Mineral Nutrition of Vegetable Crops
摘要
Minerals are the ingredients of biomass structure in all life forms on earth. These essential minerals are acquired from air, water, and soil to meet the nutritional requirements of plants. Nutrients including carbon and oxygen (acquired from the air), hydrogen (acquired from water), nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, boron, nickel, zinc, molybdenum, copper, manganese, and iron (acquired from the soil) are needed to complete the life cycle of a plant. The world population increases continuously, intensifying the pressure to produce more from the available land resources. Where in the 1960s “The Green Revolution” ensured the food supply for the time’s high population. But now the world population has increased twofold from the 1960s. So, we need to revisit the nutrient resources to make the growing population’s food secure. Therefore, the present chapter reviews the significance, essentiality, management, and integration of mineral and organic nutrient resources to meet the nutritional security of vegetable crops. The health of the soil determines the production of healthy food which leads to the health of consumers. The supply of nutritious vegetables after maintaining healthy soil conditions through integrated nutrient management would contribute to food security.