Plants are presently recognized to utilize sixteen elements in order to sustain growth. Of these sixteen elements twelve are minerals found primarily in the soil. This is the part of this particular chapter where we could easily go into a litany of items on the periodic table of elements, but we'll stick to the basics. Four elements that plants use are considered non-mineral and will be mentioned in detail later on. These elements are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Carbon forms the skeleton of all organic molecules.
Thus, it is a basic building block for all plant life. Through the process of photosynthesis, carbon is combined with hydrogen and oxygen to form carbohydrates. Further chemical combinations, some with the other essential minerals mentioned in this section produce the numerous substances required for plant growth. Oxygen is required for respiration in plant cells whereby energy is derived from the breakdown of carbohydrates. Many of the compounds required for plant growth contain oxygen.