There are 17 essential minerals for plants, but how do scientists know which mineral plant has which deficiency? Hydroponics is a technique to know the mineral effect on plants. Hydroponics is a technique for growing plants without soil. 

Following steps are followed in Hydroponics: 

• Put a plant in a container

• Then fill the container with water. In the water, put roots of the plants

•  Then add minerals to the water with the help of a tube

• With the help of another tube, give air to the roots

In the Hydroponics technique, the plant is provided with water, air, and minerals. Mineral Nutrition Class 11 NCERT topic hydroponics technique is important from an exam point of view. It is the technique to grow plants without soil. The benefit of this technique is that there are all minerals in the soil. When you put minerals in the water, it is up to you which mineral you are providing to the plant. You can change the minerals providing levels and get to know the effect of deficiency of one mineral.

Hydroponics is also used commercially. Many plants are grown in the water, for example, lettuce, tomatoes, seedless cucumbers, etc.

The minerals which are necessary for plants are essential. Without these minerals, plants will not be able to complete their life cycle. Essential minerals are important for the growth and reproduction of plants. There are 17 essential minerals. It can become difficult to differentiate between essential and non-essential elements. This is why Mineral And Nutrition Class 11 has provided criteria of essential elements.

● The element should be necessary for the growth and reproduction of plants

● The deficiency of an element can not be covered by other elements

● The element is directly involved in the metabolism of the plant

Essential elements are also called essential nutrients. Essential nutrients are of two types, macronutrients and micronutrients. There are nine macronutrients and eight micronutrients. Macronutrients are those nutrients that require more than 10 millimolar/ kg dry matter. If less than 10 millimolar/ kg dry matter, it is micronutrients.

Macronutrients are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur.

Micronutrients are molybdenum, boron, zinc, manganese, copper, nickel, iron.

The mechanism of absorption of elements can be divided into two phases. The first phase is the rapid movement of ions to free space which is a poplast movement. It is the movement of water with minerals to the outer layer of plant cells called cell walls. This process is called the passive phase.

The second phase is the exit or entry of ions from or to the symplast. This process is called the active phase. To go into the inner space of plant cells from the outer space of plant cells against the concentration gradients needs energy. The inside movement of elements of the inward side is called influx. The inside movement of elements to the outward side is called efflux.

The elements go from roots to other parts of the plant by the xylem tissue. This process is called translocation.

Elements present in soil are absorbed by plants. The main source of essential elements of plants is soil. Soil is the storage of most essential ions and minerals. The soil comes from weathering of the rocks. Rocks break into small particles and convert them into the soil. Most minerals come into the soil by weathering of the rocks. NCERT Mineral And Nutrition chapter discuss this essential function of the soil. Soil does not provide only minerals but also has other functions. Nitrification and denitrification bacteria are present in the soil. Water is present in the soil, and the texture of the soil also determines the stability of plants. Soil provides many things to make plants stable.

When soil lacks minerals, we provide minerals to the soil through fertilisers. Fertilisers are chemicals that are rich in essential minerals and provided to plants.

Nitrogen is the most important nutrient for plants. Plants can use nitrogen only in certain usable forms. This is why the metabolism of nitrogen becomes very important. 

Let us first discuss the nitrogen cycle. The source of nitrogen is the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, nitrogen is found in the form of molecular nitrogen. Nitrogen can not be used in molecular form. Nitrogen has to be converted into usable forms. These usable forms are Ammonium ions, nitrates, nitrites. 

There are three types of nitrogen fixation:

• • Biological nitrogen fixation - atmospheric nitrogen converts into nitrogen ion, 

  • Industrial Nitrogen fixation - nitrogen is converted into urea first and then in ammonia

  • Atmospheric nitrogen fixation - nitrogen is converted into nitrogen oxide.

These forms are taken by plants. From plants, nitrogen is taken by animals in the form of food. From plants and animals, after death and decay by decaying bacteria, nitrogen converts into usable forms. The process is called ammonification. The cycle goes on. The urea released by animals called excursion is also converted into ammonia. Certain bacteria convert usable nitrogen into atmospheric nitrogen. This process is called denitrification.

 

Here are the NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 11 Biology - Mineral Nutrition to help you understand every question from your NCERT textbook.

 

1. If a plant shows a symptom which could grow because of lack of more than one nutrient, how would you find out by experiment, the real deficient mineral element?

 When a plant shows symptoms, it could be difficult to determine what deficiency of elements causes the symptom. The reason is that the deficiency symptom can be the same for more than one nutrient. To know the exact nutrient deficiency, experimentally, make a list of nutrients that can be deficient. Take small pots and put plants in the pots. Put one type of nutrient in all pots. The plant which gets normal, you will get to know which nutrient was deficient in the plant.

2. How are the minerals soaked by the plants?

The plant takes minerals with water from root cells and with the help of xylem tissue to other parts of the plants.

3. What are the advantages of NCERT Solutions Class 11 Biology Mineral Nutrition?

 Mineral Nutrition Class 11 helps to enhance knowledge about the essential minerals for plants. NCERT Mineral Nutrition explains how plants absorb minerals from the soil. Students get the knowledge about the nitrogen cycle and methods to know the essential elements symptoms of plants.