Macronutrients &Micronutrients
Macronutrients, as the name suggests, are the nutrients required by the plants in large amounts. These include Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen , are obtained from air and water while the others are obtained from the soil. Macronutrients are the ones required in very small amount by the plants. These include Iron(Fe), Zinc(zn), etc. In addition to these, some elements like silicon, cobalt, selenium & sodium are present which are required by the higher plants. The elements referred to as macronutrients and micronutrients can be further divided in following categories : • Elements as components of biomolecules & hence are structural elements of the cell. eg; carbon, nitrogen, oxygen etc. • Elements that are component of energy-related chemical compounds in plants like Phosphorus in ATP. • Elements that help inactivation or inhibition of enzymes. eg; Zinc which helps in the activation of alcohol dehydrogenase . • Elements which alter the water potential (osmotic potentia...