Select an incorrect statement

Options

A. Nitrogen is not considered a true mineral.
B. Nitrogen is inert and plants cannot make use of it directly.
C. Nitrogen is absorbed by plants in the form of nitrogen gas
D. Phosphorus is absorbed as phosphate, and sulphur mainly as sulphate.

Explanation

To solve the question of selecting an incorrect statement regarding mineral nutrition in plants, we can analyze each statement provided:

1. **Statement 1**: "Nitrogen is not considered as true mineral."
- This statement is correct. Nitrogen is present in the atmosphere in a gaseous form and needs to be fixed before plants can utilize it.

2. **Statement 2**: "Nitrogen is inert and plants cannot make use of it directly."
- This statement is also correct. Nitrogen gas (N₂) is inert and cannot be directly used by plants; it must first be converted into usable forms like ammonium (NH₄⁺) or nitrate (NO₃⁻).

3. **Statement 3**: "Nitrogen is absorbed by the plant in the form of nitrogen gas."
- This statement is incorrect. Plants do not absorb nitrogen in its gaseous form; instead, they absorb it in the form of ammonium or nitrate ions.

4. **Statement 4**: "Phosphorus is absorbed as phosphate and sulphur is mainly absorbed as sulphate."
- This statement is correct. Phosphorus is indeed absorbed as phosphate ions (PO₄³⁻), and sulfur is absorbed as sulfate ions (SO₄²⁻).

Based on the analysis, the incorrect statement is **Statement 3**: "Nitrogen is absorbed by the plant in the form of nitrogen gas."

### Summary of the Solution:
- The correct answer to the question of selecting an incorrect statement is: **"Nitrogen is absorbed by the plant in the form of nitrogen gas."**