Plant Nutrition Flashcards
What are essential elements
elements that a plant must obtain to complete its life cycle of growth and have reproductive success
of the 17 essential elements 9 of them are ______ and 8 of them are ______
9 macronutrients
8 micronutrients
macronutrients are required in what amount?
large amounts
micronutrients are required in what size amounts?
small amounts
What is the most common nutritional problems for plants?
Nitrogen
The availability of nutrients in soil affects plant _____ and _______
growth and health
What are fertilizers
compounds given to plants to promote growth
what are two ways nutrients can be alleviated with soil additives
inorganic chemical fertilizers
compost
What is compost?
a soil-like mixture of decomposed organic matter
What are three human agriculture practices that have degrades soils
Irrigation
Plowing lands
Chemical fertilizers
Why are chemical fertilizers problematic?
may contaminate ground water
Eutrophication
What are three good soil management practices?
water-conserving irrigation
erosion control
prudent use of herbicides and fertilizers
Despite the earth atmosphere being majority nitrogen why do plants still have nitrogen problems
Plants cannot absorb nitrogen directly from the air
What must nitrogen be converted to for plants?
ammonium and nitrate
What are the three processes soil bacteria uses to convert nitrogen?
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Ammmonifying bacteria
Nitrifying bacteria
What does Nitrogen-fixing bacteria do?
convert atmospheric N2 to ammonia in process called nitrogen fixation
What does Ammonifying bacteria do?
add to the supply of ammonium by decompsing organic matter
What does Nitrifying bacteria do?
convert ammonium to nitrates
