Question

Which one of the following is not an essential mineral element for plants

• A. Iron
• B. Manganese
• C. Cadmium
• D. Phosphorus

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Cadmium

E. Epstein defined two criteria for an element to be essential for plant growth: in its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle; or that the element is part of some essential plant constituent or metabolite. This is in accordance with Liebig's law of the minimum. There are 14 essential plant nutrients. Plants must obtain the following mineral nutrients from the growing media: the primary macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K); the three secondary macronutrients: calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg); the micronutrients / trace minerals: boron (B), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni).