How many elements have been found to be essential for plants

Options

A. 8
B. 60
C. 17
D. 9

Answer

**Step-by-Step Text Solution:**

1. **Understanding Essential Elements**: Essential elements are those that are necessary for the normal growth and reproduction of plants. If a plant lacks any of these elements, it will experience deficiency symptoms.

2. **Total Number of Essential Elements**: Research has identified a total of **17 essential elements** required by plants.

3. **Classification of Essential Elements**: These essential elements can be classified into two categories based on their quantitative requirement:
- **Macronutrients**: These are required in larger amounts and there are **9 macronutrients**. They include:
- Carbon (C)
- Hydrogen (H)
- Oxygen (O)
- Nitrogen (N)
- Phosphorus (P)
- Sulfur (S)
- Potassium (K)
- Calcium (Ca)
- Magnesium (Mg)

- **Micronutrients**: These are required in smaller amounts and there are **8 micronutrients**. They include:
- Iron (Fe)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Copper (Cu)
- Molybdenum (Mo)
- Zinc (Zn)
- Boron (B)
- Chlorine (Cl)
- Nickel (Ni)

4. **Conclusion**: Therefore, the total number of essential elements for plants is **17**.

5. **Answer Selection**: Based on the options provided, the correct answer is **17**.

---