Skip to main content

Understanding the Criteria of Essentiality by Arnon and Schout

In the science of plant physiology, the study of essential nutrients is paramount to understanding the requirements for plant growth and development. One of the seminal works in this field is the research conducted by Arnon and Schout, which established criteria for identifying essential elements for plant growth. This article delves into the criteria of essentiality proposed by Arnon and Schout, shedding light on their significance and implications in the field of plant biology.


Introduction to Essential Nutrients


Essential nutrients are substances that are indispensable for the normal growth, development, and reproduction of plants. These nutrients are required in specific quantities and play vital roles in various physiological processes. The identification of essential nutrients is crucial for optimizing crop production and ensuring sustainable agriculture practices.


The Contribution of Arnon and Schout


In 1951, Daniel I. Arnon and D. D. Schout published a seminal paper titled "Criteria of Essentiality," which outlined the criteria for determining the essentiality of elements for plant growth. Their work laid the foundation for understanding the nutritional requirements of plants and revolutionized the field of plant physiology.


The Criteria of Essentiality


Arnon and Schout proposed three criteria to determine the essentiality of elements for plant growth:


1. The Element must be Essential for Plant Growth : 

This criterion states that an element is considered essential if it is necessary for the normal growth and development of plants. Essential elements are directly involved in vital physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, respiration, and nutrient uptake. Without these elements, plants exhibit characteristic deficiency symptoms and fail to thrive.


2. The Element must be Directly Involved in Plant Nutrition : 

Essential elements must be directly involved in plant nutrition and cannot be substituted by other elements. Each essential element has specific functions within the plant, and its absence or deficiency leads to impaired growth and development. For example, nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis and chlorophyll formation, while potassium regulates osmotic balance and enzyme activation.


3. The Element's Role cannot be Supplemented by Other Elements : 

This criterion emphasizes the unique and irreplaceable role of essential elements in plant physiology. While some elements may have similar functions or interactions with other elements, the specific roles of essential elements cannot be fully compensated by substitutes. For instance, magnesium is essential for chlorophyll synthesis, and its absence cannot be compensated by calcium or other divalent cations.


Implications of the Criteria of Essentiality


The criteria proposed by Arnon and Schout have significant implications for research in plant nutrition and agriculture:


Nutrient Management : 

Understanding the essentiality of elements helps in formulating nutrient management strategies for optimizing crop production. By ensuring the availability of essential nutrients in the soil, farmers can enhance plant growth and yield.


Deficiency Diagnosis : 

The criteria of essentiality provide a framework for diagnosing nutrient deficiencies in plants. By recognizing characteristic deficiency symptoms and understanding the roles of essential elements, researchers and farmers can accurately identify nutrient deficiencies and take corrective measures.


Crop Breeding and Genetic Engineering : 

The criteria of essentiality guide crop breeding programs and genetic engineering efforts aimed at developing nutrient-efficient crop varieties. By targeting genes involved in nutrient uptake and utilization, researchers can enhance the nutritional quality and stress tolerance of crops.


Environmental Sustainability : 

Ensuring the optimal supply of essential nutrients promotes environmental sustainability by minimizing nutrient runoff and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. By adopting precision nutrient management practices, farmers can mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture and promote soil health.


Conclusion

The criteria of essentiality proposed by Arnon and Schout have revolutionized our understanding of plant nutrition and have far-reaching implications for agriculture and environmental sustainability. By elucidating the fundamental principles governing the essentiality of elements for plant growth, their work continues to guide research efforts aimed at enhancing crop productivity, improving food security, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. As we continue to unravel the complexities of plant physiology, the criteria of essentiality remain a cornerstone of modern agricultural science.

Comments

Popular Posts

Understanding Plant Pathology

Sometimes plants get sick and no matter how much you talk to your plant, they won’t talk back. The initial step in determining if a plant has a disease is to look at the signs and symptoms. This can give you a clue about what’s going on.    Read full article about | Types of Plant Pathogens and Abiotic Stresses | Click here |     Hello I'm Tapsendra Patel and this article will provide you a background on plant diseases and the signs and symptoms common for plant pathogens. A disease is any abnormality that alters the looks or function of a plant. Plant functions are effected by this physiological process. Disease can also reduce yield and quality of harvested product. Disease is a process or a change that occurs over time. It does not occur instantly. Infectious plant diseases are caused by living organisms that attack and acquire their nutrition from the plant they infect. The parasitic organism that causes a disease is a pathogen. Numerous fungi, bacteria, viruses,

Internship Research Report : "Indian Tea Industry: Problems & Policies"

