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Updated: May 17, 2026

Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements
Published on: July 13, 2016
Roles and functions of plant mineral nutrients
Frans J M Maathuis1, Eugene Diatloff
1Biology Department, University of York, York, UK. frans.maathuis@york.ac.uk
Abstract:
Plants require macro- and micronutrients, each of which is essential for a plant to complete its life cycle. Adequate provision of nutrients impacts greatly on plant growth and as such is of crucial importance in the context of agriculture. Minerals are taken up by plant roots from the soil solution in ionic form which is mediated by specific transport proteins. Recently, important progress has been achieved in identifying transport and regulatory mechanisms for the uptake and distribution of nutrients. This and the main physiological roles of each nutrient will be discussed in this chapter.
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