Why nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in plant food??

Question

Hello, I'm doing research for a chemistry report but I need to know why Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are included in most plant foods...

Can anyone answer why these ingredients are included in most plant food?

This will be my first question on yahoo answers... whoohoo

Answer 1

Welcome to the yahoo!

Nitrogen is used in building all proteins. This is the basis of their name being amino acids. Amine refers to the nitrogen group of a molecule. Therefore nitrogen is critical to life being used in constructing itself, regulating the building process, and in the structure. It is part of all proteins, enzymes, hormones, and chlorophyll. When nitrogen is deficient, plants concentrate it in their youngest leaves, so the older, larger leaves turn pale, and in severe cases may wither and fall. Because nitrogen is so often the limiting factor to growth plants will take up more than they need deregulating their growth. They have no feedback to slow its uptake.

Phosphorous is required to build ATP (adenosinetriphosphate) essential for accepting and storing solar energy that is distributed from sugar and starch respiration. Without sufficient phosphorus, plants again will be stunted. The leaves will be purplish from the accumulated sugars created by photosynthesis that cannot be used in the absence of sufficient phosphorus. This same ATP is part of the DNA as dATP (deoxy-adenosinetriphosphate) so is also critical to cellular replication as one of the four nucleic acids.

Potassium is used to regulate the processes of plant food creation, transportation, and storage. Processes that are fueled by phosphorus (ATP) and facilitated by nitrogen (proteins, enzymes). Potassium is used as a mobile small molecule with a charge to create potential gradients across cell membranes. In turn this regulates water and large molecules transport. Plants deficient in potassium can not regulate their stomata so dehydrate.

Other minor or secondary nutrients are also critical but less likely to be rate limiting. Magnesium is the central element in chlorophyll. Calcium is important because of the critical role it plays in the structure of cell walls. Sulfer is part of protein structure it has the same deficiency symptoms as nitrogen. The rest needed are the micronutrients.
Note carbon is not listed as plants acquire this for themselves directly from the atmosphere.

Answer 2

our body needs elements in a fixed amount, whether it be essential or non essential. if u know the volume intake of all the elements u r abt. to consume u can certainly consume them. But as matter of fact u can also be sick or die. scientists always do fresh experiments on animals , so it's better u choose an animal , prefarable a mammal, for ur exp.