AGRICULTURE
Changing the face of farming in India
SECONDARY NUTRINETS
Quick Facts
- Secondary Nutrients such as calcium and magnesium are required in lesser quantities than the primary nutrients, however they are just as important for plant nutrition.
- Calcium plays a major role in the formation of the cell wall membrane and its plasticity, affecting normal cell division by maintaining cell integrity and membrane permeability. It combines with anions including organic acids, sulphates, and phosphates. It acts as a detoxifying agent by neutralizing organic acids in plants.
- Calcium is essential for seed production, protein formulation and in improving the disease resistance in plants. Without adequate Calcium, which in the form of calcium pectate is needed to form rigid cell walls, newly emerging leaves may stick together at the margins, which causes tearing as the leaves expand and unfurl. This may also cause the stem structure to be weakened.
- Magnesium is necessary for cell division and protein formation and in essential for plant respiration. It is a component of pectin, important for stability of cells and phytin. It assists the movement of sugars within a plant.
- The predominant role of Magnesium is as a major constituent of the chlorophyll molecule, and it is therefore actively involved in photosynthesis. It is required to stabilize ribosome particles and also helps stabilize the structure of nucleic acids.
- Deficiency of Magnesium leads to shortage of chlorophyll resulting in dropping foliage and poor and stunted plant growth.
MINERAL
Ca
Mg
Mg
