes and the opening of stomata, and a shortage causes yellow leaves with dead spots. Nitrates are taken up by active transport in root hairs.
Too much fertiliser washes into rivers and causes eutrophication: algae bloom, then die, and decomposers use up oxygen, killing fish. Legumes have bacteria in root nodules that fix nitrogen, so farmers rotate crops. Hydroponics grows plants in mineral solution without soil. A common misconception is that plants eat soil; they take in only dissolved minerals and water, and most of their mass is from air and water.
Key ideas
- Nitrate for proteins
- Magnesium for chlorophyll
- Deficiencies cause yellow leaves
Quick check
Use cases: where Plant Nutrition and Minerals helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Plant Nutrition and Minerals before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Plant Nutrition and Minerals without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Plant Nutrition and Minerals changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Plant Nutrition and Minerals in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Biology underpins medicine, farming, conservation and biotechnology.
Frequently asked questions
What is Plant Nutrition and Minerals?
Plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
What will I learn in Plant Nutrition and Minerals?
Nitrate for proteins. Magnesium for chlorophyll. Deficiencies cause yellow leaves.
Is Plant Nutrition and Minerals part of Biology?
Yes. It is one of 150 Biology topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Plant Nutrition and Minerals lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Plant Nutrition and Minerals?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.