Green leaf tissues convert solar energy into the energy of chemical bonds of sugar molecules during the process of photosynthesis. The efficiency of this conversion can be much higher than the efficiency of any of the currently known silicon-based solar panels. Importantly, vast amounts of CO2 are assimilated during this process. The efficiency of photosynthesis is critically dependent on the availability of a large number of nutrients, among which metal cations such as K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Ni play a key role. This paper summarizes the basic requirements and major functions for each of these essential nutrients in plant photosynthesis, both at the whole-plant and molecular level. Also discussed is how these requirements may be affected by the global climate trends and the prospects of creating artificial photosynthetic "bioreactors" for efficient energy conversion and CO2 assimilation. © TMS 2009.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant biology
Research Field:	Plant physiology
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
UTAS Author:	Shabala, SN (Professor Sergey Shabala)
ID Code:	60249
Year Published:	2009
Web of Science® Times Cited:	5
Deposited By:	Agricultural Science
Deposited On:	2010-01-27
Last Modified:	2011-10-12
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