Plant Nutrition

Catalog description

Mineral nutrition of higher plants, including nutrient acquisition, transport, metabolism, and practical implications. HORT 402W Plant Nutrition (3) The course considers the mineral nutrition of higher plants from physiological, ecological, and agricultural perspectives. The first part of the course considers factors influencing the acquisition of mineral nutrients and their transport in the plant, including nutrient mobility in the soil, root biology, rhizosphere interactions, membrane transport, xylem, and phloem transport. Root symbioses and metabolic assimilation of N and S will also be discussed. The second part of the course gives an overview of mineral metabolism. The final third of the course illustrates the practical dimensions of plant nutrition. The diagnosis of nutritional disorders, nutrition, and yield, foliar fertilization, genetic aspects of plant nutrition, and nutrient cycling will be covered by lecture and laboratory exercises. Laboratory exercises demonstrate lecture topics and permit a 'Hands-on' involvement with the subject. Emphasis is placed on concepts and integrating principles rather than memorization of technical details.