Question

how are the nutrients taken up by plants?

Answer 1

Root can take up the nutrients along with the water means when water is taken up. This process is called mass flow. Nutrients such as nitrate, calcium and sulfur are normally supplied by mass flow. Some nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium move to the root by diffusion.Their concentration in the soil solution in close proximity to the root decreases. This creates a gradient for the nutrient to diffuse through the soil solution from a zone of high concentration to the depleted solution adjacent to the root.