Minerals and Nutrients

Magnesium is found in plants in the form of chlorophyll.

Macronutrients are elements required by plants in relatively large amounts. These include carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. Iron (Fe) is a micronutrient but is often grouped with 'major nutrients' in some contexts. Copper (Cu) is definitively a micronutrient, required only in trace amounts as an enzyme cofactor (e.g., plastocyanin in photosynthesis).

Phosphorus deficiency causes premature leaf fall because phosphorus is essential for energy transfer (ATP) and nucleic acid synthesis. When deficient, plants mobilize phosphorus from older leaves to younger tissues, causing senescence and leaf drop.

Zinc is required for the biosynthesis of IAA (Indole-3-Acetic Acid), the primary auxin in plants. Zinc acts as a cofactor for enzymes involved in tryptophan synthesis, which is a precursor for IAA production.

Mineral elements can indeed be classified in all three ways: as micronutrients/macronutrients based on quantity needed, as essential/non-essential based on whether plants require them for completion of their life cycle, and as major/trace elements based on their concentration in plant tissue.

Manganese, copper, and zinc are well-established enzyme cofactors found in metalloenzymes - Mn in superoxide dismutase and Mn-catalase, Cu in cytochrome c oxidase and plastocyanin, Zn in alcohol dehydrogenase and carbonic anhydrase. Boron, while an essential micronutrient for plants (important for cell wall structure), functions primarily through structural roles in cell walls and membrane function rather than as an enzyme cofactor.

Hydrogen is the most abundant atom in living organisms by number, because water (H2O) makes up about 70% of cell mass, and hydrogen is present in almost all organic molecules. Oxygen is second most abundant by atom count, followed by carbon and nitrogen. By mass, oxygen is most abundant.

N (nitrogen) P (phosphorous) K (potassium) are essential for the growth of plants

Small mineral requirements include iron, copper, molybdenum and zinc which are required in very less amounts by microbes and hence, are defined as trace elements.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) contains cobalt as its central metallic ion in its corrin ring structure. This is why it's called cobalamin.

Alkaloids are nitrogen-containing compounds found in plants, and urea (CO(NH2)2) contains nitrogen in its structure. Nitrogen is a key element in both of these organic compounds.

Sodium and potassium are necessary for the electrical activities of the nerves and for the contraction of muscles.

Calcium provides heat resistance to endospores. Calcium forms calcium dipicolinate in endospores. It may aid in resistance to heat and oxidising agents.

Micronutrients are nutrients required by humans and other organisms throughout life in small quantities to orchestrate a range of physiological functions. Examples: Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, V, Cr, Mo, Se, F, I, Al, Pb, Sn and Si.

Ceruloplasmin, a glycoprotein produced in the liver, carries or transports more than 95 percent of the copper in blood plasma.