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Re: composition of plants




* From: "Ben B" <benrx at naxs_net>
Where can I find a chemical breakdown of the elements in plants. I know it is going to be different for different species of plants, but in general I want to know for aquatic plants, what % Carbon they are, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, etc.....


I found the table below at http://www.soils.wisc.edu/~barak/soilscience326/essentl.htm

This table does not include the non-mineral constituents: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The mg/kg column is milligrams of element per kilograms of plant material, dry weight.

Typical concentrations sufficient for plant growth. After E. Epstein. 1965. "Mineral metabolism" pp. 438-466. in: Plant biochemistry (J. bonner and F.E. Varner, eds.) Academic Press London.

Element Symbol mg/kg percent Relative number of atoms
Nitrogen N 15,000 1.5 1,000,000
Potassium K 10,000 1.0 250,000
Calcium Ca 5,000 0.5 125,000
Magnesium Mg 2,000 0.2 80,000
Phosphorus P 2,000 0.2 60,000
Sulfur S 1,000 0.1 30,000
Chlorine Cl 100 -- 3,000
Iron Fe 100 -- 2,000
Boron B 20 -- 2,000
Manganese Mn 50 -- 1,000
Zinc Zn 20 -- 300
Copper Cu 6 -- 100
Molybdenum Mo 0.1 -- 1
Nickel Ni 0.1 -- 1


--
Paul Krombholz in sunny central Mississippi