  A.   Introduction In the world, India is the largest producer and consumer of the tea which accounts approx 27% of world production and about World Trade of 13%. The major production comes from northern India about 70 to 80% (Assam and West Bengal major contributors). In world exports India's share of tea is also drastically decreased due to more consumption in the country itself. To add to the woes of the firms and formers both international market and domestic markets is failing the prices of tea and all these changes can give adverse impact on country's economy so it is very important to identify and overcome the problems faced by tea sectors in India.   So, here I’m Tapsendra Patel with my Research Report on the Topic – “Indian Tea Industry: Problems & Policies” B.      Literature Review On earth TEA is being the most consumed beverages which is next to water The commercial production of the tea was started since 1835. The tea production in India had seen a great

Introduction to Pomology :- Fruits Types, Planting, Growing and Fruit Storage

Fruits have a high nutrient content and are important sources of vitamins A, B, and B6, as well as potassium, magnesium, copper, andiron. Fruit contains fiber and are high in antioxidants. The branch of horticulture dealing with producing, storing, processing, and marketing fruits and nuts is called Pomology.  View Semester Wise Subjects list of B.Sc Agriculture | Click here to view | Fruits and nuts can be produced commercially or by the home gardeners.  Commercial fruit and nut production can be broken down into two distinct areas :- • Fresh marketing • Processing.  2010-11 estimates that about 12% contribution was given by India in total world productions of fruits. Although India is largest producer of mango, banana, papaya in the world.  India’s horticulture production is comparatively lower in productivity. Both just in case of fruits & vegetables productivity of India (11.7 & 17.3 tonnes per hectare ) it is about half of the productivity of USA ( 22.2 and 31.4 tonnes p

भारतीय लोग किसान बनने की इच्छा क्यों नहीं रखते?

भारतीय लोग किसान बनने की इच्छा क्यों नहीं रखते? This article is also available in English | Click here |  हर पिता चाहता है कि उसकी संतान उससे ज्यादा सफल बने और वह सारे दुख दर्द ना  झेले जो उसके पिता ने अपने जीवन काल में देखे हैं | ऐसे ही किसान की भी मानसिकता यही है | एक किसान अपने बेटे को किसान बनाना क्यों चाहेगा क्योंकि वह जानता है कि एक किसान को कितना स्ट्रगल करना पड़ता है | इसके अलावा कुछ और पॉइंट्स हैं जो इस सारांश को समर्थन देते हैं :-  2001 के पहले खेती करना उतना लाभदायक नहीं हुआ करता था और ना ही कृषि से जुड़े उतने अच्छे उपकरण बने थे |  बरसात भी अनियमित हुआ करती थी  सभी लोग एक ही प्रकार की फसल लगाया करते थे सरकार और डीलर के द्वारा उच्च क्वालिटी के बीच और फ़र्टिलाइज़र नहीं उपलब्ध हो पाते थे,  कृषि  सामग्री में सब्सिडरी नहीं मिलती थी,  दलाल किसानों का सारा उत्पादन बहुत ही कम दामों में खरीद लेते थे और उसे उच्च दामों में मार्केट में बेच देते थे |  हमारे देश के किसानों ने सब देखा है मौसम की मार से लेकर सरकार के पलटने तक, हमारे देश का किसान खेती तो करेगा पर वह यह कभी न

Micro and Macronutrients, Soil and Nutrients Management

A farmer should know the essential mineral elements and how they affect the following :- • Plant growth • Their deficiency symptoms • Methods for preventing or correcting deficiencies. I'm Tapsendra Patel and in this article, we will discuss about :- • Soil • Micro and Macronutrients • pH and its importance to the soil Soil It is commonly thought of as that portion of the earth surface derived from rock and in some cases containing organic remains which living organisms are associated.  Weathering breaks rocks into smaller particles by the processes of physical disintegration and chemical decomposition. The resulting changed physical and chemical characteristics of the rock make it capable of supporting the growth of plants.  The nature of a soil is dependent upon the rocks from which it was derived, but is also dependent upon the length of time and intensity of the • Chemical •Physical •Biological forces that have acted upon it. The soil in turn is the source of the essential mine

Why do Indian people not wish to become farmers?

Why do Indian people not wish to become farmers?    यह लेख हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध है | यहां दबाएं | Every father wants his children to be more successful than him and does not bear all the grief that his father has seen in his lifetime. This is also the mindset of the farmer. Why would a farmer want to make his son a farmer because he knows how much a farmer has to struggle. Apart from this, there are some other points which justifies this : - Before 2001 farming was not as profitable and neither the good and improved tools associated with agriculture were developed Rain was also irregular Everyone used to plant the same type of crop No more fertilizers of high quality were available by the government and the dealer. Subsidies were also not available in agricultural materials, Brokers used to buy all the produce of the farmers at very low prices and sell it in the market at high prices. The farmers of our country have seen everything from the drastic weather beats

किसानों को जैविक खेती करने के लिए प्रेरित कैसे करें ?

