SWEET SEVENTEEN

TECHNICAL POEM ON 17 ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS REQUIRED FOR PLANTS

Plants fall in love, with those sweet seventeen,
Which keep them healthy, wealthy, and ever repaying. (1)
NITROGEN is a part of protein*, and keeps plants green*,
Absence yellows leaf lamina, whole plant stays thin. (2)
If it is root and pod, PHOSPHORUS is thought,
Pink corn stem; or deep green (leaves), in rice is a must. (3)
POTASH in nothing but pot-ash, wished by crop of tubers*,
Food of luxury*, gives resistance*, or else a tip burner. (4)
CALCIUM or lime forms cell wall*, and corrects pH of soil*,
Should be thought for peanut, or pops will reduce oil. (5)
Chloplast interveinal (of leaves), may be due to MAGNESIUM,
If proceeds from bottom to top, while olds develop pigmentation. (6)
SULPHUR like calcium, appears first in young growth,
First fades green, then chlorosis, mind for mustard as an oath. (7)
Interveinal chlorosis, is the universal rule for IRON,
First in young then all leaves, in various pattern. (8)
Lack of COPPER causing dieback, is known to you all,
Old leaves turn dry and papery, and new ones become small. (9)
Frenching of citrus, khaira of paddy, and white bud of maize,
All are due to lack of ZINC, mainly seen in young age. (10)
Patch of chlorosis turning interveinal, first in middle leaves,
Soil is deficient in MANGANESE, as is marsh spot of peas. (11)
Water-soaked small patches, cauliflower hollow-stem,
Browning, decaying young tips, BORON corrects them. (12)
MOLYBDENUM is essential, to make nodules (of legumes) rosy*,
Prevention of whiptail (in cauliflower), by this becomes easy. (13)
Stuffy roots and wilted plants, are due to CHLORINE,
Sand culture proves it, but generally not seen. (14)
Being a part of B12* (vitamin B 12), and essential for legume nodule*,
Forages (crops) require much of COBALT, to supply plentily to the cattle. (15)
CARBON, HYDROGEN and OXYGEN, make total seventeen,
Don’t mind for these three, they are never limiting. (16)
N:B: The star marks indicate normal functions of the concerned elements and others are due to deficiency if not mentioned otherwise.

Reference: Barik, T. (1988) Sweet Seventeen. Technical poem on seventeen plant nutrients. Karsika, the magazine of College of Agriculture, OUAT, BBSR. 32 : 15-16.
* All credit of this publication goes to the College of Agriculture, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India.