Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 12/12/2007

Question
Hi, I have been looking for hours for information on the following minerals with little luck.  They are zinc, copper, nitrates and lead.  I need to know their functions in plants, if they are used in any processes such as the calvin cycle or electron transport chain etc and if so what they do within them. I would really appreciate any help. :) Thanks.

Answer
Dear Sonz,

Zinc and copper are micronutrients (i.e., nutrients that plants need in extremely small quantities) that may be used by plants for certain metabolic reactions.  In most cases, such micronutrients form part of a coenzyme that mediates a particular metabolic pathway

Copper is important for normal growth of plant reproductive parts.  It takes part in root metabolism and helps the plant metabolize and utilize protein.

Zinc helps regulate the plants utilization of sugars during cellular respiration, and is essential for the transformation of carbohydrates into sugar for that cycle.
Zinc also acts as a coenzyme that activates plant growth regulators.

Nitrates are the accessible form of the macronutrient (i.e., a nutrient plants require in large amounts) nitrogen, which plants use to build proteins, nucleic acids and other macromolecules for their structure and function.  They obtain nitrates from the soil where special bacteria have fixed them into the form of nitrate from atmospheric nitrogen (N2).

I am not aware of any function of lead in plants.

Hope that helps.

Dana