✅Nitrogen (N):
🔰Nitrogen is needed for vigorous vegetative leaf and stem growth and dark green leaf colour (chlorophyll production).
🔰It is a component of many important organic compounds ranging from protein to nucleic acid.
🔰It feeds soil microorganisms as they decompose organic matter. It is part of proteins, enzymes, chlorophyll, and growth regulators.
🔰Uptake inhibited by high phosphorus levels. N/K ratio is important: high N/low K favours vegetative growth; low N/high K promotes flowering and fruiting.
✅Phosphorus (P):
🔰Phosphorus is very mobile in plants; relatively immobile in soil and does not leach.
🔰It is stored in seeds and fruit. It is most readily available to plants between a pH of 6 and 7.5 (unavailable in very acid or alkaline soils). It has a central role in energy transfer and protein metabolism.
🔰Phosphorus has also a role in fat, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen metabolism, in respiration, and in photosynthesis. Found in greatest concentration in sites of
new cell growth. Phosphorus absorption is reduced at low soil temperatures. Phosphorus is necessary to stimulate early root formation and growth, hasten crop maturity, stimulate flowering and seed production, give winter hardiness to fall plantings and seedings, and promote vigorous start (cell division) to plants.
✅Potassium (K):
🔰Potassium (potash - K2O) is highly mobile in plants, and generally immobile in soil. It tends to leach.
🔰Potassium promotes vigour and disease resistance, helps
development of root system, improves plant quality, and increases winter hardiness due to carbohydrate storage in roots.
🔰Increases protein production, and is essential to starch, sugar and oil formation and transfer and in water relations. It helps in osmotic and ionic regulation.
Comments