Plant Nutrients: Mobile vs Immobile
Plants need nutrients for healthy growth, but did you know that nutrients move differently inside the plant? Based on their movement, nutrients are classified into mobile and immobile nutrients. Understanding this is very important for identifying deficiencies and managing crops better.
Mobile Nutrients
Mobile nutrients can move from older leaves to younger leaves whenever the plant faces a shortage. That’s why their deficiency symptoms first appear on older leaves.
Examples: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium.
Immobile Nutrients
Immobile nutrients cannot move easily once they are fixed in a particular leaf. So, when plants lack these nutrients, the deficiency shows up on younger leaves.
Examples: Calcium, Sulfur, Iron, Boron, Copper, Zinc.
Why is This Important?
Knowing whether a nutrient is mobile or immobile helps farmers correctly diagnose deficiency symptoms. For example, yellowing of old leaves usually means lack of nitrogen, while poor growth in new leaves may indicate calcium or iron deficiency.
