Sustainability and Plant Minerals

Importance of Minerals to Plants

All plants require functional minerals for growth and normal development.
These minerals include primary nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and secondary nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and sulphur.
Micro-nutrients, despite being needed in smaller amounts, are also essential. These include elements such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and boron.

Mineral Acquisition

Plants take up minerals from the soil through their roots. These nutrients are usually dissolved in water and absorbed through active transport.
Many plants have evolved relationships with root-symbiotic microbes, such as mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria, that help in the uptake of less accessible nutrients or those present in non-bioavailable chemical forms.

Sustainability in Plant Mineral Use

To maintain soil fertility, it’s important to replace the minerals that are removed when plants are harvested.
Crop rotation and intercropping are traditional methods that encourage nutrient cycling. Different plants have different nutrient requirements and can draw from different soil depths.
Usage of green manure crops or crop residues can recycle nutrients back into the soil, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers.
Favouring natural predators over chemical pesticides helps conserve beneficial soil organisms that aid in mineral recycling.

Environmental Impact of Fertilizers

Overuse of synthetic fertilisers can lead to eutrophication of nearby water bodies, causing algal blooms that result in a loss of aquatic biodiversity.
High levels of nutrients, especially nitrogen compounds, in drinking water can have direct negative effects on human health.
The production and distribution of synthetic fertilisers involve significant energy use and carbon emissions, contributing to climate change.
To minimise these impacts, it is necessary to improve fertiliser efficiency, use organic alternatives, and employ precision agriculture techniques to optimise usage.

Role of Plants in Sustainable Agriculture

Choosing plant species or varieties that have good nutrient use efficiency can reduce the need for fertilisers.
Certain plants, such as legumes, enable soil nitrogen fixation due to their symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilisers.
Breeding or genetically modifying plants to improve nutrient uptake efficiency or to enhance their association with beneficial soil microbes are promising areas of research for sustainable agriculture.