Nitrogen
Functions:
- Imparts green color to plants, encourages vegetative growth
- Essential constituent of protein
- Constituent of protoplasm, chlorophyll, and coenzyme
- Plays an important role in the synthesis of auxin
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Lower leaves become yellow and dry
- V-shaped chlorosis on older leaves or yellowing at the tip
Disease:
- Starvation disease due to nitrogen deficiency
- Buttoning in cauliflower
Phosphorus
Functions:
- Increases disease resistance
- Enhances new cell formation and necessary for root development
- Required for grain formation and maturity of grains
- Essential constituent for nucleic acid and phytin
- Most essential functions are energy storage and transfer (acts as "energy currency")
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Life cycle of plant can't be completed, hence Phosphorus is called "key of life"
- Imparts dark green color in leaves, later develops red-purple coloration
Disease:
- Sickle leaf disease
Potassium
Functions:
- Stomata regulation
- Provides disease resistance in plants
- Cofactor for enzymes
- Formation and translocation of sugars
- Helps in chlorophyll formation
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Spot of dead tissue at tips
- Scorching and burning on margins of autumn leaves
Disease:
- Rottle/dieback disease
Calcium
Functions:
- Constituent of cell wall
- Mobile in plants, deficiency symptoms appear on meristem tip portion
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Terminal bud dies
Disease:
- Tip hooking
- Blossom end rot of tomato (BER)
- Popping in groundnut
Magnesium
Functions:
- Essential constituent of chlorophyll
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Chlorosis between veins
Disease:
- Sand-drown disease of tobacco
Sulphur
Functions:
- Sulphur oxidizing bacteria is Thiobacillus
- Essential for oil seeds and pulses, improves oil and protein content
Disease:
- Akiochi disease of rice due to excess of hydrogen sulphide
- Tea yellow disease of tea
Iron
Functions:
- Component of nitrate reductase
- Required for nitrogen fixation
- Acts as O2 carrier during respiration
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Interveinal complete chlorosis
- Scorching of leaf margin
- Yellowing of iron chlorosis in groundnut
Manganese
Functions:
- Formation of chlorophyll
- Co-factor of enzyme
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Dead spot on leaves
Disease:
- Marsh spot of pea
- Pahala blight of sugarcane
Copper
Functions:
- Compound of plastocyanin
- Essential for photosynthesis/respiration
Disease:
- Dieback and reclamation disease of cereals
Boron
Functions:
- Necessary for pollen germination
- Only non-metal element among the micronutrient
- Necessary for translocation of sugars
- Involved in reproduction and germination of pollen
Disease:
- Browning of cauliflower
- Top sickness of tobacco
- Fruit cracking of tomato
- Hard fruit of citrus
- Hen and chick disease of grape
Zinc
Functions:
- Required for biosynthesis of hormones
Deficiency Symptoms:
- White bud of maize
- Khaira disease of rice
- Little leaf of cotton
- Mottled leaf of citrus
- Rosette formation
Cobalt
Functions:
- Component of Vitamin B
- Essential for formation of a type of hemoglobin in N-fixing nodule tissue known as leghaemoglobin
- Acts as O2 carrier in roots
- Also known as animal protein factor
Molybdenum
Functions:
- Absorbed as molybdate (MoO4-2) forms
- Important component of enzyme: Nitrate reductase
- Required for N-fixation in pulses
- Required for carrot and raphanus for sweetness
Deficiency Symptoms:
- Whiptail of cauliflower
