Disease

YOU ARE LEARNING:

Ion Deficiencies

If plants cannot obtain enough nutrients from their environment, they may experience a lack of ions. This can lead to different issues which affects the plant's function.

Just like animals, plants need mineral ions to stay healthy. How do plants obtain mineral ions?

What do we call the process where mineral ions are absorbed by the roots, against the concentration gradient?

Select two of the most important mineral ions to a plant.

You can select multiple answers

Magnesium is important for a plant to make its green pigment that it stores in the chloroplasts. What is that green pigment called?

The plant in the image is showing symptoms of a magnesium ion deficiency. How would you describe the symptom?

A) Yellow leaves B) Spotty leaves

Magnesium is needed to make chlorophyll.

Without chlorophyll the leaves look yellow.

If plants do not have as much chlorophyll, what process will the plant struggle to carry out?

Plants need magnesium ions to make the green pigment chlorophyll. So if plants suffer from a magnesium ion deficiency, their leaves will appear yellow. This is called chlorosis. Also, if the plant lacks chlorophyll, it means it won't be able to photosynthesise as much, so the plant won't grow as much.

Nitrates are important for a plant to make amino acids. Which substance do many amino acids join to form?

Why is it important for a plant to make protein?

Plants need nitrates to make amino acids which they build into protein and used for growth. Without nitrates the plant will not grow as much.