 किसानों को जैविक खेती करने के लिए प्रेरित कैसे करें ?    This article is also available in English | Click here | आमतौर पर किसान भी जानते हैं कि जैविक खेती ही कृषि का मूल सिद्धांत है किन्तु  बढ़ती जनसंख्या के साथ उत्पादन की मांग बढ़ रही है और इसी के चलते किसान आज जैविक खेती को छोड़कर रसायनिक खेती के आधुनिक तौर तरीके अपनाने लगे हैं | जैविक खेती को अच्छा क्यों माना जाता है?  किसानों की लागत कम लगती है उन्हें महंगे महंगे रसायनिक फ़र्टिलाइज़र नहीं खरीदने पड़ते और इसका दूसरा यह फायदा है कि सारा उत्पात बिना मिलावटी रसायनिक खाद का होता है,  जो मनुष्य की सेहत को बिल्कुल भी नुकसान नहीं पहुंचाता और वातावरण के लिए भी अच्छा होता है लेकिन जैविक खेती के अकेले सिर्फ यही दो फायदे नहीं है इसके और भी बहुत सारे फायदे हैं जो हमें किसानों तक पहुंचाना जरूरी है जैसे :- जैविक खेती से मृदा का स्वास्थ्य अच्छा होता है जिससे उस में पनपने वाले सूक्ष्मा जीव ,पौधों को उनका भोजन बनाने में मदद करते है | जैविक खाद को आप अपने खेत में ही तैयार कर सकते हैं और इससे किसानों का पैसा भी बचता है |

Lord Shiva Sketch - HAND MADE - by Ujjwal

This sketch was made by me on  4 March, Monday on  MAHA SHIVRATRI Material Required -  • Single HB pencil , 2, 4, 6, 8 • Pencil color • Cotton cluster. Procedure - • Draw outline form Single HB Pencil. • By using HB 4 pencil, darken the outlines drawn by Single HB pencil. • Now complete the main details from top to bottom by different pencil combination. • By using HB 6, and HB 8 pencil again dark the inner shades of main outlines. • Now use the Cotton cluster to reduce the sharpness. • Gradually rub the cotton to make appearance soft, and uniform spreading of black shades. • The last step is to fill orange color with brownies flavor in the sketch. • Use pencil color for orange color also. Average time required :- • 2 Hours   - UJJWAL PATEL

भारत में कृषि क्षेत्र की चुनौतियाँ

भारत में कृषि क्षेत्र की चुनौतियाँ?   This article is also available in English | Click here | भारत में आज भी कृषि क्षेत्र का विकास बहुत बड़ी चुनौती बना हुआ है जिसे पूरा करना इतना आसान नहीं होने वाला है क्योंकि आने वाले 30 सालों में भारत की जनसंख्या लगभग 1.6 बिलियन ( 1,60,00,00,000) तक होने का अनुमान है, इसमें 333 मिलियन( 33.3 Crores) टन का उत्पादन एग्रीकल्चर क्षेत्र से होगा जो कि लगभग अभी के उत्पादन से एक तिहाई ज्यादा होगा । अनुमान के द्वारा अभी भारत में कई प्रकार की चुनौतियां हैं जिन्हें हम समझने की कोशिश कर सकते हैं :- •किसानों के पास कम जमीन होना :-  किसानों के पास कम जमीन होना एक बहुत बड़ी बाधा है जो कृषि क्षेत्र को अधिक फायदेमंद बनाने से रोकती है ।  खेतों में कटाई एवं विभाजन होने के कारण लगभग 5 से 6  प्रतिशत खेती योग्य भूमि व्यर्थ की रह जाती है, औसतन 85 प्रतिशत जमीन छोटे एवं मिडिल क्लास किसानों के पास है जिसके हिसाब से एक छोटे किसान के पास औसतन 0.9 प्रतिशत हेक्टेयर की जमीन है ।  जबकि हमारे देश में हर एक भारतीय नागरिक पर लगभग 1.5 हेक्टेयर की जमीन उपलब्ध है ।

How can be complete the biggest task given by Modiji ?

How can be complete the biggest task given by Modiji ? We are in that stage where we have to conserve our Economy before it get diminished , and for that it very very important to promote our local products for use and consumption. The primary goal of this task is to circulate our Indian currency inside the country itself for the betterment and goodwill of our Indian citizens. So what to do, ? The answer is , it all starts with us... We should do the following thing to complete this task:- • 1st of all, the quick action which we can take is to stop the use of virtual products of other countries like China, Virtual products mainly includes software and application either of Moblie of PC. Some of categories are :- Web browsers Entertainment platforms Productivity applications Tools applications • 2nd , we can avoid the purchase of Chinese hardware and electronic items and give some chances to Indian brands to hit in the market. Some categories are :- Headphones a