Name: Carbon Dioxide Is Necessary for Photosynthesis
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 3 min 37 s
Description: Photosynthesis is a process used by plants to make their food. This video shows an experiment that makes you understand that carbon dioxide is necessary for...

Question

Explain why a plant that does not get enough nitrate has weak growth?

Accepted Answer

An increase in nitrate, like an increase in any salt, will increase the osmotic concentration of the soil solution. The roots of the plant then have to take up minerals from a more and more concentrated solution. If the solution outside gets too concentrated, there will come a point where the plant is not able to take up any water against the concentration gradient and the plant will start to wilt. Even before this point is reached, the plant will grow slower. When plants are irrigated in arid areas, the salts from the irrigation water become concentrated in the soil and the soil can become saline and no longer fertile. So the effect you have observed is very important in some areas of the world.

All plants require sufficient supplies of micronutrients for healthy growth, and nitrogen (N) is a nutrient that is commonly in limited supply. Nitrogen deficiency in plants can occur when organic matter with high carbon content, such as sawdust, is added to the soil. Soil organisms use any nitrogen to break down carbon sources, making N unavailable to plants. This is known as robbing the soil of nitrogen.

Explain why a plant that does not get enough nitrate has weak growth?

Important Questions on Plant Nutrition

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